Day Trip to Parker Dam

Tuesday January 22nd

Met Dave Schaeffer for breakfast at the McDonald's nearest my location (with the next meeting to be at the McDonald's nearest Dave's location).  We solved most of the world's problems and then went our separate ways.  

Cathey was wrestling with some mis-delivered pills that are now in Sacramento; she arranged for them to be forwarded here, so hopefully they will catch up before we move on.  Once she was ready, we started out on our day trip around Lake Havasu.  We went N to the I-40 junction and filled up before we entered California, where gas is at least 40 cents/gallon more than in AZ.  We went W on I-40 to Needles and had lunch and then headed S on US-95.  The CA side seems even more empty than the AZ side; flatter and perhaps a little less vegetation.  There was a lot more traffic on US-95 than I expected since there are no towns for 44 miles S of Needles.  You can't see the river at all from the CA side.  We turned E when we got to Vidal Junction, then crossed the river to the town of Parker for a bathroom break and a look at the map.  We then returned to CA and followed the road along the river to Parker Dam.  We drove across the dam but I can see why they do not allow big trucks or RVs; the road is pretty narrow and curved, like the dam.  I read that the dam was built by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and handed over to the Bureau of Reclamation to operate.  Water from the reservoir goes to the Los Angeles area as well as San Diego; another aqueduct feeds the Central Arizona Project which provides water to Phoenix.

Once we were back on AZ-95, it was only about 15 miles back to Lake Havasu City, but there was lots of good scenic views of the lake from the AZ side.  Undoubtedly the high point of the ride was viewing wild burros along the road to the dam.  We have seen lots of signs warning of wild burros on the road, but today was the first time we actually saw some, other than the ones in Oatman.   One was partially in the road eating brush along the edge of the road, the others were just off the road partaking of whatever the desert offered.  They don't seem to be concerned about traffic; I wonder if there are many burro - motor vehicle accidents.