After a morning hike (see part 2) I knew it was time to return home. I had planned on taking more back roads and avoiding Interstate 10 for that quick and easy route. Instead I found that route 62 meets up at the Colorado River and Parker AZ. Route AZ 95 is an easy ride following the river that meets up with some beautiful mountain cliffs that hide a real gem of the area.
Parker Dam was built in the 1930’s and part of the New Deal that President Roosevelt created to break us out of the great depression. According to the National Park Service, “What you see is not what you get at Parker Dam, known as ‘the deepest dam in the world.’ Engineers, digging for bedrock on which to build, had to excavate so far beneath the bed of the Colorado River that 73 percent of Parker Dam’s 320-foot structural height is not visible. Its reservoir, Lake Havasu, is a different matter. Its deep blue water stretches for 45 miles behind the dam, creating an oasis in the Arizona desert.”
The architecture is beautiful and very typical of the New Deal/WPA era. Not only does the dam preserve water for Lake Havasu it also is a major water source for Southern California. A resort village is just south of the dam and a number of small village resorts continue south on both sides of the river. At first it appears that there is no way to cross the dam but there is a slender road on top to drive across to the California side. The road then becomes Parker Dam Road and I found this:
Although I did not see any of these wild burros I was captivated with how they got here and how they survive. According to a local paper these burros have become a bit of a nuisance. They loiter in the road and don’t move – probably expecting a snack from tourists like me driving through. Out of respect for nature I do not feed the animals so they do not become dependent on humans for survival. They seem to be doing well for themselves and are protected.
Following the Parker Dam Road south toward the town of Parker CA Route 62 begins/ends and there’s a smooth recently paved road through the Sonora/Colorado desert. This road eventually becomes 29 Palms Highway and leads back to Interstate 10 via Morongo Valley and for me back home to Palm Springs. Awesome trip!!
