What were they? There was a whole flock of them, too quick for a photo. Some people would say my finding this place was just meant to be. That’s how they explain happenings that they have no control over. I let it fall into a category that I call Travel Magic. Like the presence of the pot hole fish-like critters at Toroweap on the edge of the Grand Canyon that never see or know the view’s splendor is there, or the person who appeared virtually out of nowhere and offered me a ride to the tire shop, when I had two flat tires near Big Bend N.P., Tx. a couple years ago. Both were magical occurrences, because the pot holes only have water in them for weeks at a time and I needed a ride very badly.
Today I’m going to check out a dirt road that dissects the island unit, a delta between the channelized Colorado River and the original one, of Cibola National WildLife Refuge, which is surrounded by a huge expanse of Bureau of Land & Mines area. The road runs down the top of a levee for a ways then through thorny cypress thicket with pink blooms, marsh, ponds and farm land. Next visit I’m bicycling here to get a better look. Cibola NWR (
www.fws.gov/southwest) is located south of Interstate 10 on the Arizona/California Boarder about 50 miles north of the US/Mexican Border, probably a safe distance. It’s warm in March, so it fits nicely into my meanderings.
I saw a big hefty coyote about 100 yards away, some Gambrels Quail, two herds of deer, jack rabbits and that flock of yellow headed black birds. They were a new sighting for me and a great way to end my stay here. I saw several walking trails, too. I camped in the BLM land in the foot hills of the Trigo Mts. where there were trails in rocky hills, blooming beaver tail cacti, and a gorgeous view of the sunset over the mountains to the west. There are good unpaved roads that lead to and along the channelized river that go to Lake Cibola and the vista that overlooks it and for miles across the desert landscape in all directions from a bluff, mesa, butte or maybe it’s just a hill (?). There are also many colorful stones to marvel at and I saw several wild burros from there, too. At the end of my visit I found Oxbow Camp Ground operated by BLM near Rt. 78 and the Village of Palo Verde, Ca. (gas, market, restaurant and other services). There is a fee to camp there and a comfort station, but over the bridge that crosses the river are free sites just a short walk away. The main attraction of Cibola occurs when the geese, sand hill cranes and other birds are migrating, now there are few people and the visitor center is closed. Better for me. I enjoyed incredible insects, lizards, loons on the lake, wild burros, a bobcat and more.
I’ve traveled in the winter months for the last 12 years and have found some places that are real gems that are on my Don’t Miss List for each trip, so I tend to go to the same places, because I enjoy being there, the photography is outstanding, it is usually warm, and what I want to do works. Occasionally I find a new place, though. I still jump at the chance to follow a road to its end when I see on the map that it seems to go to nowhere. Many times that’s where it’s at for me. It usually means few people, a natural area and many times public land is there, especially in our southwest. There is a primitive BLM road from Az. Rt. 95 which runs north from Yuma that goes to Cibola and is one of those roads to nowhere. I tried it, but after miles of the “washboard” surface, I thought the fillings in my teeth may come loose, so I gave up, when I realized I may have nearly 50 miles of that to go - No thanks.
I gave up on Cibola and was on US 10 and just crossed the California state line going to Joshua Tree N.P., when I saw a small sign saying Cibola NWR next exit. Wow! I gave it a shot, although puzzled by knowing it was in Arizona on the other side of Colorado River. The local farmers owned a bridge with a sign that said, “this bridge constitutes a risk” and later I found that the Refuge had one, too. Neither was on my map. Thanks to that little sign I found another travel gem and I’ll be back, because this is another remote place where I can park my nest, not need to move it til I’m ready to leave, and walk, bike, kayak and enjoy!
