Southwest Desert 200 Mile Road Trip Yuma Arizona

[Music] hey all Russ Here RV tv welcome to the once Ina lifetime series in this video here we're going to be exploring the Southwest desert all the way from Quartzsite big loop around going to go down to glamas down to Interstate 8 and then make our way back into Yuma Arizona all this previous footage was shot in the month of April this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime adventure sit back get ready enjoy the ride and the journey starts right now we are heading south kind of we're going to take a long drive down to Yuma big way around we're going to jump on Interstate 10 right [Music] here looking forward to this perfect weather mid 60s almost [Music] 70 all right here's the arenburg exit exit one we're almost out of Arizona we got to cross into California just for a few miles it's about 80 miles we're heading down to glus we're going to go down to the sand dunes first check those out there's the mighty Colorado River you got free camping right down there that's your Waterfront camping right there in the Colorado the bridge it cross over to California and away we go there's the Colorado Waters up hang on almost there you're now officially in California middle of the river is EST State Line we got to go through their little inspection station here they inspect for fruits vegetables bugs whatever all they do is wave you through all right we're through that mess we're we're not going to stop at ble we're going to keep right on trucking just down the other side of town here uh we're going to pick up a highway here's our exit right here it's called Neighbors Boulevard actually it's Highway 78 it'll take you all the way down to Broly which which is down near like El Centro and Mexicali and all that here we go Highway 78 sign says we got a little 50 mi get to Glamis massive sand dunes down here hopefully uh it's the weekend hopefully we'll see a bunch of Doom buggies out there sand rails this is some flat open agricultural area you kind of zigzag uh if you look at it on the maps you just zigzag uh down through here all the fields all the water comes off the Colorado River and they grow everything in this region kind of a cool area really look at the big hay Bell stacked way up they they got water though there's also a little farther down we're going to go through uh a little town up here but once we get past that uh sabola national uh Wildlife refug there definitely camping on this side of the Colorado River basically what we're doing we're taking the California side down the Colorado kind of we're going to end up in some really hardcore hobby desert area see here you just make a left but we still stay on 78 not much traffic bunch of trucks run through here Farm trucks and whatnot it's a nice ride though if you want to cut over you can actually go all the way over to Palm Springs this direction kind of loop down by the salt and sea there's different things you can uh see down through here okay we're going to make this big corner and we're going to come up to a little Community up here right up the road welcome to PTY California this is a tiny little Community we got I think a little like a little uh mini Mark liquor store they sell bait CU you're real close to the waters for fishing a lot of farm community here got a neat old place history I'm sure Kenny's rocks look at that it's closed some of these little towns are kind of fun this is definitely small town USA right here definitely definitely little Motel I don't know if that's open or not but once again if you get up a little farther that's sabola National Wildlife Refuge and there's camping right on the River from the California side then they got a gas station up here and that's it that is Pala but look at all the egg fields in this tiny little town that's a little Waterway that's a extension off the Colorado River for irrigation probably but it just feeds this whole region Happy Trees little Bridge air goes across that's it there's [Music] pie all right continuing on pretty quick we're going to be out of the agriculture area and we're going to turn right back into desert and that sign let's see oh about 39 miles left to get in the glamas look how the terrain's changing we're out of the egg area getting away from the water back into the desert if you ever get a chance drive down through here it's kind of cool especially if you're going like from courtz site down to Yuma it's a big loop around well enjoy the ride should be there shortly if I see something good I'll kick on the camera all right we're only about 10 miles out now you know right up here on the right I drove past this a few years ago and I couldn't figure out what it was and I kind when I mapped myself out I checked it out there is a massive and I mean massive open pit mine and it's called mosqu Flat mine and guess what they get gold out of here look how flat it is you'd never think they'd get gold out this area but I guess it's a huge producing mine [Music] look at that place it's just massive it's miles across look how they've teared down I mean we're out in the middle of nowhere normally when you see a lot of these kind of Mines of course maybe up in the Nevada but I never dreamed down here in California absolutely [Music] amazing in those Hills to the right that's all man-made that's everything they've dug up they built mountains anyway enough about that let's go find some sand dunes yay now you can see some sand building up on the terrain and way off in the Horizon if you can see it's kind of looks like a light tan color those are the dunes y we're almost there now it's coming into sight better Glamis California the dunes I think are called algodon sand dun something like that but this is this cool look at it they go clear down to Mexico [Music] Glamis itself only has like a little store look at that storage lot that's all storage for RVs there ain't a whole lot here except for a bunch of sand but you can see how it turns from Sand just right back to desert just a big path of it way out there was that big mine gold [Music] mine and the dunes themselves they're only a few miles wide I forget how many but you'll see when we get in there [Music] further few years ago last time I was here there was no one here but it was a different time of year I was here in like the early fall this place was deserted it was still hot then too cuz this is a desert it'll get scorching here look at all the sand rails wow there's a nice uh Sandrail we're not that far from Broly California there's that massive storage place they got hundreds and hundreds of toy haulers in there people just leave their uh trailer here all summer they can come down and just enjoy the dunes without hauling their rigs back and forth big rental places it looks like they got some vending off to the side vending tents right up here should be a road there is campgrounds you can actually Camp here should be right up here here it is we'll pull down then oh I see storyboards too look at all the buggies going they're out there scooting around last time I was here they were plowing sand off the road cuz the wind constantly covers up the road was sand all right let's check these out what's it say welcome to Glamis Road railroad put this on the map here Highway 78 off road vehicles look at the oldtime cars with the big tires they've been scooting around here for a long time there's the map look how far down it goes clear down to Interstate 8 we're going to go down that far too we're actually going to double back about 6 miles and take a road straight South it's called ogleby [Music] Road and a chunk of it's called North algodon Dunes off highway vehicle use maybe hazardous I guess look how flat this thick sand motor homes out there you can hear the rigs going all over the place no riding double Flags you bet [Music] Flags see you popping over that Dune there goes [Music] one few of them coming [Music] in wow check it out dirt bikes little four-wheelers side by sides there goes a rail like a parade here isn't it big group of them all got their big flags on them then the little guy well this be fun for kids huh let's do this I'll just pull back in here a little bit I'll get a shot of the