Where are Cheryl and Dennis?: Yuma - Dunes and Betty's Kitchen

02-22-2019 - 2-28-2019

Friday – 2-22-2019 – After another rainy cold day we needed to get out of the camper. We hopped in the truck and headed west to check out the Imperial Sand Dunes. First stop was the Buttercup Ranger Station about 30 miles west of Yuma. It is right off of I-8 so was easy to get to. We talked to the ranger and picked up some information about the area and the highlights.

The Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area is a large sand dune area which is a favorite destination for off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts. The dunes cover an area of about 5 miles wide to 40 miles long. Some dunes are as high as 300 feet. Permits are required October thru April. There are several dry camping spots in and around the recreation area which is included in your permit.

A short drive from the Ranger station is a section of old plank road that has been preserved. The plank road was built in 1915 to provide access into the Southern Imperial Valley. The single lane road was built like railroad tracks and could be moved and re-positioned as it was covered with sand.

From there we got back on the highway and continued west and exited at highway 115. Near this intersection is a place called Old Fogey's Hot Spring. It is an actual hot springs with a concrete tank for soaking. A little oasis in the desert. There is a Long Term Visitor Camping area here as well so you can dry camp and soak in a hot springs for free!

We wanted to check out the north end of the dunes area. There are no roads through the dunes so headed north on Highland Road. This took us through Imperial Valley farm areas and eventually to highway 78 and then headed east. Back inside the recreation area we checked out Gecko Road. This is the only road into the dunes and seemed to be the main camping area as there were at least 11 camping areas along this road. It was Friday and most of the spots were pretty full.

Further along highway 78 we stopped at Osborne Lookout. The views of the dunes spectacular. There is a paved dry camping area here as well. We continued east on 78 then turned south on Ogilby Road. Pretty typical desert scenery. Our last stop was Tumco, a historic mining town. We took the 1.5 mile self guided walking tour however there was no tour literature so we did not know what we were looking at. You could see some remnants of building foundations and well as structures from the mining operations.

Monday 2-25-2019 – Hiked Telegraph path today. It is a concrete road that leads up to the top of the mountain where there are several antennas. We drove to the trail head which was 2 miles east of our park along the I-8 frontage road. From the parking area we hiked 1.5 miles to bottom of the mountain then another very steep mile climb to the top. We estimated the grade to be around 30 to 40 percent. We made it about half way up then became concerned that going down was going to be harder so turned around. It was not too bad going down but by the time we got back to the truck we were pretty tired. Spent the rest of the day hanging out at the camper, reading and then went to happy hour to listen to the band.

Tuesday 2-26-2019 – Today we took a short drive north to check out the Mitry Lake area. First stop

was Betty's Kitchen, a federal wildlife area. We took the short walk on the nature trail. We heard lots of birds and caught a glimpse of some gambrel quail and rabbits.

A little further north we came upon Mitry Lake. There were many RV boondocking spots in this area with access to the lake. We saw lots of water fowl.

Where we are parked: Fortuna De Oro RV Park – Site 313 – This is a very large RV resort with all the amenities: Golf, boccie ball, shuffle board, pickle ball and tennis courts, two swimming pools, a restaurant and bar. Also lots of activities in one of several clubhouses. RV site rates: Daily $42, Weekly $275, Monthly $675 plus utilities. There are other rates for extended and fall only stays.

Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area