Sunday, February 12, 2006
Osborne Wash, BLM Land, Southeast of Parker, AZ - Jan 30-Feb 12
After the "hustle and bustle" of Quartzsite, it was pleasant to come to this lovely 14-day BLM area on Shea Road. We camped with a group of Escapees that planned to be here mainly for the Parker "425" Best in the Desert off-road vehicle race, held on Saturday, 2/4. About 25 RVs attended, so it was a relatively small gathering, and there was lots of room for us to spread out along the wash. The race was held on a 140-mile course, part of which went through this wash, so we didn't have to drive anywhere to watch the race. Of course, race day was not at all peaceful, but the rest of our time here was. The race itself was fun just because it was such a different experience. The dust was not so much fun, and side effects lingered in nasal passages for days. The vehicles varied from "almost stock" Jeeps and VWs (the slowest who only had to do two laps) to really high-powered dune buggy-like creations and modified trucks that went really fast -- over 100 mph at some places on the course. The winners finished with average speeds around 60 mph, which is quite good considering the rough terrain they traveled.We took a 4-wheel drive with the group to Swansea Townsite, which was once a flourishing copper mining development. They began working the area in 1862, looking for silver. It wasn't a successful operation until the early 1900s when copper (first thought to be "trash") had become valuable. The population of the town was about 500, with even a post office and a moving picture house. Unfortunately, due to poor management, the owner was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1911. It was restarted again and successfully ran from 1918 until the copper market declined during the Great Depression. The last milling was reported in 1944.
Just north of Parker is the Blue Water Casino, which has quite a good buffet, with half-price coupons available when you get a Slot Club card for gambling. You don't have to gamble much, and you can get one coupon per day (good on Sun-Thurs), so it's a pretty good deal. They have cheap (penny & nickel) video slots that have video games as part of the "rewards", so it's fun to play on them. We partook of way too many of these good buffets!! We also came out about even in our gambling, risking as much as $7 one day!!
The casino is on tribal land of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT), which also has a nature preserve and beach/picnic area near Parker. The CRIT Indians have been on this land prior to European settlement. The CRIT is composed of four distinct tribal groups, Mohave, Chemehauvi, Navajo and Hopi, each with distinct culture and traditions.
The Parker Dam Road Scenic Byway runs from just west of Parker at Earp, CA, to the Parker Dam, about 20 miles north on the west side of the Colorado River. This is a very lovely drive, with many views of the river and quite a few expensive campgrounds. We continued north of the dam to Black Meadow Landing, another concession-run campground, where we picnicked and enjoyed the view of Lake Havasu (the lake formed by Parker Dam). We also got to see two Wild Burros.
Another day, on the east side of the Colorado River, we visited the other side of the dam. We couldn't drive our truck over the dam, due to width restrictions, so had to visit each side separately. Parker Dam is the world's deepest dam, which means that the largest proportion (73 percent) of its structural height of 320 feet is below the original riverbed. Only about 85 feet of the dam are visible. Just north of the dam is Bill Williams Natl Wildlife Reserve, which is mostly water and best seen by kayak. However, there is a nice trail going out a small peninsula for about 1/2 mile at the refuge HQ. Where the Bill Williams River flows into the Colorado River is the Bill Williams bridge, which has panoramic views from pull-outs at both ends. There are cattail marshes on both sides, which offer excellent birdwatching opportunities. Bill Williams was an interesting person. He came out west as a missionary to "convert the heathens" and was instead converted himself -- into a mountain man.
About 11 miles south of Parker, in Poston, is a memorial and kiosk marking the site of the Colorado River War Relocation Center. During WWII, all persons of Japanese ancestry, both US citizens and aliens, living on the west coast and in western AZ were removed by force and housed in internment camps such as the ones here in the Poston area. During the period from 1942-1945, 17,867 men, women and children were incarcerated without any due process of law. Living conditions were very harsh, and the housing was sub-standard. The monument is dedicated to these people. It is hoped that the memorial will serve as a reminder for us to protect the rights of all citizens in the future. The memorial was dedicated on 10/6/92 and the kiosk on 11/7/95.
Our final outing in the Parker area was to the Nellie E Saloon (Desert Bar), located northwest of Parker in the Buckskin Mountains. It is built on the site of the old Nellie E mine and is about 5 miles back on fairly rough roads from AZ 95. Doug felt that it was scenic but not worth the rugged drive (especially in a wide truck!); Willie thought that it was interesting to see but was definitely a "one time outing". Been there, done that was pretty much her feeling about the place. We did have a tasty veggieburger while here -- maybe it just tasted so good because we were so hungry!
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:50 PM 