trailer setup the campground there ain't no hookups here but you don't come for this for that kind of camping this is all about riding in the dunes some of these guys spend a ton of money on their rails sand [Music] buggies definitely a sport I'm sure they got clubs and all that too all right let's get turned around we'll get on the road little ways there's a lookout that I stopped at last time we'll go down there and see if we find any them running around it's almost like a different world here with all the sand isn't it looks so different should be about 3 miles down the road after to the right there's a little more vegetation but I think the left hand side is where you can run your rails the buggies yeah you can see them out there there's quite a few yeah this is really busy last time I was here there is none of them out there's a group look at them they look like ants going over the hill don't they look at the color difference between the sand and the buggies got all different kinds big ones small ones oh look a Volkswagen look at that guy cool got him a bug here's the Overlook I think you can even Camp up here can you imagine pouring this road putting in this road with all the sand that had to be a pretty good engineering feat looks like all the they can cross here here comes a RV they got like a radio tower up here probably a lot of rigs break down out here they got to go get come out and get you there's a couple of them parked got restrooms yep look at this don't know if this is day use or camping they got their slides out so they must be able to Camp here well let's get parked and go check out some sand dunes boy it's windy here you can feel the sand hit you in the face yeah it looks like they're camping they probably travel together that's probably safer cuz you can get way out there look how far this goes look at that this keeps going and going then the winds see now over that direction that's going towards browley that's it's not that wide I'm guessing maybe like six 7 miles wide maybe farther but those are steep hills too but the winds just keep reforming it this is where you go out they got your little gate Little Road built down there looks like they mixed a little gravel with the sand up in here I actually see Footprints out there that'd be quite a hike that soft powdery sand there there's the van not much of a sand duner I think I've stick to pavement with that one an't it pretty though here just fascinating I'm sure this is all Fe based got to be I don't know what the fees are to Camp here but hey you got uh the sand you can camp dry Camp restrooms and actually you're only about 20 mi from that Broly which is a good size town so you can stock up full of groceries Fuel and all that there too plus the Glamis uh beach door that we passed well I'm going to make a right here back on 78 we're going to double back uh to the east oh probably about 10 miles we're going go up to a little road called Ogo be Road wow did you see that rig woo big old privo with a matching trailer heck yeah anyway o be road then we take that we head straight South that'll drop us down to Interstate 8 in Yuma area this is definitely a must do if you're ever in this area got to drive through here look at that motorcycle he's moving pretty good across that sand I'm doing about 50 so he's scooting along pretty good doing over 30 m hour through that stuff that's pretty good well from the sand back to the desert back on the road we're taking this highway 78 we're only going to go oh about 6 miles going to go up here and find ogleby road then we're heading south we're heading to Yuma aren't all these sand dunes down here in Glamis uh something else they are massive should be getting close we're going to make a right right here here it is it's called ogleby road I don't know if I ever drove this one or not can't remember but it's going to be a long flat stretch all the way down to Interstate 8 on the maps on i m M myself out there's supposed to be a campground down this way too also some free camping yay and we're going to try to find it look how flat can't really tell the camera but the dunes are right off to the right few miles wind starting to pick up pretty good can you imagine coming across here 100 years ago this would have been a dirt Trail this Road's pretty beat up too a lot of patches in it all right if I see something good I'll kick on the cameras look at all the patches it must wash through here look at all the sand piled up I bet it really floods you here and man this is rough road [Music] goodness or maybe just the winds blow the sand who knows cuz the dunes aren't that far away I see a few mountains up there too I think we're getting close to that uh camp area also when we get down to Interstate 8 that's actually the as far south as you can go that's oo that guy got pulled over yikes it's all right I drive slow all right well I think up here according to the phone we ought to be getting close but yeah Interstate 8 that's a Mexico border right there all right I'll keep my eyes peeled see what we can find I almost drove past it here it is here's the camping area it's BLM let's check it out TCO tum C tumco historic town site here we go all right well let's go read the signs yeah winds are picking up way way out is the dunes they go all the way down to Mexico but we're a few miles from that look at that camping 14 day yay so this is uh dispersed camping tumco historic town site BLM we can't be that far from Interstate a either what's this one say gold historic gold Rock tourist attraction RV open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. huh well let's check them both out must be down that road where that truck just came out all right well what do you say let's do tumco first then we'll head over to this other tourist attraction historic town site boy we're finding a lot of these lately yeah this Road's beat up look at that thing that is Sun cooked asphalt right there it gets that way in a hurry the heat here oh man I couldn't even imagine this is bad as Quartzsite or Yuma Yuma is real bad Yuma is actually warmer to the van we [Music] go camera's not picking it up but I can see a couple rigs way out here power lines but there I'm guaranteed there's no power out here 14 day camping dispersed so it's TCO 14 day never knew it I know through this area down here there's actually a couple longterm uh camp areas wow the van shaking what the heck goodness oh my goodness check it out look at this wow whoa that shook the whole van that Dirt Devil went right over us well welcome to tumco my goodness the ghost of tumco maybe this place is haunted oh my goodness definitely an old ghost town here well that was something we caught that on camera check it out Dirt Devil look it's still going look at it way up there it's clearing the path for us well that's a first I've never had caught one on camera that went right over top of me I've had them cross in front of me going down the roof wow this is nice look there's a camper van way off to the left I see some more rigs so here's your dispersed camping area right next to the mountains and I got three bars on the cell phone so you got cell out here pretty nice Road's kind of rough all right I see y'all in the distance another car that might be where that uh abandoned Town site is Ghost Town tumco ghost town pretty Rocky through here it's okay go slow and that's blocked off can't drop drive any further all right well get parked this might be a good little place to get a little lunch too kind of hungry so let me get parked then we'll check out the signs see what we can find out here welcome to tumco historic town site all right see what these guys say pretty faded out map of the area that one's Sun cooked TCO townsite historic walk wow look at the old pictures look at that that's what it was there they [Music] are this is kind of like rolite Nevada look at the buildings 1900s you bet right during the big gold rush huh be sure to look this up online tumco historic town site oh they got hiking trails says historic residential commercial and Mining areas I don't see nothing out there except looks like some runes from the old mine 1910 all this is dated way back yeah see it's blocked off