Paddling Alamo Lake

Earlier in our stay in Wikieup, we visited Alamo Lake and decided to bring our kayaks back.  Today was the day to paddle!  The drive from Wikieup to Alamo Lake is a little over 1.5 hours by dirt road, and we finally got into the water at 12:30 pm.  Our Jeep waited loyally for us as Kathy started out onto the lake:

The lake belonged to us and perhaps half a dozen boats with fishermen trying their luck along the shorelines.  We were the only ones to arrive from the north; all of the fishermen put their boats in from ramps at Alamo Lake State Park on the opposite shore.  The lake is stocked with largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish and tilapia. It has witnessed fishing tournaments and record catches.

White pylons mark the various coves on the lake, and a series of pylons near the boat ramp mark "no wake" zones.  Overall, while there were a few rambunctious speedboaters, for the most part the fishermen trolled quietly, leaving us to enjoy the solitary beauty of the lake.

We found only one piece of detritus  on the lake:

The lake boasted a wider variety of wildlife than we expected.  We saw anhinga (below), pelicans, Western grebes, great blue herons, seagulls and a wide variety of small songbirds.

Not all of the wildlife was feathered.  A herd of 14 wild burros roamed the western shores, and we got close enough to get a good look at them:

The lake is surrounded by beautiful, red-brown-green-and-ochre-colored mountains.  They made a breathtaking backdrop to the delicate whites, tans and yellows of the shoreline and the blue-brown of the lake reflecting a robin's egg sky.

Alamo Lake is a flood control and recreational reservoir formed by the Alamo Dam, a 283-foot-high earthen dam built in 1968 by the Army Corps of Engineers. The lake is fed by the Bill Williams River, an intermittent tributary of the Colorado River which, while often dry, keeps the lake filled due to heavy seasonal rains. During extreme flood events, the lake can fill rapidly and once rose 11 feet in a single night due to heavy rains and flooding.  The dam looked imposing as we approached it in our kayaks:

The lake is wide enough and quiet enough to reflect the entire landscape:

Artillery Peak is a dominant presence on the lake:

Today, the winds were so calm, and so few motorboats were present, that we paddled peacefully for our entire visit.

Just another view of the gorgeous purple and red hills surrounding the lake:

In case you wondered, David also enjoyed the paddle!

In fact, he led the charge back to our put-in spot, to find Dusty still waiting patiently for us to return:

After quickly mounting the kayaks on the Jeep, we spent the 43-mile ride back to our campground recalling the beauties of this unassuming little lake in the wilds of the Rawhide Mountain and Arrastra Mountain Wilderness of Arizona.

Hiking to Warm Springs Natural Hot Tub

Hi Blog!

Adventure happens when your plans go awry! We had a great adventure yesterday along Burro Creek. Today, we planned to get some of our chores done. However, on our coffee walk this morning, we discovered that there are hot springs in our area!

After a bit of Internet investigation, we discovered that Kaiser Hot Springs is only 13 miles from our campground. Kaiser Hot Springs is a free primitive rock-walled and gravel-bottomed geothermal pool located in Warm Springs along a beautiful narrows in the Kaiser Canyon in the Arizona desert.

How could we resist? With chores all but forgotten, we head to the Kaiser Canyon Parking Area. Here we are at the start of our adventure.

Trailhead Selfie!

The trail started on a Jeep road which led us under the highway to a bluff overlooking the canyon. After a little bit of a rock scramble, we found ourselves down inside the Kaiser Canyon looking back up toward the highway.

We followed the wash as it headed down toward Burro Creek. We marveled at the various rock outcrops. It's hard to imagine the force of the rushing water that carved the smooth sides of the canyon.

Perched high above the canyon walls sat a silent sentinel.

Ten Points for Griffindor!

Parts of our hike to the hot springs were in open, sandy washes. These areas gave us great views of the volcanic layers towering above the canyon.

The various rock formations caused the wash to twist and turn.

