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Remembering Colin Fletcher at the Palo Verde CA Oxbow Lake

 
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 2/28/2009, 6:48 pm    Post subject: Remembering Colin Fletcher at the Palo Verde CA Oxbow Lake Reply to topic Reply with quote

Palo Verde, California. A town that progress has forgotten. A wide spot in the road. A hang-out for crusty snowbird fishermen and farm workers. Nothing about it is trendy, expensive, up-to-date, or posh. Close by is the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. Blythe is a few miles to the north, and the actual Colorado River is only a couple miles from town.

Palo Verde appears in at least two of Colin Fletcher's books: The Thousand Mile Summer and The Man From the Cave. (I seem to recall he left mention of it out of his last real book, River.

Right in town there is what they call the Palo Verde Lagoon, but I found out later it does not connect to the Oxbow Lake. The Lagoon is dirty, whereas the lake is quite a bit cleaner-looking and has a lot of visible little bass swimming around in it. Lots and lots of birds, too.

I don't have my Colin books here in Yuma with me, but I seem to recall he camped by the Oxbow lake. Anyway, it's a nice place. Easy kayaking as there is no current. The Colorado River nearby is running at above 8,000 cfs right now, and peaking at over 10,000 more than once a week, so kayaking there was not an option unless we wanted to go all the way Imperial Dam, several days trip downstream! (Below Imperial we paddle upstream, but not above Imperial. We ain't that good, yet!) More photos in the Gallery!

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evenstar





Joined: 03 Jan 2003
Posts: 5548
Location: SCW by way of CA

PostPosted: 2/28/2009, 11:38 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I've driven through Palo Verde many times going to and from Bashford: http://www.bashfords.com/bashweb1.htm
Where My aunt and uncle spent many winters as snowbirds; in fact, was there for a couple of weeks last February trying to talk my uncle, who lost his left leg the day before Thanksgiving three years ago. But failed.
Only problem I found around Palo Verde and it's environs was the mosquitoes and other biting insects that seem to think of my blood as I would think of a Prime Rib! Deet will keep them from biting me, but I have nothing to protect Richie Rich from these blood suckers, so I just drive on by. Does appear to be beautiful country but think Rich and I would need transfusions daily.
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When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/1/2009, 6:30 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Yeah, you gotta get out of there before dusk, I'm sure of that, as I've had experience with that at Mittry Lake in Yuma. We encountered no mosquitoes, even though the weather was warm, but we left at about 5 p.m. When it's colder I don't think there are any mosquitoes, though.
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azbackpackr
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Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/1/2009, 6:35 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Oh, Bashford's is in Niland? I have heard about Niland--supposed to be a big snowbird place. You also didn't say why you didn't talk to your uncle. Could you not find him? That's an area where they have the $180 for 6 months camping fee out in the desert. They have that in AZ, too. All the boondockers know about it, you pay the BLM $180 and you can camp all winter on BLM land in certain areas. I have heard they have a large area near Niland with these cement pads that are left over from some government thing. People dry camp there and use the cement pads as patios.

I think that place was talked about a lot in Jon Krakauer's book, "Into the Wild."
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evenstar





Joined: 03 Jan 2003
Posts: 5548
Location: SCW by way of CA

PostPosted: 3/1/2009, 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

My uncle lives just above California Hot Springs in Sequoia National Forest. He had to have his left leg amputated above the knee the day before Thanksgiving three years ago; it wasn't a matter of finding him, but of talking him into coming down to Bashford's. Didn't have any luck.

Yeah, I've seen "Pad City" several times.....it's a dump! And my motorhome only lasts about two days of dry camping before battery's give out and I have to run generator which, understandably annoys the hell outta people. I'm too used to the soft life of full hookups.
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John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/1/2009, 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Yeah, generators are noisy. On the other hand, I can't figure out why so many people out here camp in these big groups. Even when boondocking. They glom onto each other like lemmings. If they're boondocking and don't need utilities, then presumably they could find a more private spot out there. Some do, of course, you do see a few that are by themselves.
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