The Lunch Box Journals

Las Vegas, NV to Yuma, AZ (Hwy 93 to Kingman, AZ; Hwy 68 to Laughlin, NV; Hwy 95 to Yuma)
The plan is to make like Lawrence of Arabia and wander through the desert south from Las Vegas to Yuma, roughly following the Colorado River as it flows through desert mountains and plains before leaving the United States southwest of Yuma, Arizona. Historically the rugged canyons funneled incredible floods each spring through their narrow canyons before spreading out in a wide valley starting about 20 miles north of Yuma. One of the results of this geologic pattern is that a plain of very fertile soil lies around the southern terminus of the river. The development of the agricultural promise of the Yuma area in modern times began with the building of the first dam on the Colorado, Laguna Dam just north of Yuma in 1909. Starting with Glen Canyon Dam above the Grand Canyon and finishing up in the US with Imperial Dam (superseding Laguna Dam near Yuma), the Colorado is now one of the most intensely managed watersheds in the United States. The river shrinks dramatically before exiting to Mexico, where there is one last dam that essentially holds all the remaining water in the river. Most years the Colorado dries up and doesn’t actually reach the Gulf of California any more. One of the most significant dams in the series lies 30 minutes southeast of Las Vegas, Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam
Outside of the bowl that is the Las Vegas area, the desert is not the romantic vision imagined by most of blowing sand dunes dotted with the occasional lush oasis of swaying palm trees. Instead it is incredibly rugged with range after range of starkly naked mountain ridges, devoid of any vegetation larger than a small bush. Leaving Las Vegas via the Boulder Highway a series of low passes are crossed before the highway spits with Hwy 95 angling off to the southwest and Hwy 93 continuing straight through the small town of Boulder (built to house the workers who built the dam). The town covers both sides of a ridge that the road crests and then begins a gradual descent towards Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

The mighty Colorado River slices through this landscape in a series of deep canyons, most notably the famed Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. Southeast of Las Vegas the river cuts an incredibly deep and narrow canyon through black rock and that was the site chosen in 1931 for the construction of Hoover Dam.

Until 2010 Hwy 93 crossed the gorge on top of the dam. A new bridge opened in 2010 just southwest of the dam and now the dam is closed to through traffic. Visitors to the dam still drive across the top to reach parking lots on the south side and that is what Augie and I attempted to do. Unfortunately an over-zealous young employee refused to let us park in the lot because the rules said that I couldn’t leave the dog in the motorhome. Never mind that on this particularly morning it was only 62 outside, a rule is a rule. In a huff I drove off a bit, parked and surreptitiously took a few pictures. This is the view looking at the east side of the dam with the new Tillman Bridge in the background.

The intake towers rise from the lake and the tan horizontal lines is a large parking garage for visitors built into the side of the canyon. The art deco design reminiscent of the 1930’s is seen everywhere, including at the entrance to the original visitors center on the north side of the dam.

Turning to the right I look east up Lake Mead, noticing how low the lake is after years of drought and the impact of the explosion of population drawing water from the lake.

As I drive away a pullout gives a rare view of the river below the dam framed by the new bridge.

At the upper end of the entrance road a view to the southwest illustrates the rugged nature on the area. While it is hard to make out, Hoover Dam is hidden in the river canyon that cuts across the middle of this picture. There is a parking lot at the top of the canyon that gives pedestrian access to the new Tillman Bridge. This picture is from the middle of the bridge looking east at Hoover Dam.

Flowing under the bridge the river sinks from view in Black Canyon, one of the scars in the range of mountains to the west but occasionally a glimpse of the river can be seen from Hwy 95 as we head south into Arizona.

After twenty miles or so the highway veers away from the river and heads across a gentling rolling desert south towards Kingman, AZ.

Just before Kingman we leave Hwy 93 and head about 30 miles west to Colorado River where the twin cities of Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ occupy opposing banks. While we were wandering in the desert the river has been descending through the mountains in a series of inaccessible canyons. It’s a sign of how much a drop in elevation has occurred on the river when the road descends for 12 miles at a 6% grade before reaching the river valley.

At the base of the mountain the casinos of Laughlin come into view, lining the east bank of the river.

Leaving the bright lights of Laughlin behind us, the river (and Hwy 95) meanders through a broad desert valley towards Needles, California. The rock formations that give the town its name rise in the distance.

