A Different View of the Southwest

Last year I went to the Quartzsite Gathering specifically to meet a fellow with whom I'd corresponded. He's been a wise consultant for some of the Scamp mods over the past year and has expressed an appreciation for the Southwest.

This year I suggested he join me for a canoe trip to see a different side of the Southwest.

We launched from Willow Beach and paddled upstream to Arizona Hotsprings where we set up camp. Unlike the last trip here, there were only two other people camped here. It helps when you can avoid weekends for the trip!

The second day we continued upstream to get a view of the bridge just downstream of Hoover Dam

before ferrying across the river to check out the warm falls at Palm Tree Canyon.

We spotted some of the anchor points installed during the dam construction (not to be confused with the Ring Bolts near Ring Bolt Rapid),

and discovered a hot spring in a canyon that wasn't on the map.

Flora and Fauna was interesting. We spotted several Peregrine Falcon but didn't get a picture. We did get a picture of a Bald Eagle,

an immature Bald Eagle,

and a coyote.

Perhaps the rarest thing sighted was the very rare boot tree near camp.

All in all, a nice trip with wonderful weather and great conversation.