Mileage:  58,214  Oxbow BLM Campground Ehrenberg, Arizona

Tanks full and empty and ready to move!  We went west on Route 8 and then north onto 34 and 78 toward Blythe, California.

It was a picture-perfect day with brilliant blue sky and wispy windblown clouds.

We really were not sure where we were going.  Tim mentioned that he might like to find a place to camp in the desert.  As we approached the town of Palo Verde it became evident that we might have missed our opportunity.  Suddenly we were surrounded by canals and farm fields.  I tried to look at our Allstays app but I was too late…I had no service.  When I did have service, it looked like we had passed our best camping option 10 miles ago…some days are like that!  Not everyone was happy…we really hate to backtrack…but we did.  Not every story has a happy ending, however, we ended up with a waterfront campsite on the Colorado River for $7.50.  So, it worked out in the end! 

The river is much bigger here and flowing faster than it does in Yuma.  I know that the further south on the Colorado that you travel, the more the water is allocated for farms, residences, and businesses.  Also, there has been a lot of rain and snow here.  I’m sure that snow melt from the mountains contributes to the water current.

We were riding around the campground and a couple in a car stopped to ask us if we knew where the Hippie Hole was?  We didn’t…but we saw a sign as they drove off.  Hippie Hole?!?  How did that place get its name?  We drove off after them to let them know how to find it.

We took the Jeep out for a short ride on the Bradshaw Trail.  This was an old stagecoach road in the 1860’s.  It was a rough gravel road that ran parallel to Highway 10 and the mountains.  The desert was really scruffy with scraggly creosote bushes and occasional mesquite trees, not many wildflowers and no cacti. 

The Chocolate Mountains ran along the trail to the north and west.

We took the backroads back to the RV.  The road ran along the river. 

We had leftovers for an easy dinner.  It was warm enough to sit outside.

Tim saw two tent campers across the circle from us.  They had no vehicle.  Bob and Ryan, father and son, are from Oregon.  They started to canoe the Colorado River from Blythe and will take out near Yuma.  They are real adventurers!

The setting sun turned the sky all shades of pink and lavender.

The fire felt nice.  As soon as the sun goes down, the desert gets cool.  The stars are amazing.  The Milky Way bright in the night sky.  I wish I could take a picture for you…but since I cannot…come and see!