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Ever since I came back from my Devil's Highway journey in the Sonoran desert during March of 2017 I dreamed of returning. March is a wet and cold month in Montana. It is the second slowest month of the year for book sales, October is the slowest month, so it seemed like the ideal time to head south. I packed a week before I left on the afternoon of Sunday February 25th.
In May of 2017 I ordered a customized Mirage Excel cargo trailer. It arrived in June but the summer quickly passed with my spare time used for Jeep repairs. In August of 2018 I replaced the Jeep water pump, installed a new serpentine belt, replaced the brake shoes and installed a new driver side fender. I also replaced the bent front and rear metal bumpers with pressure treated 6 by 6 inch timbers painted black. New tires and replacing the front differential 90 weight oil was next. Finally I changed the engine oil and fixed an engine oil leak. By the time it was done frost was in the air with snow not far behind. So the trailer had to wait for another season.
Lunch stop near American Falls, Idaho. |
Two to four inches of wet snow fell overnight. |
Snow squalls and wet, messy roads slowed my progress. I saw a few accidents and drove slowly and safely. I had a new GPS unit by Garmin that I purchased on ebay secondhand. I set it to find me the shortest route which it took to mean overall mileage; not time. I also noted that dirt roads were acceptable. Thus I was guided around Twin Falls on a scenic, rural route that I would never have found on my own. Part of the route was on gravel roads. I enjoyed the slow driving and lack of traffic. Eventually I came to US Route 93 and crossed into Nevada at Jackpot two hours before sunset. My destination was the Motel 6 at Ely, Nevada and it was after dark when I arrived there.
The Ruby mountains southwest of Wells, Nevada. |
Nevada's Basin and Range topography south of Wells. |
The Ely Motel 6 was a disappointment and I do not plan on staying there again. I slept well, ate a good breakfast and stocked up on supplies at the new grocery store just across the street. By 10 AM I was on Route 93 heading south over Connor's Pass. A little snow was on the hills and the road. When I descended into the valley the snow disappeared. All the way to Caliente the ride and scenery was lovely. Light, fluffy clouds cast their ever moving shadows on the wide, flat valley beside me. A moderate height mountain range bordered the right side of the road. My GPS unit begged me to take a number of the dirt roads to my left but I refused fearing mud and wet conditions. Finally I turned the nagging unit off.
Cloud shadows dance over the valley floor south of Ely, Nevada. |
Pre-route 93 the old road was just a narrow ribbon of asphalt. |
In the early afternoon I stopped at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Caliente, Nevada. I discovered Caliente quite by accident many years ago when I was coming back from Las Vegas and visiting Susan. It was winter and I left Las Vegas late in the day. At nightfall I came to a desert gravel road off Route 93 that looked like a shortcut to Caliente. I followed it with my Jeep and snow started to fall. Soon it fell thickly but I kept going. I drove slowly on a twisting road that appeared to follow a railroad track. There was no traffic and I could easily see the edges of the road through the blowing snow. I felt safe and could have driven for hours. Eventually I arrived in Caliente and found a room at the motel across from the classic railroad station. In the morning I scouted the town and found it full of beauty. Last March I camped a few days at Cathedral Gorge and enjoyed it immensely. This year I had a reservation for Willow Beach campground so I had to move on. I followed the old road through Rainbow Canyon to Elgin and then out into the open desert that I first discovered on a snowy evening years ago. It was spectacular, both then and today!
Spectacular Rainbow Canyon south of Caliente, Nevada. |
The road is paved to Elgin and then follows a wide gravel road to Route 93. |
The Delamar Wilderness area is where the colder Great Basin desert meets the warmer Mojave desert. The region is exceptionally arid and mostly snow free. Frosts still occur but winters are mild compared to Montana. The Delamar range borders the north side of the wide and well maintained gravel road. The Meadow Valley mountains border the south side of the road.
I headed onto Route 93 and drove south through Las Vegas to Willow Beach, Arizona. Around 9 PM I arrived and set up my tent on a high knoll that overlooked the entire campground.
Dark green Creosote bushes dot the open desert landscape. |
The vastness of the American west was on full display in the Delamar Wilderness. |
The Willow Beach RV and tent campground is exceptionally well designed and landscaped. Chiseled rock steps lead to several tent sites that are set on an elevated plateau and offer excellent views. They are slightly above the RV sites and completely separated. The RV sites are almost all pull through loops with electricity, water and sewer. Tent sites have a common water taps. All sites have fire rings and are expertly landscaped with drip watered native trees, shrubs and grasses. Private showers, two washing machines, two dryers and a clean, spacious rest room are centrally located in one building. The Wifi signal is strong, free and dependable. At least two antennas service the entire campground.
The original campground was heavily damaged in a flash flood. The new one is well protected from flooding by height and well defined flood channels. Willow Beach is one of the best designed campgrounds I have ever stayed at.
The Colorado River forms the western boundary of Willow Beach. |
Eroded hills decorated with Creosote bushes march towards the mountains. |
A desert wash; an intermittent stream bed filled with easily eroded sand and gravel. |
Wash banks reveal layers of sand, gravel and clay deposits from eroded mountains. |
The hiking at Willow Beach was spectacular. I stayed to the high ridges behind the tent sites and walked up to Route 93. On the way back I followed several desert washes which was a completely different experience. The washes had high walls so my sense of direction was hampered. Many washes were so narrow that I could touch both walls with my shoulders or outstretched arms. One ended in an abrupt 20 foot drop that required me to circle back. All of the washes had beautifully exposed walls that revealed the history of rock deposition over thousands of years. Flowers often bloomed in the bottom of washes and sometimes I saw damp sand and even small puddles on the north side. Washes can fill up quickly with water from a sudden thunderstorm so weather caution is required. Many washes have cliff like embankments and can be tough to get out of safely if a flash flood occurs.
The pinkish Death Valley Range is about 100 miles away. |
Desert wash with the Mc Cullough mountains in the background. |
Below Hoover Dam the Colorado river forms Lake Mojave. |
It is such a joy to see lovely flowers in early March! |
This desert wash can rapidly fill with several feet of rushing water in a thunderstorm. |
Sandstone bluffs are harder and more erosion resistant than the sand and gravel layers. |
Once I was settled in my camp site I decided to explore the back country at Willow Beach. Just behind the tent sites are animal trails that stretch up the Colorado River canyon to Route 93 and beyond into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. None are marked so navigation can be difficult on the way back. Going up is easy; just find a high ridge and follow it.
The landscape is dry and heavily dissected by desert washes. Evidence of erosion is everywhere and thus the geology is exposed and the rocks are waiting for you to decipher their history. The views are spectacular and on a clear day you can see the Sierra Nevada mountains almost 200 miles away.
A rock faced hillside is exposed by erosion. |
Hard cap rocks resist erosion while softer layers erode beneath them. |
On March 6th, 2018 I left Willow Beach and headed south for the Gila Bend KOA. I stayed there for two nights and then continued south to Ajo and Organ Pipe National Monument. The Gila Bend KOA was convenient. It had clean restrooms, hot showers, a walled tent site with water and 15 amp 110 volt electricity. I was able to stay up late and read. The town center is close and has several well stocked stores for supplies. The KOA Wifi was strong and reliable. City lights and a radio tower lit up the night sky. A busy, nearby train depot and the interstate completed the urban camping experience.
I enjoyed my quiet stay at Willow Beach and will stop back next year.
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