Next stop: River Island State Park, Arizona

Alpine with Jeep attached, ready for the next short hop

This morning,while Michael did the final packing up and hooked Jeep up to Alpine, I joined the ladies in the club house for their morning line-dance session. It felt good to move with the groove and to learn several new dances.

We left Emerald Cove and drove the short trip back across the Colorado River into Arizona. A few miles north of Parker, we arrived at River Island State Park.

gypsum deposits make the ground look frosted in white

This area of the continent is barren, messy-looking, filled with dunes, rock and sandy piles, obvious untidy remnants of a time when there was all manner of upheaval as the earth re-shaped itself, leaving higgledy–piggledy mounds strewn about. 

There are sand dunes, rock mounds of various colors and formations, and areas where the ground is white with gypsum deposits. The water here is rich in minerals, and we were warned not to drink it mostly because of the taste. Also, it leaves behind a residue so that unless you dry the shower glass door, for instance, it remains spotty. Although there are filters on the Alpine, we bought drinking water at the grocery store, and were also able to refill our bottles at the resort.  For 25c a gallon, a machine outside the little store at the resort dispensed filtered water.

California's sand heap along the Colorado

odd-looking rock formations among the sand piles

up ahead is the bridge we crossed back into Arizona,

back in Arizona, we traveled north on route 95 towards River Island State Park

part of the Buckskin Mountain chain in the distance

Communities of RVs at various resorts cluster along the river banks, becoming temporary homes for the snowbirds who flock here during the winter months. I was amused when we passed a golf course, fashioned into the barrenness surrounding us, the bright green color of the lawns standing out in the surrounding khaki landscape. There were golf carts buzzing about as the players indulged in their golf game in the desert.

everywhere that you see white roofs, you know there is yet another snowbird community

view from the beach with the river island

River Island State Park is nestled along the Colorado River, surrounded by the Buckskin Mountains. It's a small pretty campground, with large level lots, electric hookups and water, and has a small beach and boat launch area. There is a dump station.

Once we were set up and plugged in, we went exploring and hiked up the trail to see what we could see. 

The view was rather pretty:

the Colorado River with the island that River Island Sate Park is named after

Buckskin Mountains and Teddy Bear Cholla cactus in the fading light

California behind me, and yet another snowbird resort hugging the banks of the Colorado River

Buckskin Mountains aglow in the fading sunlight

Parker Dam, that cement structure nestled in the hills

The next morning we went back up the trail and the scenery was still as pretty….and this time we noticed Parker Dam in the distance which we hadn't noticed the previous day. Perhaps in the twilight we missed the concrete structure camouflaged by the surrounding hillsides. 

Parker Dam was completed in 1938. It is considered an amazing feat of engineering and technology because it is the deepest dam in the world, most of its height below the original riverbed. The Metropolitan Water district of Southern California paid half the costs of building Parker Dam. The Colorado Aqueduct, a system of tunnels, conduits, pumps and siphons that stretches 240 miles from here to Riverside California, delivers water from Lake Havasu to 18 million Californians. The Central Arizona Project is a 336-mile system that carries water to the cities and farms of central and southern Arizona. It took 20 years to build and cost $4 billion. Water enters a pumping station and from there it is lifted to a tunnel though the Buckskin Mountains. 

after sundown, the air was chilly  - here we all are, bundled up and huddled
around the evening campfire at the Giddens'

SoCal Alpiners, the Giddens and Pecks were here at Buckskin too. In the evening we gathered around their campfire.  We also met Linda Giddens’ sister and brother-in-law, the McClure’s, who are visiting from Oklahoma, and Bob who also owns an Alpine. 

With four Alpines in the park, it’s like having our own spot rally.

One thing about being in state parks is that, more often than not, phone coverage is poor and WiFi non-existent. We found that our AT&T phone worked some of the time and Linda discovered that when she stood in a certain spot on the beach and across from the resort on the other side of the river, she could sometimes connect to their WiFi signal. I tried with my mini HP and was able to download some emails some of the time.

Michael at the beach, trying to connect to get emails

Not having instant access to the Internet is a refreshing change.  Until you are unable to log on easily, you don’t realize just how much time we spend at the computer. We also realized (not for the first time) that most of the emails that come pouring in are junk. 

Instead, we went on walks, and enjoyed the scenery. And socialized. Just like in the old days.

The Matthews arrived later in the week, also Alpiners from SoCal. We all watched the SuperBowl on Sunday, two TV’s set up outside at the Giddens, and a potluck on the picnic table. Outdoor living is quite civilized if you subscribe to Satellite TV. And if you are friends with those folks. ;)

I did miss Downton Abby though, and will have to be patient a little longer before catching up with my missed episodes. Somehow, the scenery, the camaraderie, and the setting here at River Island more than make up for it.  

hiking along a trail at the campground

panoramic view of the campground  - our Alpine at lower right