Bog Update - Road Trip to the Desert Bar near Parker Arizona!!!

I really love this place mainly because it is one of the most unique bars I have ever been to!

My days plan started with great intentions, but my best efforts were interrupted by a small problem with my truck...something I had been meaning to research further and had quite frankly forgotten about. However, I think I discovered the problem.

A couple weeks ago some people who I had met in Alaska at the RV Park in Haines emailed and said they were going to be in the area and had a trip planned to the Desert Bar which we had discussed in Alaska...the bar is so unique it is a conversation starter, especially since we both had T-Shirts from the bar. So I emailed back and told them I would meet them there yesterday.

So with great anticipation I packed up my cameras and made the plan for the road trip - 120 miles each way! Well, it became time to leave to meet them around noon...went out and the battery was dead in the truck...grabbed my jump pack and lo and behold it was dead also...so plugged it in to charge and patiently waited. Well after about an hour, which was really putting me in jeopardy of making our meeting time I tried again, jump pack still did not have enough juice to start the truck...so a neighbor pulled his truck over, dug out battery cables and got her jumped. Now I have been having this problem for some time, if the truck sits for more than a few days the battery goes dead, somewhere there is a small drain.

So I was bound for Parker, AZ about 1.5 hours late..also forgetting about the time change, so reality is I would have probably been late anyway...well the drive is probably the most boring drive you would ever want to make, but I was determined to try and make up some time...so at about 15 over the speed limit, I headed across the wasteland that separates 29 Palms with just about everywhere....GPS was telling me that the time to arrive seemed awful late, then I remembered the 1 hour time change! Shit! Oh well I had already covered about 75 miles, so no turning back, only hoping that the music would be real good and the beer and drinks nice and cold and my friends would stay longer than they anticipated.

So, I arrived in Parker, AZ about 1:30 my time or 2:30 local time, proceeded out the rough dirt road to the Desert Bar and arrived ready for a beer! Grabbed a beer and did a walk-around of the bar and grounds, friends no where to be found. So another beer and sit tight and watch the music....well I missed my friends, but had a great day at the Desert Bar!

Here are some pics...

Many people don't realize but the small building behind the current facility is the original bar when it opened!











If you are ever in the area of Lake Havasu or Parker AZ...find the Desert Bar and spend an afternoon there. It is only open from October through April and only on Saturdays and Sundays...it is closed during the hot summer months. This place is a DO NOT MISS!!

More information HERE:

The drive home was much more boring than the drive there, partially because of my frustration, but as I got closer to 29 Palms the sun started to set and made for a couple worthwhile stops for photo ops!







Prior to my departure in the morning, I finally managed to get a shot of the Roadrunners that hang around the RV Park! I will be getting more, I am starting to leave some bread out for them...



This was my second trip to the Desert Bar, some of you may recall I went there last year while I was in Kingman AZ for the winter...and I am pretty sure I will go there again, maybe even this winter. It is a fun place!!

Stay tuned for more winter adventures!!



Capt. Jim - "The Gypsy"

Traveling and photographing the Southwest and Alaska!