Shrimp on the BarBee!
Well, we were going to grill shrimp to celebrate the first day of Spring, but we were so busy resupplying in town, moving to our new campsite and setting up that we had to settle for the last of our shrimp from El Golfo, Mexico saute’d with veggies and rice. This delicious grilled shrimp snack was photographed by Alastair back in August, 2007 during a waterskiing daytrip to Prineville Reservoir in Oregon.
The last sunset of winter! A beautiful evening for a walk.
Also, the last night at this campsite. We move tomorrow to explore another area in the Kofa Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge.
Kofa is home to a grove of California fan palms, with maybe one or two other groves around the state, the only native palms in Arizona. We rode our motorcycles to Palm Canyon then hiked the 1/2 mile trail to the observation point and saw the palms about 1/2 mile up a steep, narrow side canyon. The habitat, although lush looking now with the spring growth from winter rains, seems very forbidding and rocky. Perhaps the narrowness of the canyon is a bonus, shading the trees from the intense sun for most of the day!
The palms, high up in a side canyon.
Looking back at the vista from Palm Canyon, the La Paz valley encompassed in the Yuma Proving Ground Military Reservation.
Kofa Nat’l Wildlife Refuge is fully in the Sonoran desert of Arizona, identified mainly by the imposing Saguaro, the ubiquitous cactus of upraised arms in “Roadrunner & Wily Coyote” cartoons and “Arizona Highways” pictures.
The Saguaro is a fascinating plant. We are here too early in the season to see the flowers which bloom at night, but if you’re interested in more info. click here.
The desert is abloom and the camera cannot capture the vibrant hues. One of the more delicate rose-colored flowers I learned is appropriately called the Fairy Duster.
Click on the name above to get a closeup picture and more info. about this flower.
Brittlebush flower.
This single brittlebush flower conveys the beautiful gold, sunshiny color. Now imagine huge bushes with thousands of these flowers covering a dry wash!