Hidden Beaches River Resort

Another long driving day but one that continued to fascinate me with it's, by now,
familiar landscape. The questions continued: How did they make this trip in a covered
wagon; put up with the heat, hostile Indians; how did they know where they were going
or what lie ahead? You just looked around and marveled at their courage.

 

Yes, the scenery was the same as the previous days drive.

Time and time again, I marveled at the geologist's playground
appreciating what Mother Nature took so long to accomplish. Yes, man
exposed this creating a road, but what lay beneath was the work of Mother Nature.

Rolling hills became more common. With cruise control, Winnie
hummed along maintaining a constant 70 m.p.h. going up and
down 6% grades. At the crest....

...another horizon beckoned. Eventually, I reached Needles, CA
and left I-40 to head south on SR-95. This road with absolutely
nothing on it except call boxes seemed like it would never end.
My entertainment on this highway was the frequent warnings of "DIPS."
Dips were undulating, wavy sections of highway that rose and dipped so close
together I finally had to capture the experience. I call the following video, "Riding the Ribbon"
because I kept thinking of ribbon candy available around the Christmas holidays.

Dips were common throughout the 93 mile drive to Blythe, CA. 

Finally, as I approached Blythe, I caught my first glimpse of 
the Colorado River.

I was on a drive forward site 110 my first night and moved the next day to site 111 where
I had to back in.

The next video is one of those, "a picture is worth a thousand words." My view from the patio.

The current was impressive. The Colorado River is impressive. I will have encountered it three times in my journey. 

1. Starting at La Poudre Pass Lake in the Colorado Rockies some 9,000 feet above sea level,

the 1,450 mile long, 50 million year old river whose name is derived from the Spanish for "Red River" averages 7 feet to over 100' in depth at some places. Before it empties into the Gulf of California, it will have flowed through seven states, supplied water to more than 30 million people and provided irrigation water to more than 4 million acres of land.

2. I've seen it flowing through the Grand Canyon a mile below my viewing at the south rim. The Grand Canyon is one of eleven National Parks that border the river.

3. I'm camped on its shores in Blythe, CA and 

4. I will view it again when, on my return home, I'll visit Hoover Dam on March 11th.

And so, after another long day of driving, a G&T on the
Colorado River once again let me know how blessed I am
to enjoy life traveling and what nature has to offer.

The next day, my eyes opened at 5:50 a.m. and when
I asked Siri about sunrise, she answered, 6:06.
Voilà, my day started in earnest.

Got it! Another one under my belt....

....although the chilly 48º drove back inside for my hot
cuppa Joe. A great way to start the day.

"Buddy" belongs to my fifth-wheel neighbors next door, Teri and Larry, from 
Bakersfield, CA. They spend their summers here each year.
Yup, ol Buddy has severe arthritis and gives a few non-threatening barks when
anyone approaches their rig. He wasn't too interest in my MilkBone.

One of Teri's bird feeders drew a lot of action during the day. Larry
has given names like Red Riding Hood to the red crested frequent visitor. 

Late afternoon, Mother Nature afforded me yet another special viewing. Excuse the brown spots...dirty lens.

In this arid part of the country, the campground lacked green grass and was dusty. The registration office/camp store was impressively well stocked and the gals working there very pleasant and accommodating.

Sites along the river are not allowed to have sewers, so Mike will come by tomorrow before I leave with the "honey wagon" to empty my black water tank. That service comes with the site at no charge. 

On Wednesday and for the first time since leaving home on
1/6th, it was time to turn on the AC. 

Poof, three days have slipped pleasantly by and I'm ready to roll again. I'll stop at "Little Sister's Truck Wash" on I-10 and give Winnie a well deserved washing to get the road grime gathered from the time we left Florida. Heaven forbid I pull into Corona del Mar dirty. Yes, my next stop for a week will be with my No. 1 son, Chuck and wife Sylvia. I was there for Thanksgiving with family. Sadly, it marks the half way point of my travels in terms of distance. To bring you up to date, here's my progress.

Boy, in the past few days, I've cranked out a lot of blogs. Guess I planned okay by taking some extra time to gather thoughts, photos and research to keep track of my wanderings. I have no ideas who's reading them but, as you know, these blogs are for me. Yes, the time may come when I won't know that I've done such things but I have the proof and I love to write. Most of my readers have real lives/work or more important things to do than spend time on the ol' Internet. But, I hope you'll continue to join me and thanks for your comments. Remember, if you've made any, be sure to check back to that blog a few days later and read my replies to you. I answer everyone. Till next time, take care, stay safe and be happy.