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.

route 66

Historic route 66 begins in Chicago and makes its way 2400 miles to the Pacific Ocean in southern California. Before the interstate system, this was a major route and is still celebrated by the towns along the way. Those include St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, San Bernadino, Pasadena and many others including Winslow, AZ, a town made famous in the lyrics of a song by the Eagles. From its inception in 1926, U.S. Highway 66 was designed to connect rural communities to their respective metropolitan capitals. In so doing, gas stations, motels, "Mom and Pop" restaurants, and grocery stores were built to accomodate an increasingly mobile public.

We visited a little town near hear called Oatman. It was a gold mining town that is right on route 66. In 1942, the government mandated the close of the gold mines since they did not support the war effort. This put an end to Oatman as a mining town. It is maintained today much as it was in the old west complete with daily reenactments of gun fights in the street. Really, its only purpose today is as a tourist destination (more of a trap really). In any event, it's a fun place that depicts a fair amount of wild west history. As you can see from the photo, wild burros meander along the street and the hitching posts are still prevalent outside the bars and restaurants of the town.

movin' in

Well, the weather is improving slowly here. Mind you, I'm not complaining. A windbreaker is significantly more tolerable than long johns, goose down, and stocking caps. We've been gathering the things we need to make our accomodation like home (groceries, supplies, golf balls:), etc.). Our place is really nice. It's an adobe/stucco exterior with a tile roof. We face the 13th hole (a par 5)of Desert Lakes Golf Course. We're on the left side of the fairway about 180 yards from the green. My experience tells me it is better to be on the left side of the fairway than the right. Most right handed golfers bad shots go to the right. Consequently, we are a little safer than our neighbors across the fairway. Having said that, Brenda found a golf ball in our patio today! We enjoy watching the players go by (when I can't be playing).

clouds in the valley of the sun - 3 Jan 2011

We had a harrowing trip here. The snow storm that hit the midwest on New Year's eve managed to wreak havoc on the southwestern states as well. We had clear sailing until we were almost to Santa Fe on Dec 30th. The front pushed through while we were on the freeway and conditions went from nearly ideal to total white out in minutes. It was the worst driving conditions I've ever experienced and we have said more than a few prayers of thanks to have gotten through it unscathed since. We managed to get to Santa Fe after the front went through but it was so cold (9 overnight)and windy there that we weren't able to enjoy it. Maybe another time. The freeway through New Mexico was very dangerous with the previous days snow and ice. They aren't as equipped as MN to handle these storms. I did not expect to have to deal with snow and ice in New Mexico and Arizona. After seeing many cars, trucks, semi's, spun out or crashed, we managed to make it to Fort Mohave on New Year's eve. Since our arrival they have had record low temps. Today it is in the 40's and overcast with a brisk breeze. The average high temp is 65. So, that means we have a few days in the 80's coming in order to make the average right:). A gradual warm-up is forecast for the week. New Year's day was bright, calm, and sunny, even if a little cool. We were able to sit out on our patio and look out over the golf course and up into the mountains. The picture attached is from our patio.