Fall Road Trip 2023 - Bullhead City to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

From Death Valley, we drove south and ended up stopping for the night just outside of Bullhead City at the Davis Campground. We were a bit worried as it was right beside the highway but it was also a long campground situated along the Colorado River (and beside the Davis Dam) so we well away from any traffic noise. 

The wind picked up overnight. So much so that we cancelled our plans to run/workout in the morning. To give an example . . . here's a video of the zero visibility dust storm we went through! 

Because of all the wind, we drove most of the day rather than stopping to wander and enjoy the scenery. We ended up between places to camp and stayed in a hotel in Buckeye, Arizona. It was a clean and new chain hotel (with a well equipped fitness room) but nice eating options were almost non-existent as it was mostly chain, fast food, and takeout places. And no decent coffee shops that we could find either! (I know! First world problems.) 

The next day we made it to our destination of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Along the way, we stopped at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and went for a short hike near the visitor centre. 

In the small town of Ajo, we found a great little coffee shop called Oasis Coffee. 

All along this route we encountered MANY motorcycles. We finally figured out they were on their way to the Rocky Point Motorcycle Rally in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, which is on the Sea of Cortez, not far across the border from where we were at Organ Pipe. 

Finally at Organ Pipe, we went for a hike into Red Tanks Tinaja (water hole) and a bit beyond towards Sentra Basis (about 4 km total). It was already late afternoon and, with sun setting so early these days, we didn't stay out too long. 

The organ pipe cactus after which the park is named.

We stayed at the park campground and this was the view when I got up to pee in the very early morning hours. 

Fall Road Trip 2023 - Death Valley National Park

From Tonopah, we headed to Death Valley National Park. Coming from this direction, it seemed like a whole different park than the route we usually take. It was much more mountainous, interesting and unique landscape than the more southern part of the park. 

While 30 Celsius is a mild temperature in Death Valley, it suddenly seemed very hot compared to the past few days. 

There was a massive rain storm last August that caused a lot of flooding and damage in the park so we stopped at the Visitor Centre to confirm which roads were still closed, what campsites were open, and to decide on a hike to do. 

We settled on the Golden Canyon trail via Gower Gulch Loop which was approximately 7 km. It started by following the canyon and then opened up after that. There were many areas where you could still see the effect of the flooding with large runnels of dirt and washed out parts of the trail. But the sun was shining and the lighting on the various colours of rock made for beautiful views. 

After spending the night at Texas Springs campground, we stopped at Zabriskie Point to enjoy more of the views before heading onward. 

Fall Road Trip 2023 - Lake Tahoe to Tonopah

From Klamath Basin, we headed to Lake Tahoe. Even well into the off season (albeit on a weekend), it was crazy busy! We finally found a hiking trail that didn't have too many vehicles and/or people around it.

It was initially a fairly steep hike up the Mt. Tallac trail but, once we got to ridge line, it levelled out and opened up to great views down to Lake Tahoe and to Fallen Leaf Lake. 

Lake Tahoe at the back, Fallen Leaf Lake in front

On the ridge above Fallen Leaf Lake, looking towards Lake Tahoe

We finally found an open campground for the night (so many were closed already for the season) and continued on the next day. There were several really nice viewpoints along the route to Lee Vinning and Mono Lake. 

Mono Lake

The tufas at Mono Lake are such interesting formations. 

"All tufa at Mono Lake forms underwater. Beneath Mono Lake, calcium-rich freshwater springs seep up from the lake bottom and mix with lake water rich in carbonates (think baking soda). As the calcium comes in contact with the carbonates in the lake, a chemical reaction occurs, resulting in calcium carbonate, or limestone. The calcium carbonate precipitates (settles out of solution as a solid) around the spring, and over the course of decades to centuries, a tufa tower will grow. Tufa towers can grow to heights of over 30 feet underwater."  (monolake.org)

We continued on to Tonopah, Nevada, for the night and stayed at the Mizpah Hotel which is one of our favourite historic hotels. I took a video of the lobby but neglected to take any photos other than one in the fitness room which I thought was humorous. 

"Jack Dempsey, remembered today as the legend of boxing, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1919 to 1926. But did you know that Jack Dempsey's first bouts were bare-knuckle brawls in Tonopah and Goldfield? Some of those fights lasted 25 rounds!
Dempsey was also a miner, gambler, and bouncer before 
finding fame as a boxer."
From Mizpah Hotel website 

Fall Road Trip 2023 - Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Many years ago on a 45-day around-the-US train trip, we stopped in Klamath Falls and rented a car to visit Crater Lake and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge. We decided to stop at the Klamath Basin again but, with the morning ground fog, it didn't seem likely that we'd see much. 

Thankfully, it cleared off later in the day and there were so many hawks around, plus a few other birds. Unfortunately, it's hard to get close to them so these photos are not the greatest. 

This is a view overlooking the basin but the marsh area decreased dramatically in the early 1900's due to developing agricultural land. Since the late 1990's they have been trying to restore the marsh and wildlife areas. 

Lava Rock

The lava rock is a great place for nesting birds. 

The next morning we stopped along the highway for this view of what we thought was more low-lying fog. In fact, it was smoke from some controlled burning in the area.