Powerboat Tour of Topock Gorge and Christmas Party

December 16, 2010. Bill Williams River NWR
Yesterday December 15, the refuge treated us to a boat ride up the Colorado River from the quaint English Village (shopping area) surrounding the London Bridge. The SCA interns, Melly and Hanna rode with us to The London Bridge. We boarded the Starship 2010 of Blue Water Jet Boat Tours with the other volunteers and some of the refuge staff.

Preparing to Depart

Fun and Frivolity

Melly, Joyce and Hanna at the stern of the ship.

It was very overcast all day but still it was a beautiful boat ride. We saw Bald Eagles, Peregrin Falcons, Wild Burros and a Beaver lodge. 

The calm waters on a cloudy day.

The boat trip took about 2.5 hours and we all enjoyed ourselves. Throughout portions of the ride, the boat operator explained some of the history of the river which was very informative. You may recall that we took a kayak trip through Topock Gorge on November 14.

The London Bridge decorated for Christmas

After the boat tour we wanted to treat the interns to dinner. So, we met the assistant refuge manager, Stan Culling, his girlfriend and his young son at the Javelina Cantina for Taco Wednesday. We had a blast enjoying the company and the $1 tacos. Afterwards we did some grocery shopping before heading back to the refuge.

Today we had a lunchtime Christmas party at the refuge. We all had purchased "secret Santa" gifts for exchange and had a potluck lunch/dinner. The gift exchange was very entertaining! Joyce and I also got a few nice gifts for our volunteer service from the refuge. Some of these gifts included a 500 hour pin and our National Parks Pass good for one year. Joyce and I took this opportunity to present to Dick Gilbert, the refuge manager and his assistant Stan Culling with some framed and matted photos that I had taken at the refuge. Joyce and I presented them with pictures of a coyote chewing on a drip line and a picture of the refuge compound taken from high above in the Buckskin Mountains.

Stan Culling and Dick Gilbert, The Refuge Manager

One more day of volunteer work and then I'll make final preparations over the weekend for our departure on Monday.