what's that say closed to Vehicles okay [Music] [Music] you can still see the dunes see the dunes way out there that light tan color swing around and there's your historic T Co site you can see the road going up through there see dirt trails way out look at the spoils from the mining then over here is your dispersed camping [Music] area [Music] well let's head back this Rocky Road we'll go across the highway and go check out that other historic Place according to the sign said RV historic town I bet it's all connected to this uh TCO we'll find out yep right here's your dispersed area pretty well laid out BL BLM markers all over the place look at that someone took the time to put rocks along to Mark the trail Let's see we came in uh Yep this way the dirt we'll call it Dirt Devil road we came in on Dirt Devil Road that's still something that thing went right over top of the van like that we caught it on camera cool all right historic gold rock there it is couldn't remember the name let's go check that out boy they got some really rough roads here look at this thing this is going to take a while to get back here well I just need to go slow look how flat it is you don't need to level your RV here but I don't think you can camp on this side it's got to be the other side the old uh historic area well here it is but one rough ride back here good mile or two gold rock wasn't it yep Gold Rock Ranch says slow down no kidding so this is an our V park that's what it is trailer park gold rock entrance closed they buildings closed look back there you see the rigs so they got hookups they got power here must have water I see some cool little things to look at well let's do this let's park oh do a quick walk around check out their old antiques here flag's flying look at that there's those mountains straight out cool old time slle box look at that thing real gold boy that's seeing at day there huh they just got all kinds of old rusted up equipment laying around what's this walker Memorial Circle must be for their RV park here nice brick work stone work it's in memory of uh someone that lived here a long time old wagons old rusted stuff let's read what the memorial here is really well laid out TCO Pete walers discovered the first gold okay walers that was the name on there January 6 18 late 1800s look at that [Music] wow I'll be darn well there's your history on it it's California registered historical landmarks all right well that's gold rock if you want to get out away from everything this is it kind of unique I mean look at this thing and it is out in the middle of the [Music] [Applause] desert well not bad I mean I shouldn't say that bad about the road you just got to go really really slow I mean real slow goodness but shook the van apart um but if you want hookups you can come back down here in this gold what was it gold rock or B park or if you want to do the disperse camping which I would do that in a second across the road over tumco that historic town site all right here we are back to ogleby road we shouldn't be that far from Interstate 8 what a cool little find free camping right there absolutely free 14-day dispersed can't be beat it and we're not that far from Yuma not at all well I see power lines and I see Interstate 8 coming up yay so to the east would be Yuma we're probably maybe 20 mil out and then to the West would be uh El Central that kind of area boy right off to the right you can see uh rigs Park they got their toy haulers there so we're getting right back in the dunes again and straight ahead that is Mexico we're at the southern end right here right now we are actually westbound on Interstate 8 I jumped on uh from leaving ogleby Road I jumped on uh Interstate 8 we were westbound we're only go a few miles I have read about something that's extremely historic and it's called Plank Road I've been wanting to see this for years and I'm really close to it and I already missed the turn it was the exit back we're going to take this exit right here this is called Gordon's well Gordon Well Road but this Plank Road has such a history to it it was the actual original wooden road that crossed over the sand dunes and it was built like in the early 1900s there goes a buggy well straight on out that's Gordon well Imperial sandun area I thought it was this exit and I'm goofed so we're going to turn turn around but while I goofed let's check out Gordon Wells Road it's a big RV park and storage area for RBS and we are right on the border other side of the interstate there probably within a/4 mile of the Mexico border that's how close and it's open doesn't look like much this an RV par I've driven past here many times always wondered look at the skies look at the clouds what a picture perfect day little Breezy that's okay and we're heading to Yuma we're going to double back here in just a sec I just want to see this for a minute there it is there's Gordon well RV park enough I want to go find this Historic Site this Plank Road we'll have to get back on the interstate it'll be the next exit down the road going towards Yuma we're heading to Yuma Arizona there's also uh a BLM it's called Pilot Knob it's the long-term BLM land that's down here we're going to go find that too there's another one also longterm and that's the ltva that's where you buy the permit for 6 months for 180 bucks and they're good at each location the same permit like up in quartsite all the four up there the long term's down here ooh check it out look straight there's the Border us and Mexico that's it right there's Mexico I think this is the closest point along Interstate 8 that you can get to the Border here we go just a few miles so we're heading east now back towards the West not that many miles would be El Central California then you got Mexicali right on the border border town and you would actually end up up in San Diego right on the coast but we are definitely not going [Music] there we're cutting through the Dune these are the same Dunes that were clear up in glamas sand everywhere I've been seeing buggies look there's uh RVs out there camping look at the huge Dunes off to the left I really can't I have to do the interstate speed limit but uh can't slow down too much but you can see little dots out there NS off-road vehicles they get way up top of them things go scooting down but there's all kinds of camping here that Gordon Wells had one and then what we're going up to is called gray gray Wells Road there's the exit hey what a contrast huh always want to explore down here but I read about this oh goodness years ago and I'd forgot about it and I when I mapped myself out for this trip but I it came up and I thought well if we get close we will now this rest area right here between the East and Westbound Lanes I've stopped there before kind of cool to have her right in the middle one rest area for both directions the exit should be coming up yay here it is gry Wells Road this is a if you look at it on the maps this is a huge there's a couple campgrounds here that you can camp for the dunes and you can four-wheel all you want this is V based I'm sure let see the big mountains of sand well let's do this I let's drive over there where those rigs are right there and then we'll I'll stop and get directions figure out where that Plank Road is V area I got my uh senior card hopefully that's good to get me in let's try we'll just do a loop you can see they got their sand rails Doom buggies ATV utvs everyone's got a toy hauler I can see him way up top there look at this you can just camp and take off in the dunes you can't go very far south though cuz uh right there's a border this is called the Buttercup Doom sand dunes Buttercup Sand Dunes here big camp area very popular paved Road right in the middle of sand get turned around here sorry I got to kind of turn drive and use the camera too all right I'm going to go get some directions [Music] well we're going to take this frontage road back West three miles and I did not you can stay in here for up to 2 hours without paying any fees but you can only Park in designated areas there's that rest stop we're following along uh Interstate 8 and she said three miles to Plank Road they got free park here's another campground