Lower Colorado River

As illustrated by the age of the abandoned farm buildings, irrigated farming in the harsh desert has a fairly long history. This is north of Yuma, on the California side of the Colorado. I didn't pay close attention to the crop, but it might be alfalfa considering the lack of rows and that alfalfa is a major crop in the Imperial Valley. Imperial County alfalfa is now a major export to China, and cheaper to send to China than to dairy farmers in the U.S.: www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-feeding-china-hay-20140609-story.html

The Laguna Diversion Dam, completed in 1905 for irrigation of Yuma Valley and Imperial County. This was the first dam built on the Colorado. Prior to building the dam, steamboats traveled up the Colorado from the Gulf of California through Mexico and up as far as Black Canyon, which is the site of Hoover Dam. The completion of Laguna Dam ended steamboat access and co-occurred with increased rail access. The dam was superceded by Imperial Dam (adjacent pictures) which was finished in 1938. Note that the Colorado River siphon in Yuma (earlier pictures) was originally built to accommodate water from the Laguna Dam. Wikipedia on Laguna Dam: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Diversion_Dam

Imperial Dam photographed from Hidden Shores, Arizona. My first visit to Imperial Dam was in 2007 at a time when it was possible to visit the facilities on the western shore, in California. Unfortunately, the California side is no longer accessible to the general public. Pictures from that 2007 trip are at: Imperial Dam 2748a

Telephoto view of the California side of Imperial Dam. The dam was built from 1936 to 1938 with funding from the Works Progress Administration (New Deal). The dam directs water to the river, the Gila (Arizona) Canal, and the All American Canal; the latter directs water to the Yuma Canal and to Imperial County. The controlling of the river at this point involves a complex desilting process; see the link below for the history of the dam and the description of the desilting: www.iid.com/water/water-transportation-system/colorado-river-facilities/imperial-dam

The broad dam across the picture is at Senator Wash. Senator Wash (also see #0821) is part of the complex controlling of the river at this point, holding water for release through Imperial Dam on the basis of demand. The larger version of the picture gives a better sense of the size of the dam. See: www.usbr.gov/projects/Facility.jsp?fac_Name=Senator+Wash+Dam

Senator Wash reservoir, which is accessible for water sports and camping. The reservoir largely functions as a means for regulating Colorado River flow through Imperial Dam.

The Colorado River just above Imperial Dam -- note the lack of a broad and expansive reservoir. Due to silting and the need to regulate water passage through the Imperial Dam, the Senator Wash (adjacent picture) was built (1964-1966). See: www.iid.com/water/water-transportation-system/colorado-river-facilities/senator-wash

Imperial Dam, from Hidden Shores, AZ. See nearby pictures.

Bighorn sheep feeding on the golf course at Hidden Shores, which is adjacent to Imperial Dam. Note that in the Coachella Valley, the BLM is actively trying to discourage bighorn sheep access to golf courses since grazing on golf courses is not good for their health and puts them in too close contact with vehicular traffic.

Bighorn sheep feeding on the golf course at Hidden Shores, which is adjacent to Imperial Dam. Note that in the Coachella Valley, the BLM is actively trying to discourage bighorn sheep access to golf courses since grazing on golf courses is not good for their health and puts them in too close contact with vehicular traffic.

Driving across what seemed like a very empty part of the desert, I started to see odd specks in the sky in the distance. As I got closer, it looked like they were hang gliders and I thought it an odd spot for sport jumping. As I got closer, there was more and more of them, and it was apparent they were parachutists. My mind jumped to wondering if we were being invaded somehow, but then the guy in the pickup truck passed me nonchalantly, so I guessed we weren't. Getting back on the road, I soon spotted signs for 'no stopping' and driving at 25mph, which is very slow for a desert road. Then I came upon a large landing field -- what I was seeing was military training.

Parachute training, from Laguna Army airfield, which was nearby.

I'd seen from the map that there was some sort of small village that I'd never heard of on the Colorado, north of Yuma. When I looked up Fisher's Landing on the Internet, the sites that I found described what appeared to be basically a 'fish camp' -- a place where the main activity is fishing, the boats are designed for fishing, there’s a bar/restaurant that’s geared towards fishermen, and the shore is lined with relatively simple cabins and/or travel trailers. As the picture begins to suggest, this was only partially a classic ‘fish camp’.

There was a bar/restaurant that fit the classic 'fish camp' description. Dark inside, old wooden tables, pictures from fishing tournaments on the walls, a long bar, beer signs everywhere, grungy hallways to musty bathrooms, an older talkative once-blonde woman behind the bar, and a friendly young guy working the grill. The only thing not quite classic was that they offered a veggie burger and a 'mush burger.' The mush burger was half turkey burger and half veggie burger, and the fries were fresh cut, not frozen – both quite good. Oh, and one other thing out of character for Arizona – a sign on the door saying ‘no open carry’ in the restaurant. It was a very quiet day and the bartender joined me on the patio for a smoke and to chat. She provided lots of insight into how the village was shifting from being a ‘fish camp’ into something else.

The pink-orange house dominates the view when down at water level, and is situated on a point so that it seems almost like the castle of the lord of the area. My source told me that all of the newer construction is on Indian lease land and happened after some legal decision that allowed for long-term leases and such construction. Most of the rest of Fisher’s Landing is federal land and is limited in development by the sorts of regulations one finds in developments on BLM lands. My source also said that the new homes seemed to bring in people who had relatively large parties in their homes or on their yachts, but did not otherwise associate with other visitors/residents.

When you drive into Fisher's Landing, you quickly pass an area for short-term RV camping and then, on the waterfront, see these these homes and additional large homes that are behind me. The most noticeable home when coming in is the grey one in the middle of the photo -- it's taller and more prominent than it looks here. It also happens to look, to me, like the sorts of municipal court buildings that are next to jails. Once on the waterfront, the sprawling pink-orange building on the right dominates the view (see adjacent picture). Also very noticeable is the house on the far right with the very large glass windows and curtains that make it look like the interior of a high-end shopping mall (definitely not like a fishing shack).

Off to the side, behind the newer homes, a small cove for smaller boats. Not immediately visible was how boats get from this cove to the river -- there's a narrow cut through the grass just to the right of the center of the picture. Clearly not a cove for large boats.

Also behind the newer development, more of what I had expected for a 'fish camp' -- older mobile homes on small lots.