nothing new

You may have wondered why I'm not writing very frequently. Well, it's as simple as this; there just isn't much to write about. This area does not have that much going on. There isn't a real city center so there is not a place where people congregate or where activities take place. Bullhead City is a town sprawling over 10 miles of US highway without a center and without a soul. There is very little in the way of community activities. I will admit that we are out of the winter and for that I am thankful. The sun is shining almost every day which is great. But as far as much life in this place, unless you like the casinos in Laughlin, there simply isn't much going on. So, there you have it.

desert fever ...

Well, it has been an unusual week for us. A week ago today I woke up and felt a little under the weather. As the day went on, I felt progressively worse. Fever, the chills, etc. On Monday things did not improve. Brenda finally went out late in the afternoon to get a thermometer so we knew what we were up against. It confirmed it, 101.5 and I was officially sick. I developed hives over my torso and was quite a mess. On Tuesday we decided enough was enough and it was off to urgent care. They diagnosed some sort of bacterial infection (although we have know idea how it came about). They sent us away after an injection of steroids and a prescription for antibiotics and another steroid. I spent most of Tuesday in bed sleeping or trying to sleep. Finally, after the med's kicked in, I began to feel a little better Wednesday. Since then it has been steady improvement. I finished my steroid prescription minutes ago and hope never to need them again. The antibiotics have a few days remaining and, as always, I am thankful for their effectiveness. My appetite is returning and I think I might be on the other side of this one. Not the kind of thing you expect to happen on vacation. Nevertheless, stuff happens and I am thankful Brenda was here to help out, we were not in a non-English speaking country, and Blue Cross has the network it has.

Bullhead City

We are staying in a community called Fort Mohave which is just south of Bullhead City, the big town around here. The city is quite new, not being incorporated until 1984. The beginnings of the city go back to the construction of the Davis Dam which began in 1942. The project was halted so as not to consume necessary materials for the war effort. After the war ended construction resumed and the dam was completed in 1950. It is named after Arthur Powell Davis, Director of the US bureau of Reclamation from 1914 - 1923. The dam serves to provide hydroelectric power to cities throughout the southwest and controls the Colorado River to prevent flooding and manage the water resources in this region. The construction workers and their families lived in the community just south of the dam and a town sprang up around them to serve their needs. The town was named Bullhead City due to the resemblence of a rock island in the river that appeared to have the shoulders, head, and large curved horns of a bull. Sadly, this island became submerged in the rising waters of Lake Mohave behind the dam and is no longer visible today.
Despite searching, I have not been able to unearth a photo of this island. Use your imagination. To give you an idea as to how this city has grown, in 1980 the population was around 10,000. Today that number is approaching 50,000.

Golden!!!

Chris came down this past weekend to visit us and escape the cold for a few days. He flew into Las Vegas on Friday evening and is heading back tonight, Monday. In between we were able to play 4 rounds of golf and celebrate his birthday yesterday. It was a special one, his golden birthday. It was great to have him here and spend some time with him. It will be sad bringing him to the airport this evening.

the Mohave Valley

The name Mojave, given to the natives who lived along the river, is derived from the Native American words aha (water) and macav (alongside). The Pipa Aha Macav were "the people by the water." Their lives centered around the river whether it was for the agriculture of the valley area, the fishing, or trapping. They are credited with developing irrigation systems bringing water from the Colorado River to their crops. As settlers encroached upon this land the natural resources once sufficient to support the Mojave people were no longer such to support the ever increasing population. Inevitably, this led to violence. An army post was established in 1850. The Mojave were dispersed with many sent to the Colorado Indian Reservation and others remaining near Fort Mojave. The gold rush brought more people to the area. In 1911, President Taft granted a 31,000 acre reservation to the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.

The different spellings stem from the different pronunciations of the tribe's name. English speakers heard the Spanish pronunciation of Mojave as "mo-HAH-vey" and spelled in Mohave.

The area is really quite desolate and it is hard to imagine surviving here without the river. It is desert in the true sense of the word. The sunsets, however, are breathtaking.

El Garces Train Station and Hotel

What was once a bustling hotel and restaurant along the Santa Fe Railroad, the El Garces Train Depot in Needles, California has fallen into disrepair. It was constructed in 1908 after fire destroyed the original wooden structure. This time it was made of concrete with the native Americans of the Mojave tribe providing the main source of labor. The building is named for Father Francisco Garces, a missionary who visited the area in 1776.

The structure is enhanced by many columns and balconies. The most ornate side faces the tracks so as to service the train passengers. Its purpose was to provide elegant dining and hotel accomodations. From 1949 to 1988 it was used by the railroad for offices and as a station. Since then, it has been unused.

The Friends of El Garces, a group dedicated to seeing El Garces restored, has raised $5.7 million toward the cause. In 1999, the City of Needles purchased the property from the Santa Fe Railroad. In 2007, work began on refurbishing the facility. However, after a few starts and stops and the unexpected expenditure of $2 million on an earthquake study, it remains largely unfinished. An additional $3 million will be needed to complete the restoration and the recent recession has made acquiring government funding more difficult. Further, apparently some red tape attached to some of the money already provided by the government put some restrictions on private ownership. One of the main principals in the deal is a private hotel owner who owns the famous La Posada Hotel in Winslow, AZ. Due to this relationship, the work has stopped on the project until they can sort it all out.

In the meantime, one can only imagine what this huge train station was like back in the glory days of the railroads. Perhaps with a little good fortune and a trend back toward public transportation it will once again regain its prior majesty.

you know you're not home anymore when...

This fellow is our resident roadrunner. He is really interesting. He will come and sit near us on the patio and just sit there. Aside from being pretty, they move quickly when they want to and make a cluttering sound as well as a single sharp chirp. He must have been treated well by a previous occupant of our place because he will sit and look in the sliding door like he is waiting for us to come out and play.