The mountains close in again as we continue to head south and our next stop, Lake Havasu City. Lake Havasu is formed by Parker Dam and is a favorite party place for southern Californians.

Lake Havasu City
The town was created by Robert McCulloch as a real estate venture designed to lure retirees to the Arizona desert and today is a long strip along the eastern shore of the lake where I bet traffic is unbelievable during weekends and holidays. Can’t say that it’s real impressive (Oregonians, think of a desert Lincoln City…). A key claim to fame (or infamy, depending on your point of view!) is the presence of London Bridge in the middle of Lake Havasu City. It connects the east shore to a large island in the lake and is an orgy of tourism! Yes, it’s THAT London Bridge! In 1967 the City of London in England decided to dismantle the 1831 bridge that spanned the River Thames in order to replace it with a modern structure. Robert McCulloch bought the bridge from the British, dismantling it stone by stone (numbering each stone) and reconstructed the bridge in Lake Havasu City. The original stones clothe the exterior of a modern concrete bridge completed in 1971. McCulloch was trying to build a retirement city in the middle of nowhere and used the bridge as an attention-getter.

At the eastern end of the bridge is a Riverwalk with a “tasteful” English theme. Bars, restaurants and other tourist business line the banks of the river. A rather ornate gate beckons the pleasure seekers…

Once in, numerous distractions are available to a tourist with money.

Alas, the way south beckons and so we leave town after a brief stop at the local library. Reliable internet has proven to be very difficult to find this trip and I have discovered that most public libraries offer free Wi-Fi. Creating and publishing The Lunch Box Journals requires strong Wi-Fi because of the uploading of the photographs so I stop to publish a new chapter in an effort to keep on my two chapters a week timeline. Job completed, its’ time to hit Hwy 95 again and keep heading south to our next stop, Buckskin Mountain State Park.

Buckskin Mountain State Park (Arizona)
South of Lake Havasu City the mountains close in again and we lose sight of the river for a while. There also begins a series of stops for road construction. Every now and then I can glimpse the river to my right and it seems like wherever the banks widen for a bit, there is a development of mobile homes and motorhomes. This is prime snowbird country for those who want to “get away from it all”. At the last road construction stop before turning into the state park, I can see the floor of the river canyon in the distance.

I don’t usually stay in state parks because in the last couple of years state legislatures have raised the cost of staying in a state park to levels at or above private parks. They also usually don’t have the amenities (i.e. electricity, water, sewers, Wi-Fi) that private parks do. Buckskin is no exception, the cost for one night is $40, by far the most expensive stop so far on this trip. I do get electricity and water, no sewer or Wi-Fi, but, of course, there is the one thing that most state parks have in common, spectacular surroundings. Here is the view to the left and right out my door of the Colorado River Canyon. Pretty incredible…

Leaving the riverside the road rises out of the canyon and begins the final dash towards Yuma. This is the Sonoran Desert at its’ finest. Because it’s early spring, the creosote bushes are a lush green. That will pass…

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Hwy 95 passes just east of the town of Quartzite. This is the middle of today’s “Wild, Wild West”, home to those who want to turn their back on the world and indulge their various “quirks” undisturbed in the desert. Amongst those who snowbird on a budget Quartzite is a favored winter destination and the population of the area grows by the thousands in the winter. This is mostly BLM land and you can essentially camp wherever you want. The view becomes decorated by motorhomes and tents sprinkled around the desert.

The ground is a mix of gravel and sand, compacted by the rare but torrential thunderstorms into a cement like surface. We take advantage of the fact to pull off the road in the middle of nowhere for a lunch break.

Refreshed we hit the road again for the last dash to Yuma.

Coming through one last gentle pass in the mountains we emerge onto the Colorado River delta plain with a slap in the face – a citrus orchard suddenly appears on one side and lettuce fields on the other. We’ve survived the desert wilderness and are now in America’s salad bar!

90% of the lettuce produced in the winter months in the United States comes from the Yuma area.  This is ground zero in the illegal immigration battle.  I suspect not many of the workers I see in the fields have documents.  How many US citizens do you know are willing to do this back-breaking work in the stifling heat in order for our salad bars to be overflowing with nature’s bounty?  Just some food for thought…

Next up: Siss-Boom-Bah, Goooooo Criminals!