right off to the left that one's called Midway campgrounds all this is fee based even my uh senior card I'd only get a discount for camping if I actually stayed here and camp look at all of them big rigs too but with it being paved it's perfect and back at that ranger station they had uh water you can get water and sewer dumps and all that little vegetation growing out of the sand I think I see it off the left this must be at this parking area off the left yep we made it finally after years you know this is one of them things that you read about you always say one day I'm going to stop well today's the day finally we're going to check out some old time history here see what the storyboards say Plank Road today and tomorrow they're showing all the utvs here you go 73 and 74 this is it Plank Road here's their little memorial thing here Plank Road early 1900s to 27 they actually built the road out of wood so cars could run uh over the sand dunes and here's a chunk of it look at this people drove on that Plank Road Historic Site you know back in them days what was it model A's model T's that kind of car oh look let's go up here there's the original chunk of it right here little Breezy boy that those gust of wind the sand hits you in the face a little bit look at this look how the Sand's covering it up but they actually laid the road on top of the sand for cars to pass through here what engineering my goodness all out of wood there's no wood around here they had to haul that in a long ways probably from up north kind of like rarro oh look at this guy moving right along let's go back get a better look at the storyboard finally made it here if you ever get a chance check this out this is history one wonder how many planks it took cuz it's a few miles across here I'm going to walk it we're walking on wood Plank Road another look at this one that's hard to read 1915 to 1926 look at the old pictures look how they had a crane that lowered it down wow look at that what a feat of engineering dir it is there's a picture horsedrawn plows were used to clear the drifted sand Spirit of Adventure of experience my goodness commerce was greatly expanded it's how they built the West right there look at that thing all stuck all the volunteers that helped save this thing thank goodness they saved it at least a little chunk of it that's over a 100 years ago nice all right let's keep rolling well we're going to do this we're going to jump back on uh Interstate 8 start trkking East we're heading to Yuma Yuma Arizona [Music] [Music] there's a better look at that Campground you just park in a line Boondock looks like they got little restrooms the non flushable kind right there's inter state8 we're heading east gets hot here too this is Hardcore desert there's a ranger station I went in got information right there on the left oh no fire truck they must have a medical emergency here that's too bad but right there on the left that's where I went and got information that's where you pay if you want to camp here that's where you got to check [Music] in looks like they got a lot of room and here's the on RP Interstate 8 [Music] East well we only got it less than 10 miles to get down here to where we want to turn turn off we're going to go find that ltva long-term visitor area it's a BLM Campground supposed to be right on the interstate here on it'd be on what the Southside called Pilot [Music] Knob not this exit this is that ogleby road right here this is how we came down from glamas right there's Ogle be and that's up there where that TOMCO Campground [Music] was hey make sure you get over to rvr tv.tv for more information on my travels there you can sign up my free newsletter I put one out twice a month right around the 5th and 20th of each month also I got a pretty cool merch shop there coffee mugs t-shirts hats cookbooks coloring books all which helps support the channel in future videos just like this one right down here in the sand doomed of uh the desert isn't this [Music] cool [Music] okay our exit should be coming up pretty quick look at that mountain out there all by its Lonesome flat as a pancake except for that one Felicity I've heard of that we're also close to uh Los alad donus exit that's a little farther that' be the next exit after this one but over to the left there's that Felicity oh I've read about that thing too huh all right well let's take this exit side Winder Road looks like CHP building over there too yeah it looks like a church over there or something [Music] see it right there up [Music] top here we are Sidewinder Road I'm sure Sidewinder they named it after a snake rattles snake there's a RV park off to the right and I see a bunch of rigs this is where that Pilot Knob is got a gas station here so if you're boondocking you can probably get your ice and snacks and fuel there this still California we are really close to the California Arizona border within just few miles very few okay according little phone this is it here I've always seen on the map never stop till now so this is where you can camp for 6 months up to 6 months in the winter using the ltva permit it's $40 for two weeks or $180 for like 6 months and you're really close to Yuma here you're really close to the Mexican border too I mean it's right back there less than a mile I bet all right check the sign love those clouds huh here you go Pilot Knob long-term visitor area but you're out of court site any of those areas you can use the same permit at each Campground I think I'm going to go check out the Felicity place where do you think right across the Interstate here there's a town called Felicity I kind of looked it up on the phone here and it's supposed to be really cool so we just I have to go check this thing out supposed to have a pyramid shaped Granite stru uh like storyboards there's a Church on the Hill Granite maze Museum so why not we are right here so let's do it I remember seeing something about this a while back on YouTube just never thought I'd be close to it here it is the mission $5 that's okay let's check it out this place doesn't look that old it's well it looks like a few people's here this is going to be cool I love these kind of stops well let's get Park and check it out this place is is first class big old tile sidewalk says you pay your five bucks in the gift shop wow they got their own ZIP code look at that all right let me get paid and move on Co little gift shop how's your day very good little wind got some Trinkets and Ary type stuff [Music] books knickknacks baskets okay we're not shopping that must be their Museum Part all right let's I want to check out those uh Stones outside there's a guided tour I didn't want to wait for it cuz I'm impatient look at this thing it's got its own ZIP code population 2 center of the world sign out there look at the stone walkways the buildings there is some serious dough tied up in this this cost a fortune inside this pyramid thing she said that's the center of the world okay let's check out the center of the world and it's locked all right center of the world is locked so we can't go to the center it's okay supposed to be some marker on the floor in there on the guided tour you get to see it look at this they got grass they got green grass in the desert which is hard to do and look at all these Granite tiles they're supposed to be a huge Foundation these are built to last 4,000 years believe it or not if you go to their website it's uh I'll have to find it for you they got a ton of info they had that on the wall in that gift shop Korean War Memorial look at all the names they're huge what's this one history of California then the history of Arizona huh kind of like a encyclopedia written in stone what's this one Princeton un the wall for all ages my goodness you could spend a week here reading this stuff huh the official center of the world oh if you're in this uh part of the country you got to check this thing out look at this history of Arizona early days look they got the anagas on there sorry this video would be uh four days long if I stopped and showed each one of these this is something you got to see in person my goodness look at all of them looks like housing over there too just the amount