Traveling across Arizona ... "man tames nature" , "gettin' our kicks" and "wine country" (say what???)


Man Tames Nature 

Leaving Nevada, we headed south, southeast to see what Arizona might offer up for adventures. Our first stop was the Boulder Beach area of Lake Mead which also happens to be very close to the Hoover Dam. Two immense engineering projects that fall into the "man tames nature" category.  Lake Mead is one of the largest reservoirs in the world. I mean it is huge with fingers and little coves that spread all over this barren, arid landscape for a total of 550 miles of shore line. The water supports recreational and agricultural use, as well as communities near and far (southern California, Nevada and Arizona) and wildlife a little closer by.  Hoover Dam, the dam that contains Lake Mead, was built from 1930 -1936. It is the highest concrete arch dam in the US, 726 ft tall and 1,244 ft across.  It not only prevents  unpredictable but recurrent flooding, it is also a renewable energy source and provides electricity to Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. While I recognize that and all the positive benefits, there is still a sizable part of me that asks why?  Why do we always have to interfere? Why do we always think intervening into how nature manages itself is better and to be celebrated?  I'm just not so sure that it should be.

 Leaving my soap box aside, I did appreciate the style and design of the Hoover Dam.  It was all done in classic Art Deco. Even the new parking garage carried on the Art Deco style. The artsy side of me appreciated that. We took the tour that went down into the structure of the dam. I mean, Martin is an engineerafter all.  And after dragging him around to look at birds and wildlife and art and design, it was the least I could do! It certain;y was and is an engineering feat. Even I could appreciate that, although I did tend to wander about and take pics of things I found interesting, while listening with one ear to the engineering details :).


Gettin' our kicks 

We then channeled our quirky side and headed down the famed Route 66 for a brief excursion. We stayed at a Harvest Host site that was an old gas station in Valentine, AZ, population of 32 (we made it 34 for the night, haha). There was an active railroad track behind the property that turned out to be quite charming. We'd sit and watch the trains go by, trying to guess what might be inside the cars. "Was that your Amazon order? or maybe it was car parts? no wait I think that one was full of produce" The very best parts though were the birds, (bluebirds everywhere!) and the rescued burros (Honky and Tonky) from the Bureau of Land Management. They were so sweet. And the way the fur grew on their ears, it was thick on the insides of their ears, which they used to express their feelings about everything. It seemed that there was just as much fur on the inside as on the outside! It just fascinated me and I, of course, fell in love with them.

We continued "gettin’ our kicks" for the next couple of days. Quirky art, sculptures, antiques, museums, and to complete the experience?  A diner, of course. Mr. D's Route 66 Diner.

Arizona wine country (???)

We went just off rt 66 into the valley one night and stayed at a winery, (again Harvest Host) and yes, you read correctly, a winery. Now, who knew Arizona made wine?🤷 The host was a retired lounge singer from Las Vegas, (really, I am not making this up)  so he had as many stories as he had wine to pour.🤭


And finally we hit a campground just outside of Phoenix, Lake Pleasant Regional Park. We didn't have very high expectations. Just a place for laundry and groceries, but it was fabulous. The first night hot air balloons launched down in the valley and our view of the desert was amazing. Such a different feel for this area of desert. (I later learned more about the different types of deserts we have here in the US, but more on that in the next blog). We had fabulous sunsets each night and best of all, saguaro cacti. They are so amazing. I saw some wild burros, and was hoping to spot a roadrunner, beep beep. Alas, though, no roadrunner yet …

As always I'm struck by how beautiful our country is, the diversity, all the adaptations required by both flora and fauna to survive and thrive in each environment. It is a joy to discover it in person and I continued to be awed and astounded.❤️

Now on to the good stuff, the pics!

Some of the mountain scenery along the way 

a couple of pics of Lake Mead


We rode our bikes to Hoover Dam along a trail that was an old rail road . The trail included five tunnels to go through.

my "artsy" art deco shot

inside Hoover Dam 

making electricity, the Nevada side

Art Deco in the dam

walking through the dam


The new bridge that carries car traffic from one side of the Colorado River to the other. Traffic used to run along the top of the dam, but between security and safety concerns, they decided to build a new bridge.

the pretty part of the tour is over. now we're down in the bare concrete tunnels. 😬

looking straight down from one of the vents in the face of the dam

it's ok! we survived and made it back out!

and looking over to the other side


The Muddy Mountains between Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire.


and now, gettin' our kicks


our Harvest Host site, Valentine Gas Station 

interesting photo ops

Here I am with Honky and Tonky

it's hard to say goodbye

flowers, I couldn't have a post without flowers

shadows

and for the rest of our adventuring... antiques 

Martin found a friend, Charlie 

you just come upon odd stuff …


and beautiful stuff


and stuff that makes you go, hum 🤔


The sunsets never make you go hum, they are always gorgeous 


This is our Harvest Host site with the winery. The temp got down into the 20s that night.



And then we found kitchy stuff

and fun stuff  (the menu at Mr. D's Route 66 Diner)


and artsy stuff 

mailboxes on Rt 66 

Something for everyone (I guess) on Route 66

Our campground outside of Phoenix 

Brittlebush

Creosote bushes, the fuzzies are their seed pods.

Saguaro, they are often 100 years old or more before they grow their first arm.

make sure you enlarge the pic, all the tiny spots are hot air balloons!

There's our Myrtle, perched on the hillside.

more glorious sunsets

the quintessential southwest…


Next stop: Organ Pipe National Monument, all the way down on the Mexican border.  We certainly do like to get around. 🙂


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