Topock Gorge

One of the highlights of my day-long jetboat cruise down the Colorado River this week was the spotting of wildlife – specifically, some Bighorn sheep.

At least, that’s what our boat captain Jamie would have us believe. According to Capt. Jamie, anytime Bighorns are spotted, that’s something to write home about.

I don’t know about that, but I did treasure the sightings. There were two of them. The first was when we were floating downstream on our way to Lake Havasu to see the London Bridge. Thanks to Capt. Jamie’s sharp eyes, he spotted a pair of ewes clambering up the sides of the cliffs.

They didn’t pay us much never mind; I guess they’re pretty much used to seeing people in boats gawking at them and pointing those silly boxy things up toward them … y’know, cameras.

The second time was on our way back home. The captain slowed the boat and turned it around. All of us strained our eyes and craned our necks trying to spot what he’d seen. Eventually someone saw a female munching on some cactus and pointed at it.

As more people spotted it, more pointy fingers went up.

I still didn’t see it. That is, until the captain told us there was a male climbing up the slope to be with her. Ahh, there he was, and ahh, there SHE was.

So we watched as he nudged her away from the chewed-up cactus, then as she walked away (“Isn’t that just like a man, shoves the woman away and takes over the food,” a woman on the boat remarked). As the ewe was walking away, the ram started following her. She walked away faster, apparently either not in the mood, or just teasing him.

That’s when the women on the boat went nuts with their “Not tonight, honey” jokes. We men just wisely kept our mouths shut.

This is as good a place as any to mention there are petroglyphs carved into the rocks long ago by Indians. Some of them were quite close to the water, so Capt. Jamie edged the boat nearer whenever possible. One was quite distinct … that of a sun burst.

It reminded me somewhat of the Hawaiian petroglyphs back home. A little nicer, though.

Good discoveries at Topock Gorge on the Colorado River, about half-way between Laughlin and Lake Havasu. You oughta check it out sometime.