of concrete walkways of gravel the pro the stone work wonder who created all this look at that they're etched in there that's all etched huh look at these different languages huh look how clear the pictures are too that'll last forever there's the big old world right there somebody's working on them here look at that cup clear Mutiny on the Bony look she's some type of engraver or something cool look how that church just sticks way out up on top of that Hill doesn't it what's this one history of humanity huh my goodness they just keep going and going 4,000 so in 4,000 years somebody's going to be walking through here and go look what these guys did are you [Music] kidding huh early timee keeping human languages the story of of us now here's something little pyramid thing all in different languages look at that that one says watch rvr TV right there got some blanks fill in the blank okay watch our V TV and more blanks they're still working work in progress look at this this is something I bet universities and museums donate to has to be defund something like this what do you say let's go up Church on the [Music] Hill there's a Kodak mement for you right there look at that that'd make a great time lapse [Music] shot [Music] well it's not real big look how they angled the concrete everything is formed in angles there's looking back that thing off to the right that's our uh Granite [Music] maze [Music] I'll try to find uh they said there's aerial shots off their website we'll try to find I'll when I edit this video I'll throw them in if I can find them look at that with the clouds there's your moment Church on the Hill I bet they have weddings here huh what a cool place look at that stonework goodness look at the wooden ceiling goodness this place is first first class got a chunk of stained glass up there nice very nice well well done I'm glad I stopped here well let's go out back see what else is there not much looks like three stones [Music] here I'm sure they got meaning two of them are blank I'll be darn look at the property they got room to expand this big time that goes way out there it's already been uh landscaped with that rock they're ready for more this could go on for a long long [Music] time here's a little bit of a look those look like uh condos or apartments their walkways and there's their Granite maze huh pretty cool [Music] well I'm going to start heading back towards a van that's a long ways back here wonder how many acres they got a lot of them these stairs they got to have a handicap ramp probably out back or something the center of the world Felicity California population 2 with their own ZIP code that's kind of religious stuff there all the [Music] pictures what we got bats yeah all that's etched to etch Granite like that I mean this is I keep saying it extremely well done really it's worth more than five bucks to come through here you could easily spend three days trying to read all this stuff easily I bet people do too you know if you're staying around Yuma this isn't that far at all like I'd guess less than 10 miles from Yuma just keeps going and going yeah those got to be like apartments or something it must be where the two people live population to pretty cool little stop to the centerof thee world. us that's our website right there in green grass in the desert look they got flowers blooming brutal heat here I mean this is Yuma this is Hardcore desert with green grass that takes some water keep that stuff up I still can't get over all this uh stone walkways look at this beautiful even the wood that's hard to keep up in the desert wait there's more look at this let this is out in the parking lot that's a staircase for like a tower spiral staircase old metal one it's supposed to be a bowling outdoor bowling thing and some type of checkerboard game that's an old metal staircase look at that thing Springs in the air in the desert got little flowers winds are really gusting too see what this sign is where we leave there's an aerial view of it not very good it's pretty weather beat almost feels like a little rain coming in those clouds are thickening up a little bit winds are really picking up what a cool little stop for five I mean who would ever think someone have put something like this together but they did my hats off to them congratulations Felicity California absolutely amazing there's a thank you sign what's this other one say center of the world. US okay all right way we go oh look at this I didn't apartments for rent so you could be number three and four if you run out an apartment out here population cool well we're going to sneak right back on Interstate 8 and we're going to head on into Yuma that's the goal of the whole trip get to Yuma where you should only be oh goodness less than 10 miles if that the next exit down would be the aldonis uh Mexico exit where you Tak that big India casinos there and all that welcome to Yuma we made it Yuma Arizona yay been a fun trip so far seeing a lot of sites Glamis Dunes the free camping over in uh tumco there near Ogie that town site wasn't that neat then on down Plank Road my goodness historic Plank Road what a cool thing that is and shot over to Felicity California population 2 with all that Granite stonework that was extremely impressive so today I got my erands done around town here hit a couple stores I needed to get some supplies at so we're going to start trekking North going to go back up north anyway I thought a cool stop and it's extremely popular I filmed it I don't know a few years ago is that uh territorial uh it's actually like a state park it's the old Yuma Territorial Prison which is now a state park so let's go check that thing out right here is the old Historic downtown we'll check the buildings it's still early these guys aren't open yet it's Sunday look at the Palms look at the old style buildings these things are pretty old we'll run through here and then I'll double back cuz we got to come back to other the way to get over the state [Music] park perfect weather Blue Skies no wind today boy we've been getting wind about twice a week extreme winds all right I'm gonna flip a UI and then we'll go back the other way then we'll have the sun on the right side of the buildings yeah Yuma is a ancient town this thing's been here forever old Wild West days now you can see the buildings better look at that Yuma County Administration look at the colors on them very well done brick sidewalks the old Street lamps all kinds of good little shops here shop to you drop guy taking pictures of the buildings pretty cool Outdoor Cafe there you go not bad hey big old Fountain going check this thing out that's pretty all right there's your 27 cents tour of downtown the old historic part let's go to jail let's go find that State Park it's the old Yuma Territorial Prison site been all remodeled it was pretty cool when I was there last time we'll check it again on the way out of here why not we're here here it is we are right on the California Arizona State Line Colorado River is right up here there's a old uh prison Cemetery right down that Hill we'll check that when we leave get parked here wow look at all the motorcycles holy moly motorcycle groups here Club look at the Old Tower look at the old rock on it then back behind there those two white buildings that's uh California that's across the river all right get parked we'll go for a walk there's a better look that's the original foundation for that tower all the guards used to set up there park entrance 9 to5 close Tuesdays and Wednesdays if you come down this way Yuma is a big AR RV type town we got way we go we're in it was $8 with the senior discount normally 10 bucks it's worth it help some keep this place up I remember this from last time right here there's the Colorado River look look how it used to flood before all the dams were built and all that this was a major Crossing back in those days look at all that history upon history that's California that's the very edge of it very southern tip right here look at them old bridges those are one lane that Road's a one lane we'll go across that when we leave here what's this one side of the Old Ferry Landing dead old Fair's crossing here [Music] they