So many different rocks were exposed by the rushing water! Here, Kathy explores the various layers.

We noted that this basalt tower lost its top, which is lying to the left. Just underneath the tower is a natural cave. We would have loved to explore it further, but it required a scramble up a steep cliffm and we were on a mission to a hot springs. Next time!

We had no trouble finding the hot tub. Just follow the sign, "Enter Here,"

We wasted no time in stripping down to our swimming togs. Mind you, the temperature when we started our hike was 47 degrees. It had warmed up to 50 degrees by the time we found the hot tub. The water in tub was 95 degrees, so the fact that it was cool outside made the hot tub feel even better.

A constant stream of warm water came into the pool from a hole in the rock.

Dave reflected on how good it felt to soak in such an amazing location.

Kathy decided to let the warm water float her troubles away.

Here is a video of the stone soaking tub at warm spring, along with our view of the canyon where we soaked.

After a good long soak, our stomachs began to grumble. Lunch time was calling. Rather than hang out at the hot springs, we decided to walk further down the canyon, where Kaiser Canyon joined Burro Creek.

We enjoyed our lunch while listening to the rushing water. Here is a 360 degree view of Burro Creek where Kaiser Creek Canyon empties into it.

After lunch, we tried to work our way down Burro Creek toward the Burro Mine, but the water was so high, we couldn't get much further. We turned around and headed back up Kaiser Canyon. Along the way, we spied a structure on top of a nearby bluff. We hiked up and found an old outhouse. However, the area was completely "mined" with old cholla branches. In fact, the entire structure was filled with them. Obviously, someone didn't want anyone else to use the old outhouse!  Kathy made quick tracks away from that cholla trap, but David caught her before she could disappear entirely:

Despite the cholla setback, we did find an old road which led over a bluff to give us a view of the old Burro Mine.  You can see the mine road climbing the center hill, switching back and forth across its face:

We took our time hiking back up the wash toward our Jeep. There was plenty of rock hopping and rock studying. Here Kathy tried to figure out how to get this sample into her pack without Dave noticing!

Before long, we were scrambling back up toward the highway and our Jeep.  Tired but happy, we returned home with warm memories of a natural hot springs. What an adventure!

An Historic Coffee Walk that Started Something

We decided to take a sort of historic coffee walk this morning.  We walked up US Hwy 93 for a half mile to the location of an historical marker to see what it could tell us about the Wikieup area.

When we got to the marker -- it was missing!

This was disappointing; but it gave us a research project when we got back to the RV. Kathy employed her mad internet research skills and found, on the HMDB (Historical Marker Database) a description of the missing marker.  We can believe the description is accurate, because it also reported that the marker is now missing. 

In a nutshell, it told us that, from that spot, we were gazing out across the Big Sandy Valley, formed by Big Sandy River (which we can tell you from personal experience is mostly a dry wash).  The area has seen recorded European occupation since 1582, when it was first encountered by Spanish explorer Espejo in 1582.  During its early days since then, according to the marker, this area was important for agriculture, mining, milling and smelting, which we could have guessed from the large number of historic mines scattered all over the BLM lands around Wickieup.

The marker did not record what archaeological research might have shown about occupation of the valley by Native Americans prior to the arrival of the Spanish.  However, a little more internet research found an article on AZCentral.com, a part of the USA Today network, which reports that the area was settled by Hualapai Indians who raised corn.  Apparently the occupants during that time witnessed regular warfare with other tribes of Tonto Apaches and Mohaves.

This research, led, in turn, to a discovery of the origin of the town's name.  "Wickiup" is a Mohave word for a shelter or home made of branches and grass -- and  according to AZCentral.com, the early European settlers discovered a wickiup near a site they planned for a post office. Evidently, the name, "Wikieup" prevailed over other suggested names such as, "Owens" (for the last name of one of the founders of the first mine in the area -- see below), "Neal" (the name of another early manganese mine in the area), and "Sandy" (for the name of the river in the valley).

