Davis Dam on the Colorado River
After passing many fields of orange poppies, it was briefly back to civilization, as I took Highway 14 through Lancaster, and south to Palmdale. This is the point where a choice has to be made as to traveling into the L.A. metro area, or passing to the east of the San Gabriel mountains, and avoiding the L.A. freeway system. Not a hard choice. I've taken this route around L.A. several times, continuing southeast on Highway 138, 18, and 247, to Victorville, and Yucca Valley, ending up for the 2nd night in the Palm Springs area. This is the same route we used to take, when we rode the bikes south to the annual Prison Run in Yuma, AZ. After spending the night in Indio, and having an awesome Mexican dinner at the restaurant next to the motel, I continued south toward the Salton Sea. I had not been around the east side of this huge lake for a lot of years, so decided to take Highway 111 toward Brawley. There isn't much development on this side of the Salton Sea, mostly the State Park system, and a few very small communities. At Brawley, I turned east, then northeast on Highway 78, passing the world famous Glamis Sand Dunes. During holiday weekends, these dunes are the destination of thousands of people with a multitude of sand toys. On this day, I didn't see a soul playing anywhere in the sand. From Glamis, it was back to the Colorado River, and north through Blythe, Parker, and back home to Lake Havasu. I stopped briefly at the Parker Dam, as I crossed from CA to AZ. The photo shows the downstream side of the dam, but doesn't show what is the deepest dam in the world. When the city of L.A. department of Water & Power built the dam to create Lake Havasu, they had to dig down over 300 feet to reach bedrock and a stable foundation for the dam. The picture shows what is the tip of the iceberg, and not the 300 plus feet of dam that rests under what's visible. From the dam, it was just a short ride home. In 2 1/2 days, I covered 1,017 miles, took in some great sights, but as always, it was good to get home and see my girls.
Davis Dam on the Colorado River
After passing many fields of orange poppies, it was briefly back to civilization, as I took Highway 14 through Lancaster, and south to Palmdale. This is the point where a choice has to be made as to traveling into the L.A. metro area, or passing to the east of the San Gabriel mountains, and avoiding the L.A. freeway system. Not a hard choice. I've taken this route around L.A. several times, continuing southeast on Highway 138, 18, and 247, to Victorville, and Yucca Valley, ending up for the 2nd night in the Palm Springs area. This is the same route we used to take, when we rode the bikes south to the annual Prison Run in Yuma, AZ. After spending the night in Indio, and having an awesome Mexican dinner at the restaurant next to the motel, I continued south toward the Salton Sea. I had not been around the east side of this huge lake for a lot of years, so decided to take Highway 111 toward Brawley. There isn't much development on this side of the Salton Sea, mostly the State Park system, and a few very small communities. At Brawley, I turned east, then northeast on Highway 78, passing the world famous Glamis Sand Dunes. During holiday weekends, these dunes are the destination of thousands of people with a multitude of sand toys. On this day, I didn't see a soul playing anywhere in the sand. From Glamis, it was back to the Colorado River, and north through Blythe, Parker, and back home to Lake Havasu. I stopped briefly at the Parker Dam, as I crossed from CA to AZ. The photo shows the downstream side of the dam, but doesn't show what is the deepest dam in the world. When the city of L.A. department of Water & Power built the dam to create Lake Havasu, they had to dig down over 300 feet to reach bedrock and a stable foundation for the dam. The picture shows what is the tip of the iceberg, and not the 300 plus feet of dam that rests under what's visible. From the dam, it was just a short ride home. In 2 1/2 days, I covered 1,017 miles, took in some great sights, but as always, it was good to get home and see my girls.
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