got lower parking where we pulled in but you can hike and bike all around there look at them guys working on the railroad all day long I bet a train's [Music] coming that's cool [Applause] well let's wander up towards the main buildings see what this one is there's some old pictures look at that this place was supposed to been inhumane how they treated people here there's actually women here too all right let's go for a walk here's the Old Guard tower look at that thing look at the foundation on it that thing will stand another several hundred years this was the entrance yikes imagine who walked through these Gates look how they covered it with a tarp the old steel doors still hanging here we go going in a lot of outside seating there's Interstate 8 one busy highway and you got the railroad over there here's our Museum it's extremely well done very well done Museum there's more pictures of the river look how big the river was back then before they damned it all up wow history Upon A History here Country Club on the Colorado look they had a prison ban the hell hole Frank lesie the Fast Gun look at that guy look at that thing that's that thing's in mint condition whoever restored that did it good got all the brass on it wow bookkeeper McDonald the stories huh rigs all the pictures of them their mug shots huh oh boy yikes The Gallows the tombstone connection boy the history here neat place to visit if you're into this kind of History the Old West what happened what was that old movie uh that they had about Yuma and here's the cell blocks someone's talking hey you how about some water over here it is a g Dar hot in there my name is William H lusto what people know me here is three finger jack they threw him in this H hole cuz I stood up for some miles well that's cool I don't remember that what's this one talking stories there you go look at the stonework this thing's going to be here forever of course they restored some of it I'm sure probably reface some of it steel beds and stuff in them look at this one bunk beds that's how you slept you imagine the heat in the summer in Yuma on a metal bed so they had six people in there probably a few ghosts around here on there's their Library I remember this they have a big yard here not real big that's where their library was it's about the only way you get information any touch of the outside world right here [Applause] I think we can get out to that yard right there's the parking lot low clearance I [Music] guess for short people there's a yard look at these cells here facing out to the [Applause] yard more [Music] stories well I think we're at the far end of it let's wander our way out of here wonder if those wooden doors are the original those are heavy duty oh yeah the dark cell they used to have a cage in here and 15 men were chained in there pretty dark trying to use my [Music] phone ain't working they had them chained down in [Music] [Applause] there there different times there's their utility room kept their [Music] tools it's over [Music] here looks like they're medical hold the camera through the door yep replica of their medical [Music] facility and this one oh I think this is the one look at the guitar let check the story board I think this is where they kept the women yep they had women in here too this Old Bell when someone Escape they used to ring it if I remember right shows the layout of everything the prison Bell yep Leed to ring it if someone escaped that thing was clanging neat stop I'd highly recommend doing it history preserved for the ages we'll go uh let's go outside and we'll check that uh old prison Cemetery this is actually a big gift shop up here too where you come in t-shirts hats all kinds of cool stuff make great gifts you got it big poster here no Escape let you make a donation how cool wow look at the flowers out here Yuma Territorial state historic part there you go overlooks the mighty Colorado wow look at those those flowers are happy here comes the train train into you I think that was the name of that move I can't remember the name of that moveie all right enough foring around here yeah those are pretty those are some Happy Flowers right there Springtime in the desert Crossing into history that's so he's cross the [Music] river and about the wildlife and stuff pretty pretty Place let's walk down to that uh old prison Cemetery before we go couldn't ask for a nicer day what's this one extended trail system oh maps of their hiking trails I got bikes biking hiking picnics once again that's a big State Park prisoner pass loop trail 2100 ft prison Cemetery 270 all right let's hoof it down here here it is last time I was here I didn't come down here wow Rock Graves no markers looks like a plaque back here we'll see what that says say all right must be the names of the people here over a hundred are buried here from the prison they said over 3,000 inmates served here ha there's her name spend eternity here goodness cool old stop like I said if you're into this kind of History this is a must SE definitely I'm glad I came back I missed uh some stuff last [Applause] time there was a great little visit there at the Yuma Territorial state park that place is a museum that'll last forever is't that cool we're going to cross we're heading in across the border this crosses a single lane bridge right over to California and we're going to go visit a friend of mine I can sure call him a friend now this will be my SE second visit up to see them and you're going to really enjoy this look at this old bridge look at this thing they get it all painted single Lane got the old railroad bridge we're crossing over now Welcome to California we won't be in California long we only got about 20 miles to go up to we're going to go up to a little town called Bard b a r d here's an old uh church I believe on the left this is part of uh the Indian Reservation Native American here there's a casino on this side too but still all connected with Yuma all right we're just going to take a a little back road going to go up to Bard the goal today we're going to also get up to uh Imperial day Dam the ltva long-term visitor area we're going to go check that out too looking forward to it there's a casino on the right I see a lot of RVs in their parking lot I don't know if you can overnight there or not that's something you need better call all right let's get on the road we're going to go up to Cloud Museum now this is one for the record books I was here 2 3 years ago and I stumbled on this place this cutting up to the ltva Imperial Dam and I stopped and what a gold mine what a treasure Trove of History you're about to see a gentleman by the name of Johnny Cloud runs it he's a retired farmer been spent his whole life in this area farming after he retired he started started collecting old cars and all kinds of neat stuff we're roughly we'll end up about 20 mil from Yuma and we'll also be about 15 miles from the Imperial Dam LTV and we are right along the state line the California Arizona Colorado River would be just off to the right look at little little quanset hunt type things there look at all the Palms this is also a huge area they grow uh date palms here different brands they produce them and send them all over the world matter of fact Bard there's a actual producer and a store up there you can order online from them but we're not here for dates we're here for antiques this is something to see I uh you'll see it here in just a minute we're almost there this is the place right up here on the right and this is what I seen uh couple years ago when I pulled in look at all the model look at the model uh te or whatever it is cloud Museum I pulled in here I didn't know what it was but let's go check it out let's have some fun here we go he asked for a $10 donation to help keep the thing going and it is worth every penny plus I mean everywhere you look history and he's saving it he's preserving this for future generations to see he spends all of his time collecting he goes all over the place to pick up these all these rigs he drove in himself every one of them he restores them I mean look it it just goes on forever there's got to be 200 plus cars in here plus you're going to see a