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Needles
and Topock
Needles is a welcome sight. The cool, willow-lined Colorado River flows
through this fried but friendly little town, whispering under the bridge
on Harbor Avenue. To the southeast on the Arizona side, the Needles, a
ragged mountain range cresting at 2,353-foot Powell Peak, pokes at hard
blue sky. Founded in 1883, Needles owes its existence to the railroad,
highway tra-velers, and a nearby farming community to the north along
the Arizona side. As the easternmost end of Southern California desert
exploration, it offers a decidedly un-desert attraction: CANOEING through
nearby Topock Gorge for a day. The gorge, part of HAVASU NATIONAL WILDLIFE
REFUGE, begins at the Interstate 40. Canoeists meet outfitters on the
river at MOABI REGIONAL PARK (locals call it Park Moabi; 11 miles southeast
of Needles; 760/326-3831), then paddle downriver beneath a steel-strut
bridge into a wild region of reddish cliffs, hidden coves, rush-lined
backwaters, and a pictograph rock or two. The pickup point is on the Arizona
side off Highway 95 at Castle Rock, north of Lake Havasu City (home of
London Bridge and English Village). Contact JERKWATER CANOE AND KAYAK
COMPANY (800/421-7803; WWW.jerkwatencom) for rental and guided-trip information.
The fictional Joad family camped for a while in Needles on their way west
along "the Mother Road"—Route 66—in Steinbeck's
The Grapes of Wrath. Here they debated how to get across the desert in
their overloaded jalopies. "Gonna go 'crost her at night,'"
says Ruthie, "... we get
the livin' Jesus burned outa us if we go in daylight." We hope your
car is in better shape than theirs. MOJAVE DESERT INFORMATION CENTER (the
National Park Service; 707 W Broadway; 760/326-6322) can help with local
information, as can NEEDLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (100 G Street; 760/326-
2050). NEEDLES MUSEUM (on the city park at 929 Front Street; 760/326-
5678) will fill you in on local history. They're currently trying to restore
the old block-long Harvey House hotel and restaurant nearby, which served
Santa Fe Railroad passengers before the days of the interstates. The two-story
cement building, noted for its many columns, has been vacant for about
a decade.
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