Our original plan was to stay at Mittry Lake outside of Yuma for a couple more days … but then we learned that there was to be a kids “fishing derby” over the weekend, starting Saturday at 6:00 AM. “We” were there for the peace and quiet, and there wouldn’t be much of that when the kids arrived!
We drove to Congress (AZ) having passed Nothing (AZ) and ending up beyond Hope (AZ). We found a delightful site on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land with mountain views and Prickly Pears in bloom. All was well … until we heard the shooting! Actually, it was fine – on the other side of the ridge was an informal target range and someone was exercising his rifle.
As we left Congress we encountered a sign saying rigs over 40’ prohibited! Since we are about 55’ combined truck and trailer, we decided a different route was required. While it was a little more “round about” we finally pulled through Cottonwood and headed to the Red Rocks area.
I had done some research on boondocking spots near Palatki, so we found a spot fairly quickly – after driving about 3 miles on a rock & dirt & gravel “road”. But the site was worth it! And we would be only three miles from our new destination – Palatki Heritage Site!
Our boondocking address: GPS 34.875759, -111.905244
We have now been settled in at Palatki for a week. We met Doug & Brenda – our outgoing neighbors; and Tom and Jan, our new neighbors – both have made us feel welcome and helped us to settle in with our duties at Palatki. We still have more to learn to feel “competent” in giving some of the tours, but we’re making progress – and the site is amazing.
Our view:
The Ruins:
View down the canyon:
The site also has a wonderful Pictograph Grotto, but those pictures will have to wait for another day…