lot more and he's got his doggies running around there they are the greeting committee they're good dogs look going out look see who's here whole water tank up there all right well let's start our journey look at the old replica Texico station there gas pumps and when you meet Johnny cloudy he he can give you a story on every single car how he got it pulled it in most of these were were drove in here they were running there's his info right there contact him talk to them email these guys old cop car there I mean you can just see it goes forever look at all the boat motors but here's something I didn't do last time I didn't go into buildings as much look all the wheels up there let's go inside let's check it out a little bit better this is what I didn't do last time was get in these buildings antique furniture old stove Laurel and Hardy fans scales old coffee grinders I mean look it's everywhere can you imagine collecting all this stuff frying pans utensils old wooden wheelchair beds lights look a little tub for a kid galvanized washing machine there you go that's only one building of many Cloud Museum let's go in this one he even put canned goods on the shelves an old globe more coffee grinders look at the oldtime piano hello want to make a call in real some more Bells look at that big one up there he knows every single piece that's in here old Coca-Cola sign old farming gear for hooking the horses whatever they call them now here you go here's a showstopper look at that thing an old farm vehicle need a part poreless Carriage right there look at there there's a little motorcycle but check out the bikes he even puts a little plaques on each car to let you know uh how he got them where they're from look at the wheels on those bicycles that would hurt you hit a bump all these things got plates on them license plates the colors you know a lot of them been restored but so be it I mean where else are you going to find a collection like this look at the mini one need a sleigh for the desert there you go cloud Museum people donate stuff to them so it gets preserved I mean this is history don't let it rot in some field well we got in here like a blacksmith shop look at all grinding wheels anvils to pound the metal there's so much I'm I'm which way do I go which way I know one building we going in that back one there cuz it's full of cars here's the Bard post office what a replica huh look got the old mailboxes in it with the combination remember spin in a combination get your mail no place for the clerk desk there you stuff your mail got even got the little Bell on the counter to ring for service but we'll do that little building next let's go back to this big one I'm going to take a walk in here and this one will open your eyes too old gas pump there but look at all the cars everything been restored I think all of them start up and run can you imagine he's got them sitting up on blocks so the wheels don't rot out on the ground tires see there's one of them little plaques but was cost when it's new 850 bucks brand new of course back then that was probably like a 2E salary anything and everything antique what's this one t Turing 1917 to [Applause] 23 [Applause] think of the parade you could have with these in a [Applause] row fill her up give me three gallons huh isn't that something this clean old cars out here is the ones he's working on to put in his Museum these are the ones that come in this where he does all his work out back here fixing up old stuff put it on display wait there's more we got to go check out this other building the mertile building look at all the branding irons Look At That clouds mertile let's go on in old dial phone no one's ever seen those anymore more coffee grinders cash register look at [Music] that more what are those meat grinders I think so every square inch is covered with something in these buildings this is truly a labor of love here I'd love to restore old things collect and be willing to share share it with the [Applause] world old fridges there's an oldtime School Bus make an RV out of that thing huh Workshop lamps lights washing machine look at the wooden washing machines goodness more cars so if you ever get a chance you know we're only 15 20 miles from the ltva this is only about 80 mi from Quartzsite and 20 mi from Yuma so if you're in this area in the winter time or anytime you got to come see this thing you have to it it's if you if you're into any type of History cars antiques anything you'll find [Music] it o I just spotted something we got to check this out here you go how about an antique RV look at this I didn't see this thing [Music] before oh my goodness look at this thing this is an actual [Music] [Music] ORV bunk beds in the back and an old gas stove my goodness look at this thing I me in was a pretty good look around you could spend an entire day here not see at all look a wood roof on that thing well back in the old days this is what the farmers used here huh my goodness [Music] [Music] this [Music] [Music] well more people showing up bringing their kids to see it isn't that neat cool all right we need to go find us at ltva long-term visitor area it's called Imperial Dam they're still open yet I bet it's got a lot of people in it too we're going to run up the road here we're going to run right along the Colorado uh River along the state lines head right on up there for more information on my travels be sure to check out my website rvr tv.tv there you can sign up for my free newsletter I'm putting out one twice a month now right around the 5th and 20th of each month you'll find out future travels that are coming up on rvr TV and all kinds of cool stuff plus I have a merch store pick you up a coffee cup hat t-shirt all kinds of cool merch which helps support the channel and future videos just like this one about Yuma in the south southwest Arizona desert well we're getting out of the farmland it's amazing how much uh agriculture that Colorado River water provid though both sides see irrigation canals all over the place okay the road should split up here pretty quick yep right up here oh good new pavement Road's pretty rough we're still in California is's a good little cut through from Imperial Dam ltva down to Yuma everyone shops in Yuma even though they live here in California looks like uh old trailer par maybe on the left I'd say abandon let's stop here a second we're heading up to the ltva long-term visitor area where people camp all winter long look at this water waterfall this is the mighty Colorado River right here straight across as Arizona check it [Music] out look how green and plush everything is right along the river and you get just a little ways away and it's hardcore desert this is called Laguna Dam project something like that a lot of irrigation goes on here there's all kinds of different waterways too through here that feed all the farm fields not a cool little stop at Cloud Museum back at Bard that's just a few miles back down this road the Imperial Dam ltva it is actually in California but you're right on the Arizona State Line but we are still in California barely okay here's our turn all these areas up in here they got different names Senator wash is one there's different ones there's different little lakes and reservoirs all kinds of good stuff of big Earth and Dam we'll do a drive-thru check it out see how many people are here yay here's another irrigation canal I believe Imperial dams off to the right now down here in this lower area this is all BLM camping as well but where we're going is up the hill a little bit there's the sign on the right here we are yay this is one massive area for camping to me it's shangra l down here with all the water and waterways right we're getting close I've only been back in here once I've never stayed down here and I'm not staying tonight either or I'm moving on but to me this would be absolutely perfect for long-term camping and on BLM land with all the waterways and you're not that far from Yuma for major supplies 20 miles maybe low over 20 and from quartsite you're only about 70 Mi down here and the same permit the same uh camping permit you get in court site is good here too same as those that other camp ground uh