Camping on the Colorado River, AZ

After two weeks camping with thousands of other RVers, we need our peace and solitude.  The Quartzsite party breaks up and we head to the Colorado River, south of Ehrenberg, Arizona.  We find a fabulous camping spot on the river with no one else around except the farmers across the river in California.  Unfortunately, the campsite we choose is a difficult spot to get a fifth-wheel trailer into because the access road drops sharply from the main (dirt) road, and the sharp angles created by the hitch movement cause the trailer to bump the top of the truck bed - but we squeak by and make it in - who knows if we'll get out!  (We did.)

As I'm walking around the trailer determining the most level spot to park, I hear sssssss - that's not good!  We have sprung a leak in one of our trailer tires.  Luckily, Mr. Fix-It plugs the hole - caused by a small stone of all things - and we get set up, although Grady is not happy about the delay in opening the sides of the trailer.  But he forgives the crisis because he LOVES it here - so much sand and lots of wildlife (birds and bunnies) so there are plenty of good smells.

As dusk approaches, the owls start - and there are many of them communicating with each other up and down the river.  One is definitely in the bush beside us, although we never see it.  I am assuming they are burrowing owls because there aren't many big trees around for them to spend the day.  The coyotes howl nightly too, although we never see them either.  And one day, while we're driving down-river checking out other campsites and what's in the area, we end up at a one-lane, dead-end road.  I get out of the truck to help guide Brad in a 10-point turn and suddenly he's excitedly pointing behind me.  The window is rolled up, so I walk up to the passenger door as he rolls the window down.  "A bobcat just crossed the road 20 feet behind you!"  Huh!  And I missed it!  The cat must have been drinking from the river (it's a steep embankment about 15 feet) and the sound of our truck made him nervous.  We look into the marsh where he ran (Brad said he was just trotting, not in a big hurry), but we don't see him again.  However, the morning we leave, we say goodbye to the river (Brad's idea!) and we see bobcat tracks from one side of "our" beach to the other along the river's edge.  He probably visited during the night or early in the morning.  Wish I'd seen one of these beautiful cats.  Here, kitty, kitty!

We are also near the Yuma Proving Grounds which are just south of us, so daily we hear explosions as they test weapons and F18s roar a few hundred feet over our heads.  It's like our own private air show!

Although the scenery and the serenity are wonderful, there isn't much to do in this area.  We hike away from the river on ATV trails where we find lots of shotgun shells, so perhaps this is a popular hunting area - there are certainly a lot of animal tracks in the sand.  We take advantage of the sunshine and just relax, knowing that in a few weeks we'll be heading home to snowstorms and freezing cold.  Yuck!

	Taking Grady for a walk on the beach.
	Our campsite on the Colorado River, taken from the roof of the trailer. That's California on the other side and is all agricultural; we're in Arizona.
	Brad along the river during our drive to the Cibola Bridge. The river is flowing very fast and is about 55F (12C).
	An old, graffiti-ridden building we found during our drive along the Levee Road which follows the Colorado River. No idea what it used to be.
	Some beautiful flowers growing out of the rock and sand deposited by a stream on the banks of the river. So unexpected in this arid environment.