We followed the primitive
road for three miles into the valley. The scenery was mesmerizing, layers of mountain folds and peaks, gigantic boulders, low scrubby bushes, and occasional saguaros standing tall. The expanse and remoteness of it all was captivating. 
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| mountains in various color schemes |
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| yellow reed grasses in the currently dry river bed |
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| tiny delicate flowers, not easy to see while walking along |
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| Desert Lupine |
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| parked along one of several washes, with cottonwood trees and reeds |
After retracing our path
back again, we continued on to the Information Center, located along the lake on the other side of the highway. The building was unfortunately closed for renovation. However, we were able to follow the nature trail out along the spit and read the various information boards. It was an education in the flora of the region. I am beginning to recognize more of the cactuses. I found out that the Palo Verde is the Arizona State tree and the Saguaro flower is the State flower.
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| the nature trail on the lake |
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| the Palo Verde (Spanish for green wood or stick) can be recognized by its green bark |
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| Barrel Cactus |
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| Teddy Bear Cholla |
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| Chain Fruit Cholla |
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| Diamond Cholla |
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| Brittle Bush |
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| Globemallow |
The Colorado River has been a central player in the history of the area, shaping the landscape and supporting the native flora and fauna. For the past 1,500 years, people began tapping into this resource which today continues to provide irrigation for over two million acres of cropland in the US and Mexico, as well as drinking water for more than 25 million people. A series of dams on the Colorado provides flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power. The dams have also created lakes that anglers and boaters continue to enjoy today. Without the reliable water supply created by the dams, life in the Desert Southwest would not exist and the snowbirds, the two-legged variety, would certainly not have a playground to enjoy.
Farmers use 80% of the
water, but demands for drinking water continue to increase. The entire five
trillion gallons of the river’s average annual flow is claimed by someone,
somewhere, so that most years, not a drop of the river that carved the Grand
Canyon reaches the Gulf of California. It is not therefore surprising that each
area wants a piece of the river. The
watershed of the Colorado River covers seven western states, which together
with Mexico and a number of American Indian communities share the river water.
Who gets how much has been a subject of controversy and legal wrangling for
more than a century. The Colorado River Compact of 1922 divided the watershed
into Upper and Lower Basins. Each basin
is entitled to 7.5 million acre-feet of water annually, with Mexico entitled to
1.5 million acre-feet. An acre-foot is
roughly enough water to flood a football field to a depth of 12 inches. 
I also learned that the
lush green forest at the end of the lake may seem out of place in the desert
landscape, but that cottonwood/willow forests once thrived along the banks of
the lower Colorado River. The riparian forest protected within the Bill
Williams River National Wildlife Refuge is a tiny remnant of those once vast
groves. It is a rare and rich habitat:
more than 340 bird species use the refuge which is also home to eleven
butterfly species found nowhere else along the river. Many kinds of bats live here, as well as land
mammals from mice to numerous reptiles and amphibians. Here is one reptile that we were made aware of but thankfully did not come across during our walk.
The Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge lies at the crossroads of two major deserts, the Sonoran and the Mojave which overlap in the Lake Havasu region. Therefore, the fauna and flora of the two ecological regions can often be seen here. Widely spaced low-growing shrubs and cacti are typical in the Mojave. Temperatures below freezing are common in winter, and snow isn’t unknown. Small means survival in this harsh land: tall plants can’t handle the temperature extremes, and most large animals need more water and food than the Mojave provides.
The Sonoran Desert rarely sees snow or frost, and its diverse collection of cactus forms and species is unique on the planet. Bigger plants like saguaro cactus and Palo Verde signify Sonoran habitat.
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| at the end of the spit that juts out into the lake, there is a bench with breathtaking views |
We had a good view of the CAP (Central Arizona Project) pumping station along the path. Nearly 100 vertical feet of this structure is below the ground. It houses six pumps that lift water through 12-foot-diameter pipes to a tunnel 825 feet above Lake Havasu. Water enters a pumping station across the highway from the refuge, and from there it is lifted to a tunnel through the Buckskin Mountains. More detailed information about this project is available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Arizona_Project
So who was Bill Williams? A fascinating larger than life character who roamed the area, fought with local Indians and whose fame and reputation have grown him into a Paul Bunyan of the desert. The legacy of this mountain man and frontiersman now remain immortalized in this rugged desert terrain that he called home, an area of vast open space and harsh conditions where survival means adaptation. And where water is vital to survival.
Here are a couple of links to more information about him and his exploits:
http://www.mman.us/williamswilliams.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Bill_Williams