that we seen uh what was that Pilot Knob down there in Yuma all right here we are there's all the little areas have names to them I believe that's a senator wash reservoir there this is where you check in look at all the stations they have to get water bunch of dumpsters they got uh sewer dumps here several they can handle a huge volume of rigs here this thing is well built there's the main office they got a boat launch here so you can use this for day use as well you don't have to camp so well let's do this we'll do do a little bit of a drive-thru turn around and we'll head on down to the Big Dam down below there are all kinds of rigs down here picture perfect weather too I don't think they shut these down to like mid April I know the long term's up around court site about April 15th that's about it solar everywhere solar makes this happen all right well you can see it just keeps going back and back you can actually camp on the other side of the reservoir I think one of these roads will take you GE around there then we get turned here let's head on down to the lake and the Earth and Dam there's a tent camper right there with solar look at that four panels they got some power these guys here they got to look at the water here you're close to the water one thing about out here though it's generator City everyone has a generator running quite a few rigs look like people waiting to launch their uh jet skis guys got a four-wheeler oh yeah I'm four-wheeling oh yeah see look at the color of the water against the brown isn't that dramatic it's like up around havu and stuff just a total color difference great for photography down here it' be a photographers dream all right we're almost up here here to the main road we'll make a left we kind of it's like a big swoop big loop around down to the there's a big Earth and Dam that creates these reservoirs see now me personally I would camp on the right over here stay out of the bigger crowds you might get a little road noise during the day but you're really close to the water look at that I don't know that's just me but what a neat Place huh once again Imperial Dam Recreation Area it's a longterm visitor area I need a break let's get out of this van we'll take a sneak peek how about that I mean check it out $180 for 6 months them guys over on the other side you're right there under water it's a first come first serve type thing zoom in a little bit there's the road that's how they get down in there I'm pretty sure this one's called Senator wash I might be wrong but it's big huge Reservoir all right let's keep on trucking we're almost down to the end there's a boat launch up here too I'm not sure what they allow for boats probably like kayaks and canoes for sure power boats I'm not sure I think down on the lake you can have power boats I don't know that's something you need to check online go to the BLM website and here's the big Earth and Dam that creates it all kind of it takes a big loop around up here pretty area well let's drive down in there we'll do a big loop around now you can see down there that's where they Camp down there too I think they even got showers down there big boat launch here too but four-wheeling boating right down there all over the place get your fishing pole ready so you can fish boat Camp what else you want let's see figure out something four-wheel there you go forgot four-wheeling they got that all blocked off boy this Road's pretty beat up but it's a desert it gets scorching hot down here in the summer you in the summer no one's here good luck if you are you'll be sitting in your rig with air conditioners but look look at all the rigs it's asphalt you can park on the asphalt down here that sign back there said TK Jones campground at Squall Lake so here we are that must be a one of the caretakers down here host there place up there sell reception yes I got three bars right here on my uh Verizon so you're pretty good shape we're not that way far out that you don't get your cell coverage quite a few Boat Trailers there nice little picnic area right on the water there's your boat launch restrooms see what this guy wants me to do all right well he's got a pretty good that's a nice fishing boat there he's all set up and right up here off to the left uh there's the dam let me get a little closer I'll try to get a shot of it picture of it I see some power lines so it must be a power generating one pretty big lines going out there all right let's wind our way out of here what a pretty day trees are starting to Green up a little bit still no not much rain in the whole area down here this winter not much at all here's a better look at the reservoir look at that see how big this uh Earth and Dam is it's huge miles wise you're you're not that far like I said earlier uh from any of the major towns like Yuma small towns like uh court site it's really not that far at all down here I know some of my uh friends come down here and they swear by it they won't go anywhere else but Imperial Dam here they'll drive up the court site for the ship maybe spend a day or even spend the night but that's it they're right back down here well right here to the right that's where we went in there's the entrance to it be sure to check it out on the maps Imperial Dam ltva Reservoir and everything campgrounds [Music] BLM for the size of this place just the layout is perfect you can really get away from people if you want or stay in the smaller areas you know with the groups depends what you're looking for for camping plus you got the sewer the water not that [Music] [Music] far pretty terrain Blue Water against the old brown desert four-wheeling fishing boat cting what else you [Music] [Music] want well look at the gates that they have they got them all open for the irrigation they really control the flows of all the water anymore everything's regulated you know in the old days this would be flooded in the early spring and then by late fall it'll be almost dry I've seen old pictures and museums and stuff even down where at that Territorial state park was they had pictures of the River flooded all right we're going to make a left here this is Imperial damn road and then about a mile we're right back in Arizona there's also a huge RV Resort off to the left right along one of these waterways which is private owned I believe it's down there down that road then you're entering right here the Yum approving grounds all this property there's actually an RV park you got to be military to stay at off to the left really can't see it good right in there there's the rigs you can see their uh military RV park all right we're almost up here to Highway 95 5 on I'll make one last stop this is The Proving Grounds The Visitor Center for The Proving Ground it's a military uh installation they've been testing ammo and tanks and everything here and they got this little outside Walkin Museum type thing thought we'd stop a second look at all the old tanks cannons it's free I mean you just stop wander around you can actually go on the base you have to go and register your vehicle and you can actually get on the base and there's another Muse I'm not going to do that today oh I head on home up to Quartzsite but right out here in the middle of nowhere The Proving Grounds property runs a lot of miles from here all the way up 95 along uh be the west side of the road it's a lot of miles at least miles I bet i' to like to have that one for Yard Art here's some information on approving grounds been here a long time very long time huh World War I huh incredible [Music] history [Music] [Music] [Music] what an incredible journey from court site all the way around through Glamis down to Interstate 8 cut across to uh Yuma then back up through [Music] here thank you for watching this once in a lifetime series here on the Yuma and southwest desert of California and Arizona absolutely incredible this is definitely one for the memory book one I always cherish okay back up the court side I go Journey continues talk [Music] soon

Channel: RVerTV

Views: 256,344

Keywords: Mohave Desert Road trip Yuma Arizona, sonoran desert

Id: Pda1fCCqGec

Length: 160min 10sec (9610 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 19 2023