According to the marker, the first mine, established in the area in 1874, was the McCracken Mine, owned by Jackson McCracken and H.A. "Chloride Jack" Owen, about 18 miles south of Wikieup.  It produced barium, copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc.  The marker also mentions the Signal Mine, 12 miles south of town, which we've already encountered in our Jeep drives.

Interestingly, the missing marker also disclosed that Cofer Hot Springs, a natural hot springs, lay 3 miles east of here.  This really tweaked our curiosity.  A little more research by Kathy revealed Kaiser Hot Spring (also called Warm Spring) to be nearby.  She dug out some information on how to find it.  We love hot springs, so we sense another blog entry developing!

Burro Creek Canyon Rocks!

Here is just a sample:

But we get ahead of ourselves.

We learned from various rockhounding websites that Burro Creek -- and the area around Burro Creek Campground -- is a good area for rockhounds.  The website FindingRocks.com quotes another source as follows:  "Burro Creek is a well know collecting site with a wide variety of materials including, patterned jaspers, obsidian, purple chalcedony, opal with dendrite inclusions, and pink pastelite."

We were sold.  Off we drove from Wickieup, Arizona, south to Burro Creek Campground, accessible from US Hwy 93.  We drove down to the campground and across Burro Creek and up to the cliffs above the campground to enjoy the panoramic views.  This view was from the top of a very high dry waterfall --

-- which we later spotted from below at Burro Creek Campground:

We explored the views from the clifftops and recorded this 360 degree view from above burro creek campground.

The rocks in the hillside, and the washes draining down toward Burro Creek, held many surprises, including these beautiful little cacti:

After finishing our tour on high, we drove back down to the campground, enjoyed our picnic lunch overlooking Burro Creek, and then set out to hike down to the water.  On the way we got a view of the US Hwy 93 bridge upstream from us:

The campground is set in a low area opposite beautiful cliffs built from layers of sandstone and volcanic rock:

Downstream from the campground, the floodway helped absorb the excess runoff from heavy rains over the last 3 days:

We hunted rocks in the floodway and found lots of interesting specimens.  After exhausting our interest in that area, we found our way back up to the campground via this beautiful rock staircase built by the campground's creators.  The rock work reminded us of CCC construction:

The campground boasts a Desert Garden with examples of desert plant life:

Some of the constructions in the Desert Garden are whimsical:

Leaving the campground, we headed up US Hwy 93 and turned east on Burro Creek Crossing Road.  Our internet resources informed us that, 12 miles further on along Burro Creek Crossing Road, we would encounter large surface fields of pastelite.  We were excited.

Burro Creek Crossing Road is, for the first 8 miles, well graded and easily driveable, even for low clearance vehicles, although 4-wheel drive is useful in places.  Along the way, we found dramatic mountain scenery:

At this junction of Burro Creek Crossing Road and Sycamore Camp Road, one needs to bear right to continue on Burro Creek Crossing Road.  Things started to get more windy and steeper.

Eventually, as we approached the 12-mile marker on Burro Crossing Road, we entered the Clay Hills area of critical environmental concern.  You can get a glimpse of the "clay hills" in the background of this photo:

Our prey was the pastelite that is said to be plentiful in this area.  We were not disappointed!

Pastelite is a type of chert or jasper that is opaque. It is very hard and takes a nice polish. True to its name it can be found in several pastel hues including pink, peach, gray, orange, and a rarer blue or violet variety. Some is mixed or brecciated with various agate and other minerals. We found more pastelite than we could carry out in our pockets.

We were driving back out to US Hwy 93 on Burro Creek Crossing Road when we encountered this mother burro and her young, crossing the road ahead of us.  They ran from us for nearly a quarter mile before finally turning off the road into the cactus-strewn desert.

We were home by 5:00 pm after a full day out in the desert looking for rocks.  The first photo above shows you our take for the day.  We think we caught our limit!

Jeeping to Alamo Lake

Hi Blog!

