Spotted an American Icon today!

Tom and Nicolas and I were out walking Casey before dinner today, and as we got back to the RV, we saw a bird circling above the campground.  It looked like it might be a Bald Eagle, so I grabbed my camera and got a few shots.         

 

Sure enough, it was an Eagle!  We know they have several nesting pairs on the other side of the lake, but this was the first time we saw one close to the campground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It continued to circle the campground for a few minutes, and then gradually moved back out over the lake and out of sight.

While I was watching the Eagle, somebody was going out for a glider ride over the lake, too.  Here’s the glider being towed by the pilot plane,

and here it’s been released.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, that’s it . . . short post tonight . . . just had to share those pictures!

Wow–Somebody cranked up the heat!

We had a quite a weekend here in Arizona this weekend, and record-high temperatures coincided with the President’s Day holiday weekend to bring everybody out to the lake!

The campground is full, with lots of groups and kids, making it feel like Michigan in July!  I think it’s also the first holiday weekend that we haven’t had a burn ban in effect . . .

We started the weekend off by attending the RV Supershow in Peoria.  We saw a few motorhomes that we hadn’t seen before, but nothing that we fell in love with.  After dinner at the Tilted Kilt (quite the Valentines’ Day dinner location . . . the food was good, though), we arrived back at the campground under a glorious full moon.

The nights have been wonderful, and we’ve been able to sleep with the windows open for the last several days . . . even need the fan on the last couple of nights!

On Saturday, Tom and Nicolas went to a used auto auction in the morning, and Bryce and I stayed home.  We were having ribs for dinner, so I got them pre-baked in the oven early before it got too hot.  I took this opportunity to read outside in the sun, and it was great . . . Casey joined me for awhile,

and we watched the hummingbirds fly around.

 

 

When Tom and Nick got home, we decided to take a drive down to the lake where Casey could swim.

Usually the area where Desert Tortoise Rd. is flooded is a nice spot to take her. 

The water is usually crystal-clear, and the paved road makes it feel like you are walking into a swimming pool . . . and no burrs to get caught in Casey’s feet!

We had underestimated the crowd, though . . . on Saturday, the water was really churned up and there was a lot of debris washing up into this area.  Also, a boondocker had set up his motorhome here, blocking half of the road . . . and he was having a party!

We took Casey down there for a few minutes anyway, so she could cool off and chase a stick in the water.  Afterwards, we sat on the shoreline watching the crowds while she dried off in the sun. 

Nicolas gave her a good brushing-out first.

 

This weekend was the busiest we’ve ever seen the shoreline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This popular boondocking spot was really crowded!

Bryce and Tom skipped rocks, and we watched some ducks swim around,

and some boats, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the RV, we grilled our ribs and enjoyed our dinner outside.  Afterwards we enjoyed the beautiful sunset while we sat around the campfire . . . a perfect camping weekend!

A drive in the desert

On Tuesday, we had made plans to go for an afternoon drive in the desert with another volunteer here at the park, Eddie, in his old Toyota Land Cruiser.

Nicolas and I had some business to take care of first, so we got a little bit later start than we had planned, but soon enough we were all loaded into the Land Cruiser and headed to the north end of the park.

We travelled north on Castle Hot Springs Rd., past the north entrance gate to the park, and off the pavement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove beyond the north end of the lake,

and turned on the loop road that goes toward Crowne King Point.

Castle Hot Springs Road was pretty wide and smooth, the result of frequent grading,

but after we turned off the main road it began to get narrow and steep in areas.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were pretty impressed with Eddie’s Land Cruiser . . . as old as it is, it never hesitated on the the grades, and some of them were very steep!

We took a short break to explore an abandoned house on the side of the mountain, and stretch our legs a little.  That’s the one thing about the Land Cruiser – it’s a little cramped for the legs, especially with 3 in the front seat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked around the old house, being careful not to fall through the floor anywhere.

 

 

We were losing daylight quickly, so we didn’t hang around for too long, but got back on the road.

As we continued back toward Castle Hot Springs Rd., we passed a few houses,    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and evidence of more houses that we couldn’t see from the road.

I’m not sure what makes people want to live way out here, but they must really want to be away from it all!

We made our way through some steep grades and tight switchbacks, and through a canyon,

 

 

and the sun continued to fall below the horizon.

 

 

There’s an old resort out here that was a popular vacation destination for the rich & famous in the 20s and 30s.  The main resort burned down in the 70s, but there are still several buildings standing, including a caretaker’s house, and the grounds are still maintained with lush green grass and palm trees.

We made it back to Castle Hot Springs Rd. just as we were losing the sun which made it difficult to get many pictures of the old resort, but I did get one shot of the palm trees that suddenly appeared in the desert like an oasis.

It was a great afternoon for a drive in the desert, and we made it back to the campground in the dark without any trouble.  If we had been able to start out a couple of hours earlier it would have been better, but it was still an enjoyable drive, and we thanked Eddie for taking us all along with him!