Kathleen's Window: KOFA National Wildlife Refuge Boondocking

January 25, 2015

Well, we got bored with La Posa South LTVA in Quartzsite and decided to leave before our 14 day permit expired. Last year after the rally we were content to sit tight at the end of the road for the rest of our pass. Cheap camping and all, you know...It was nice to just sit in the desert and soak up the warmth and Greg explored the ridges to the south on his mountain bike. We had several more months of exploring the West still ahead of us last year, so staying longer was okay. This year we are heading back to Maryland very soon for “family business”, and wanted to boondock in a new spot before we start the long drive back.

Impressive saguaros near our La Posa South campsite.

Our "shady" Palo Verde

Large bird nest, maybe a thrasher or a small hawk

Our campsite along the narrow track.

Greg did a few more bike rides, but I mostly sat in the RV. The weather turned colder and very windy. When I would venture out, I got short of breath from the blowing dust. No fun...So Friday we stowed our gear, drove to the dump and water station, and drove away from Quartzsite down Route 95 to the south. Last year we boondocked a night at KOFA National Wildlife Refuge not far down the road. We took the road in to Palm Canyon again. Check our post from last winter when we had a great hike up the canyon to the only native palms in Arizona, and found a spot for the night along the road next to a lava flow. Palm Canyon, Mittry Lake, and California at Last!

After checking out the area again and seeing how busy it was, and electing not to take the side road to a new area, that is recommended for four wheel drive, we ate a quick lunch in the rig. Then we drove back out to Route 95 and took the road east at Stone Cabin to the Kings Valley area. We drove along the dusty, but recently graded and wide road back 7 miles. Turning around we drove back a few miles and found a good level spot slightly off the roadway and settled in. A bit later two RV's pulling trailers with ATV's pulled in across the road from us. What? This is a huge refuge with lots of isolated places to boondock. Not many people are back here, and they decide to park across the road...Well, they weren't very smart. They were on the downwind side up the road and the few vehicles that drove past dusted them thoroughly from the strong winds roiling across the desert.

We stayed through the night and yesterday morning Greg rode a side road to the Horse Tanks. This area is filled with old mines, and livestock and wildlife watering holes. Just like in Quartzsite, he fought the wind the whole way. When he returned he suggested we change sites. The big Class A rig had left the great spot on the crest of the hill, and we quickly packed up and drove a mile back towards 95, and snagged a prime spot. Now we have a ridge behind us, and a commanding view of the valley in both directions. This ridge has a lot of cholla cacti that drop their prickly branch tips on the ground to start new plants. We've been picking cactus spines out of our soles!

Horse Tank, one of 4 natural rainwater traps about 4 miles up a jeep trail from our camp. This is a former (Pleistocene age?) waterfall plunge pool about 60 feet across.

Deer and mountain sheep come to the tanks for water and grass.

Indian grinding holes in the flat ryolite outcrop below Horse Tank.

Inside the grinding hole

Campsite with a great view into the valleys on either side of the pass.

Our knee-high forest of Jumping Cholla.

Small barrel cactus with red spines

We had no neighbors for more than a mile!

Our "backyard" - See Greg in the orange shirt climbing our mountain!

Cholla Fruit

Lava tube cave stuffed full of cholla spines to protect the resident packrats.

It has been warm enough at night to leave the blinds up and not put the insulation in the windows, so we can see the stars all night. The desert is very quiet here, and the only light besides the early setting crescent moon is a soft glow on the horizon from Yuma in one direction and Phoenix in the other. The sun set last night behind a jagged ridge, and even though it was cloudless, the sky had a orange glow from the dust blowing all day. The opposite hills faded from pink, to mauve, to deep purple as the light disappeared.

Looking east across the KOFA National Wildlife Refuge. The King of Arizona Mine is in the distant range.

Another view of our "neighborhood" in the late afternoon sun. White spot is our RV.

Sunset shadows racing across the valley floor.

Alpenglow on the mountains behind our camp.

Sunset over the Castle Dome Mountains

Greg is out exploring new dirt tracks on his bike and we will stay tonight and head out tomorrow. We plan to drive to Yuma and then east on I-8 and cross all of Arizona tomorrow. The next day will be a stop in Deming, New Mexico to do a mountain of laundry, get some goods back into the fridge, and try once again to find green chili cheeseburgers at The Patio!