Indian Pass to Picacho State Recreation Area

Corona de Tucson

March 11, 2025

Fingers crossed...we need the rain!

Our last big adventure in Yuma was a desert drive.  We headed west on I 8 and took Exit 159.  We turned right onto Ogilby Rd for a few miles until we saw the stop sign and right turn for Indian Pass.  

Indian Pass Road is a graded dirt road that crosses the broad open desert and heads toward a tall rock outcrop on the horizon.  There is signage stating to remain on the established roads and do not enter the wilderness boundary.  

Looking towards the Chocolate Mountains and our destination...Picacho State Recreation Area.  

About 9 miles in, we crossed Indian Pass at about 1,040 feet above sea level.  There is a descent...a half mile or so that leads into a rocky wash.

For the next few miles we enjoyed huge rock boulders and the view looking up as we made our way thru the curvy wash with Indian Pass Wilderness on the left  and Picacho Peak Wilderness on the right.

 

When we entered the park, we soon made a right turn which is a beautiful drive along the Colorado River, thru Bear Canyon and White Wash before exiting the park on Picacho Road.  

Drive side view...

Passenger side view...

Picacho State (California) Recreation Area has a rich history.  Quechuan and other native people of the Great Basin culture lived along this part of the Colorado River.  Spanish soldiers discovered the area in the 1500s.  It was a wonderful morning.  Lucy had a great time too...

I took this photo going out of the RV Park before we got on the Interstate.  Lucy did not have her head out the window on the gravel/dirt roads.  Blowing dust/sand in the desert carries a fungus that grows in the soil and can cause Valley Fever.  Not good for humans or puppies... 

Yuma is the "Winter Lettuce Capital of the World" and produces more than 90% of the United States' leafy greens this time of year.  But that isn't all...there are fields of broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cabbage and a variety of root vegetables grown here too.  And it is also home to citrus growers (with lemons being at the top of the list) and date farms.

A 40 acre block of farmland produces 6 million servings of vegetables.
One billion pounds of lettuce is produced a month which is about 170 million servings of lettuce a day.  

The Colorado River has long been the source of water for several states and Mexico. 

We learned a lot about the water usage and the history of irrigation when we visited Colorado River SHP.  And something we never thought about...centuries of flooding have deposited generous amounts of fertile topsoil long before the dams were built.

Irrigation and water conservation is an on-going study in Yuma.   We learned that transplanting seedlings (first established in a greenhouse) uses less water than seeds directly-sown into the soil. The video we watched was so interesting as the mechanics of planting seedlings is developed and much more efficient.   

My research revealed that there are only two farmers selling produce weekly at open-air markets.  The Lemon Grove is one of those.  Farmer Tyler, the owner, states he left Sunkist because he felt disconnected from his community.  Joe and I  visited the market and to say it is a busy place is an understatement.  We arrived mid morning and most of the veggies were gone although we scored on squash and asparagus.  Both were fresh and the squash was especially tasty. 

The Lemon Grove is a citrus farm so varieties of lemons and oranges were for sale.

We chose Valencia and Clementine Mandarin...both sweet and juicy.

They bake a variety of bread too...sourdough loafs, flatbreads and boule and the lemon loaf is heavenly !  But the real reason we went was for a Dole Whip.  They serve vanilla whip and one flavor of a citrus whip everyday.  You can have the citrus and vanilla swirled or each straight up.  Our visit was pineapple day...we chose it straight up...creamy and refreshing after all that shopping ! 

A Dole Whip is made with real fruit puree as the first ingredient and sweetened with honey.  It truly is a unique and yummy experience. 

The last bird I will highlight from our visit to Yuma is the Long-billed Curlew.  I will never forget the first time I saw this graceful creature with its almost impossibly long,  thin, and curved bill.  In  2014 at Cocopah RV Resort I stood in the same spot   I did this year to capture this unique bird.  It was just as exciting this year as it was 11 years ago. 

A member of the sandpiper family, this graceful bird is the largest of America's shorebird.  it also has the longest bill of America's birds.

 

This eye catching bird probes deep into mud for burrowing prey like earthworms and wolf spiders.   

Flying in flocks they head for the California coast and south to Mexico for the winter. Downy young curlews leave the nest soon after hatching.  At first, both parents tend to the growing chicks, but after a few weeks, the female usually leaves the brood to the male and is the first to head south.   

Back at the oasis,  it was a quiet week enjoying being home.  We had one of those epic Arizona sunsets. 

 Lucy had a fun play day at the doggie park...

and wasn't the least bit puzzled by her new puzzle.  It is her third puzzle and the first one a Level 3.  

We did have a few drops of rain...just enough to leave us with wanting lots more.  

And slowly the birds are returning to the feeders, but I haven't had the camera in hand to get many photos.  

Until next time...

Mallards

Snowy Egret

Long-billed Curlew

HAPPY TRAILS !

Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area

Cocopah RV Resort

Yuma, AZ

February 28, 2025 

Sunrise at Cocopah...the lettuce that was growing here when we arrived on the 10th was cut, plowed, reseeded and watered the next day.  I took this photo on the 15th and tiny sprouts of alfalfa appeared a few days later.  I love these fields !

National Heritage Areas are places where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form cohesive, nationally important landscapes.   In 2000, Yuma Crossing was the first site designated by an Act of Congress as a National Heritage Area west of the Mississippi.  

The Yuma Crossing NHA covers 21 square miles and boasts two state historic parks...Yuma Territorial Prison and Colorado River, riverfront parks connected by  lighted multi-use walks, and interpretive plaza that tells many stories of the Yuma Crossing, 400 acres of restored wetlands, and historic downtown districts including Main Street and Brinley Avenue.  

    

Photo taken 2014

In 2014 we visited the Territorial Prison, better known as The Hell Hole, which opened in 1876 when the first seven prisoners were the very men forced to build their own cells.

This visit we checked off the second historic park, Colorado River Quartermaster Depot SHP, and a delightful patio lunch.  

Also, the Gateway Park which is the location of the  Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge and a leisurely walk with historic kiosks in the East Wetlands. 

And twice, we walked the historic downtown areas. 

Small boutiques, pottery row, eateries, pubs, and bakeries, and history make for a few hours of leisurely fun.   

The Brown House built in 1893 was used as a boarding house which catered to Southern Pacific Railroad men on layover between Los Angeles and Tucson. C.L. Brown bought the property in 1907 for his family home and lived there until 1943. 

To complete this National Heritage (and beautiful) Area, we visited Pivot Plaza and the West Wetlands as well.

Pivot Plaza :

Pivot Plaza should have been our first stop in Yuma...it is a great interpretive plaza with kiosks full of stories, and history, and information.  

First off, there is a large scale map showing the city's paved and lighted multi-use trails which stretch for about 10 miles along the riverfront and East Main Canal.  The three cultural influences on Yuma are highlighted...the Quechuan and Cocopah Tribes, Spanish and American.  Kiosks explain why Yuma was the only natural crossing point on the Colorado River for many miles.  Because the river is more narrow and more shallow in Yuma, Yuma was established as the first city on the Colorado River.  

It is also of interest that Pivot Plaza is located own the site where the first railroad train entered Arizona in 1877.  It preserves one of the few remaining artifacts of Arizona's first rail line...the concrete pivot on which the rail bridge turned to allow steamboats to pass.  

And you can't help but notice the restored 1907 Baldwin steam locomotive when there.  

West Wetlands : 

What a fun morning we had visiting the West Wetlands with Carol and Ronnie.  This wetlands is divided into two sections...the Upper Bench and the Lower Bench.  The first phase of construction was focused on the Upper bench which included roadways, a duck/fishing pond, playground, picnic Ramadas, restrooms and lighted multi-use pathways.  

I was thrilled to finally see a female Ring-necked duck here.  What a beautiful bird she is.

Northern Mockingbird

Mallard

Lucy had such a great time...hugs with Carol

and walks with Ronnie.

Since 2017, the focus has been on the Lower Bench including trails and trailhead parking, an outdoor environmental classroom, and restoration of over 36 acres of bank line and riparian habitat.  

  

I read that since 2000, over 200,000 native trees and grasses have been planted in the National Historic Area with more being planted every year. 

While walking in this beautiful area, it is hard to believe that it was once hobo camps and a landfill.  Kudos to Yuma for having the insight and motivation to see a better future for their city.  And congratulations to Yuma for being chosen to host the  33rd International Waterfront Conference in 2018...one of the smallest cities to ever be chosen.  

On the way back to the RVs, we made a couple of stops.  Most folks might stop to smell the roses, but in Yuma, we stop to smell the celery.  A field of celery being harvested has the freshest scent...a crisp and fresh green veggie aroma.  I read the leaves have a more pronounced celery scent than the stalks.

   

The next stop was to check out the billy goats...just look at those ears

and what sweet faces they have.

Back at Belle, Lucy crashed (and so did Joe and I)... 

and isn't picky when it comes to finding a spot to flop.

Recognize these feet?

How about these plumes ?

These beautiful birds were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century which sparked conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.

The Great Egret is one of my favorite birds...so graceful, pristine, and elegant.  

The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America, and was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers.

They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile, or wading through wetlands without making a single splash in belly-deep water.  I am always happy to photograph these stalking birds and even more excited to catch them doing their morning stretches.

 

Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully...with just two wingbeats per second their cruising speed is around 25 MPH. 

In real time, we returned home on March 1.  We have definitely had better travel days as the high winds and dust storms made for a slow...but safe...ride home.  

It's fun to take a break and go on a vaca, but there's really nothing like being back home.  It has been a busy few days...unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, feeding the birds and watering plants, and a haircut for me.  

The view from the kitchen window at dusk.

I do have another post from Yuma to write so stay tuned for that. 

Until next time, 

West Wetlands trail

HAPPY TRAILS !