Big Bend of the Colorado SP

We commence our 2024 travels in Laughlin, NV at Big Bend of the Colorado State Park. This is plan B, as there was an unexpected cold front that forced us to look for warmer temperatures.

• Plan A – Cottonwood-Jerome-Prescott area in AZ.
• Plan B – Laughlin, NV pit stop before heading into Mojave National Preserve, then back to the Prescott area.

The park is a great jumping off point for our spring adventure and makes use of our NV state parks pass one more time before it expires.

We stopped here at the end of our Spring trip last year and it is just as beautiful as we remember.

Broken glasses

On the drive here one of the nose pads on my glasses fell off. So after quickly setting up camp and having dinner, we hop back in the truck and head across the river to the Walmart Vision Center in Bullhead City, AZ. We arrive shortly before they close and the young lady there was so nice, she replaced both pads quickly, and surprisingly free of charge.

Exploring the park

Over the next two days we spend time relaxing, organizing the camper, and reacquainting ourselves with the hiking trails within the park. They lead to multiple sections of the Colorado River, the recreational beaches, down to Big Bend Conservation Area, and along Fisherman’s Point Trail. The views are incredible.

In search of the perfect picture

Our final day her we go in search of the perfect picture. While exploring the area last year we found an incredible pictograph of a Native American Indian and a Cowboy locked in combat along the Hiko Springs trail. But due to the position of the sun, the pictures we took made it look like colorful squiggles.

So, we did the same hike today early in the morning to try and capture this incredible ancient art. I think we succeeded; but you’ll have to decide for yourselves. The blue depicting the cowboy’s face, torso and arm have definitely weathered poorly over the years; but the cowboy hat off to the right is a unique touch; which adds life to this scene.

We also found a wall of petroglyphs along this trail.

An unexpected cold snap changes our plans again…

Well the cold front is coming down further than expected, so looking at temperatures around the area we quickly form Plan C and are now heading to Death Valley National Park.

Who knew we’d have to go to the lowest place in North America to find descent temperatures in March.