From gambling halls to hot springs, Las Vegas to Yuma

We've been back in the southwest for ten days now, later in the year than we've ever been before, visiting a few of our favorite spots, but also finding new gems.

We landed in Las Vegas, but while we stayed at the "Longhorn Casino" for the first night, gambling was not on the agenda: it simply was a convenient place to stay, on the outskirts of Las Vegas partway to Boulder City near the starting point for our first hike, and reasonably priced. We received several coupons for meals, drinks, gambling "money" and a memento from the gift store with our room key: there is a strong incentive to get you gambling here, but we were not up for it.

The next day , we stopped at Hemenway Park on the outskirts of Boulder City, as we always do, to check if the bighorn sheep had come down from the mountains. Only once before we found them here, although it's supposed to be almost a given, and we didn't have high hopes for seeing any this time, but lo and behold: there was a whole herd of them, comfortably spread out on the lawns of this park at the foot of the arid hills. The rams with their huge curving horns were camped a short distance away from the smaller females and youngsters.

It's only a short drive to the trailhead from here, and after a brief stop at Lake Mead visitor centre we were on our way mid-afternoon.
 

 As before, we took our tent with us and camped just above the hotsprings, which meant we had them to ourselves later in the evening and again first thing in the morning. 

We went only as far as Kingman, about an hour's drive, after coming back to the parking lot Friday afternoon, and drove to our friends in Mesa the next day. Here, we spent the next three days. While it had been fairly cool the first three days, highs only about 16 degrees Celsius, it warmed up on our way to Phoenix, and with real heat expected by Monday, the by now traditional hike to the Flatiron in the Superstition Mountains needed to happen on Sunday. I wasn't up for it this time and spent the time in the lower reaches, enjoying the birdsong,  but Johann and Aaron made it to the top once again and were back after six hours, tired and sore but happy with their accomplishment. "Will you do it again?" I asked upon their return. "Better wait until next year to ask that question", was the inevitable reply.

 We have never seen it this dry here, and wildflower bloom was pretty much nonexistent, and even the brittlebush looked desolate. Only creosote and a few mesquite displayed blossoms, and many of the long spires of the ocotillo were tipped with red. The Palo Verde trees along the roadways and in gardens, on the other hand, were covered in pale yellow blossoms, a stunning display that we have never seen before, likely because we are usually here at least two weeks earlier. It's amazing how shrubs and trees can thrive even in this heat and drought. Hopefully summer rains will be plentiful this year. 

Before we moved on to Yuma on Tuesday, our friends took us to Queen Creek Olive Mill, a popular tourist destination with a shop that carries all kinds of products made from olives. Adjacent to the shop and restaurant, we saw trees ready to bloom, a few in bloom already, but also olives in different stages of ripeness. 

From Tuesday to Thursday we stayed with our neighbours Jeanne and Francis in their "park model" at Bonavista Mesa park on the outskirts of Yuma.

By now it was too hot to do much of anything during the day, at least without air condition, so we went for a drive to explore the area to the north, west of Hwy. 95, found a rather large lake and a few wild burros. Wherever there is the least bit of moisture there are plants to take advantage of it, and the lake was seamed with shrubs and palms, giving an impression of lushness that dwindled quickly only a short distance from the lake shore.

We packed our comfortable rental car, a Volkswagen "Taos", on Thursday morning and headed to California, ready to see if we could find anything blooming in the Anza Borrego state park. Chances were slim because it has been so terribly dry here in the south, and if there is a 'superbloom', for which this area is famous, it would normally happen in February and early March.