Burros, Blowouts, and Boondocking
With limited appliances, a turkey breast, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, Bob Evans mashed potatoes, gravy, stovetop stuffing, deviled eggs (thanks, Blandy), and frozen Dietsch milk chocolate pretzels, we were able to enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. It took some strategy to get everything cooked throughout the day and reheated so everything was hot at the same time, but we got it accomplished.
Imperial Dam, the actual dam, is about two miles away from our campsite. There is a channel that leads to the Colorado River at the base of the dam. We hooked up with fellow campers and Blandy to go kayaking. Our friends had an extra kayak for Blandy to use, and ours is a two-person inflatable. While inflating ours, we heard a hissing sound and located a leak. The kayak came with a repair patch kit, but it did not include glue. Our friend did have glue in his truck, so we patched and inflated and headed out for an afternoon on the water.
As we paddled away I felt like I was getting more wet than I should. Water was coming in under and around my seat. Tim said there was a plug at the front of the kayak that must not be closed. I searched but found no plug, and the water was getting worse. We told the others to continue and we would head back, dump the water, and find the plug. We were out a ways and we paddled fast. Then I noticed the left side was deflating. Thank goodness we had turned around. We made it to shore and found the plug. It was behind Tim’s seat, not in front of mine. My luck, all the incoming water came forward, so he was not as soaked as I was. The water was pretty darn cold. We dumped water and found the other leak, but our friend had put the glue in his pocket, and there was no way to fix the leak.
Blandy, John, and Cindy had a great time on the water. We went back to camp and decided inflatable kayaks are not worth the money. Next time we were in Yuma, we purchased glue and went out for another attempt. This time we got about a mile out and I noticed the left side was deflating again. We turned around and were paddling directly into the wind. That is exhausting. We made it back to shore and have decided not to use the kayak again. We will be purchasing two rigid kayaks for future fun.
Chris and Deb were visiting a friend in Borrego Springs, California, so we left our trailer, bikes, and chairs on our campsite, so no one would grab our spot, and headed out to see them. It was a two-and-a-half-hour drive. The terrain here at Imperial is very rocky, but Borrego’s terrain is very sandy and surrounded by sand dunes. We found some boondocking sites in Galleta Meadows. The area features more than 130 large metal art sculptures. They were commissioned by Dennis Avery, the owner of Galleta Meadows. He purchased land around Borrego Springs for conservation. The artist, Ricardo Breceda, created a 350-foot-long dragon that looks as if it is snaking into and over the desert sand. All the sculptures are incredible. Horses, dinosaurs, scorpions, turtles, elephants, and more.
Tim and I hiked four miles near our site to see some, then Chris said the really big ones were on the other side of Borrego. We drove through more sites and found the snaking dragon. We stayed in Borrego until Sunday so we could watch the Indiana and Ohio State game Saturday night at a local bar. Not the outcome we were cheering for, but fun to be with Chris and Deb.
We got back to Imperial Dam on Sunday after a stop to do laundry and pick up a few groceries. Our site was unbothered while we were gone. We got back just in time to go to our neighbor’s weekly game day. We met Pat and Ron when we were here last January. They have a perfect site, they have landscaped and installed areas for croquet, bocce ball, cornhole, and Kubb. Over the last 26 years, they have come to the exact same spot every September and stay through April. They have created a beautiful rock art garden and offer a great spot for anyone who is here to join together for socializing and games. Great folks. They are both thru-hikers and have completed the same trails as Curmudgeon. Tim is planning a trip to do the Colorado Trail with them in July or August.
We are spending our days hiking in the area and biking two miles to take showers at the campground by the dam and kayaking area. We see lots of wild burros, and some wander onto our site now and then. Very docile animals. It is kinda creepy how they stand and stare at you, though. I have not seen any rattlesnakes and hope I do not, but you never know. Last week, a day after we hiked to the nearby mountain, a fellow camper saw a mountain lion attack a burro. She said the burro got away, but that is a little scary. Tim goes out hiking by himself sometimes, so hopefully that lion is far away by now.
We can last in the desert seven to eight days before we need to replenish food and libations. Yuma is conveniently 20 miles from here, so it is easy to restock. It costs forty dollars per two weeks or one hundred eighty dollars for seven months for a permit to be here. That includes access to potable water, trash, and a dump station. It is perfect for hiking, biking, and kayaking, if you can stay afloat. We will be leaving by the 14th or 15th to go to Palm Desert for a few days before flying out of Palm Springs to Ohio for the holidays. Our friends Mike and Heidi from Missoula have a condo and access to a big garage where we can store the van and trailer for two weeks while we are home for the holidays.
We wish you all a joyous holiday.