Friday, February 1, 2019, was our first full day in Wikieup, Arizona. We decided to take a Jeep drive out to Alamo Lake. The 45 mile drive took us into the heart of the BLM South Kingman District. In order to reach the valley where Alamo Lake is located, we had to go up and over the shoulder of Aubrey Peak (5,078). We gained over 2,500 feet in elevation. Shortly after leaving Wikieup, we found this double crested saguaro.

As we continued our journey, we entered a forest of Joshua Trees. When Mormon settlers first saw the plant they dubbed it the “Joshua Tree” because it reminded them of their bushy-bearded biblical leader, who reached his hands up in pray. When Territorial Governor John C. Frémont caught sight of it during an 1844 trek through the Mohave Desert, he called it “the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom.” We think they are the coolest trees ever!

As we began our climb up and over the shoulder of Aubrey Peak, we took a minute to look back from whence we came.

Parts of the BLM land are still leased to ranchers who graze cattle where they can. This photo is called, "Cow Framed by Joshua Trees."

This is the first time we've seen Joshua Tree flowers. The flowers appear from February to late April. The semi-fleshy fruit that is produced is green-brown, elliptical, and contains many flat seeds. Joshua trees usually do not branch until after they bloom, and they do not bloom every year. Like most desert plants, their blooming depends on rainfall at the proper time. They also need a winter freeze before they bloom. Once they bloom, the trees are pollinated by the yucca moth, which spreads pollen while laying her eggs inside the flower. The moth larvae feed on the seeds, but enough seeds remain to reproduce. We counted five flowers on this Joshua Tree.

While U.S. 93 has been named "Joshua Tree Parkway of Arizona," its not until you get out into the desert that you really see massive amounts of Joshua Trees. We felt we saw more Joshua Trees in our drive to Alamo Lake than we saw in all of Joshua Tree National Park in California.

As we drove along, we noticed we were being watched. Perched in the Joshua Trees next to the road was a pack of Harris's hawks. While most raptors are solitary, only coming together for breeding and migration, Harris's hawks will hunt in cooperative groups of two to seven.  This is believed to be an adaptation to the lack of prey in the desert climate in which they live. Luckily, Jeepers are not part of their diet.

Driving through the desert lets you see the geology all around you. We made several stops to explore the different rock outcrops. Here Dave demonstrates the "King of the Mountain" pose.

As we came down in elevation, we left most of the Joshua Trees behind and began seeing more and more saguaros. There's no telling how long this sentinel has stood guard.

After two and half hours of bibbling about the desert, we finally arrived at Alamo Lake. Off in the distance you can see the campground in Alamo Lake State Park.  We came in from the north, across from the state park.  There is no direct road connecting the two sides of the lake because of a lack of bridges crossing the Bill Williams River, which was dammed to form Alamo Lake.

After having our picnic lunch, we took off on foot to explore the lake shore. Here Dusty enjoys relaxing on the beach. He earned it after climbing up and down a mountain and crossing dozens of washes.

With all the recent rain Arizona has received, the lake levels are up, but nowhere near their historic high-water mark. We weren't sure we would be able to drive directly to the lakeshore, so we didn't bring our kayaks. Rest assured, we will be back next week to put the boats in the water.

There was plenty of evidence that wild burros were in the area, but with the bright sun, we were sure they were off resting in some shady wash. We did find an unusual skeleton. We think it might have been a rabbit, but there wasn't much left to be sure.

As we mentioned, there were dozens of washes to cross. We thought the red rock in this area was impressive. We also saw a coyote cross the wash, but it was just to quick for us to get a photo.

On the way back, we spent more time looking for the coolest saguaro. We think this guy wins the prize!

This rock stands guard over the pass that leads back up Signal Mountain.

The Bar S Ranch still grazes cattle in the area. Windmills provide the power to pump water into the cattle tanks.

We have another week here in Wikieup and are looking forward to getting back out in the desert. Stay tuned.