2010 Thanksgiving on the Colorado River

 I've been camping and fishing along the Colorado River my whole life and always look forward to returning to some of my favorite areas there. On Thursday the 25th, my family and I loaded up all our gear into our van and boat and headed out to the California/Arizona state line. Besides the fishing, there are many options for hunters this time of year there as deer, duck, quail, and dove are all in season right now. While I usually primitive camp in this area, we decided to stay at the Imperial Valley Hunting & Fishing Club on Ferguson Lake. The road into the lake, named Ferguson Lake Road (EC800), heads away from the Colorado River just inside the Califonia state line. The All American Canal passes under near the begining of the road, near the start of its long journey west to irrigate the enormous market gardens of Imperial Valley.

Many of the large backwater lakes, such as the one we were camped at, were created when the Imperial Dam was constructed in 1938, to harness the flow and energy of the river. Settlements such as old Picacho, once the river port for the nearby Picach Mines upriver, were inundated by rising waters. At the same time, larger areas of water provided greater recreational opportunities. The northern end of Ferguson Lake Road terminates just south of the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, which was created in 1941 to safeguard the area's plant and animal life.

The dirt road into the lake is normally smooth and well graded, although conditions can rapidly change after rainstorms. Many of the spur trails off the north side of the road require 4wheel drive. A viewpoint 5 miles past an RV campground provides a panoramic view of ferguson Lake, the Castle Dome Mountains in Arizona, and the Chocolate Mountains in California. There are several excellent areas to camp along the lake that also provide a place to launch a boat.

I always like watching the sunrise over the lake from the patio while enjoying my coffee.

Overlooking the cabin.

Rise and shine sweetie!

Hot chocolate got her up this morning!

Old school out on the lake.

Starting my hike up into the Chocolate Mountains.

Looking back over the lake.

Had to bypass this canyon.

Much of my route followed narrow game trails along the side of the mountains.

No way around this one. Back to camp.

Launching the boat.

Time to get out on the water and catch some fish!

An old aerial photo of the cabin.

View of our cabin from the lake.

Autumn on the water.

Chillin' on the sandbar.

Striped bass for dinner!

Our family.

The wife and I at sunset.

Besides my family, there were two guys there duck hunting and two other guys deer hunting. By the time we left the duck hunters had done fairly well out on the lake, while the other guys had yet to bag any mule deer. In my excitement, I failed to take a lot of pics of all striped bass and catfish we caught. I wrapped the fillets in tin foil with seasonings and butter, laid them on the campfire coals for about ten minutes, and enjoyed tasty fresh fish! Next time I'll bring the Jeep so I can also explore more of the trails on both sides of the river.