Alamo Lake

Alamo Lake State Park

34 13.83 N 113 34.79 W

 

We came here with a little trepidation. After all, this place is 38 miles from the nearest tertiary road, we are in the Mohave Desert, and the temperature was 100 degrees. But we did our homework, we found that the road was paved, and we had a full tank of gas and 5 gallons of water. Most important, we are doing this trip to sample variety; expanding our envelope is precisely the point.

What did we find? Beautiful desert surroundings punctuated by sparse forests of magnificent saguaro cacti. At the camp site it was dry and dusty, and windy, but comfortable. There were numerous birds and exotic bird songs we had not heard before. We saw rabbits. We saw road runners. After dark the wild burros came into our camp. They woke us a couple of times with their braying - hee haw hee haw. Of course they pooped in their favorite spot only 10 feet from our tent.

We were not baked. We stuck to the shade in the afternoon when it was hottest. By dinner time, the sun was not strong. We went to bed at dark, but the strong breeze cooled us. By dawn, the temperature was down to 70 or less, so it was pleasant.

We did not see rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, tarantulas, or scorpions. Good.

The green lake is in a basin surrounded by dormant volcanos. The sight is spectacular. How did the water happen to be there? No idea. The lake was good for boating and fishing, but not for swimming.

All in all, it was a very nice experience. Yes, we did expand our envelope.

Tonight? No idea yet.