Parker is about a two-hour drive from A-Z West, due east on Hwy 62 to the Colorado River. We left Joshua Tree in the late afternoon in early February - the first part of the drive was during the golden hour so it was incredibly beautiful. It was dark by the time that we got to Parker, and since it was a Thursday didn’t anticipate any trouble finding a hotel. What we hadn’t counted on was that we were arriving at the same time as the annual “Best in the Desert” - an off-road race with over 200 trucks and off -oad vehicles covering a vast course of off-road terrain. Every hotel was full and there were fields of large fifth wheel trailers camped all around Parker. We pulled up next to a brightly illuminated drinking water dispenser in an empty dirt lot so that we could look at Trip Advisor for a hotel. Everything looked book so we decided to try the BlueWater Resort and Casino on the north side of the town - when we arrived we realized that the casino was ground zero for “Best in The Desert.” The parking lot had a million RVs and dune buggies parked in it, and the palm trees were wrapped in strings of colored lights. We went into the casino but were told that the only room left was a suite for $250 a night including tax. BlueWater might be an interesting place to check out in the future when they have lower priced rooms available - I couldn’t tell if it had waterfront access, but the name would lead one to believe so. Plus, you can gamble, have cocktails ,and watch a band do Metallica cover songs without having to get in the car.

We managed to get the last room at Quality Inn - a former Motel 6 that had undergone a design transformation. No complaints. We found Parker both interesting and complicated. First of all, it’s right on the Colorado River - and water in the desert is a big deal. The town seems to have grown and shrunk several times, so there are lots of cool empty buildings and the most amazing gas stations on my greatest hits list of things to see in Parker. First check out the two matching “Terrible’s” Chevron Stations on both sides of the 95. Then further east on 95 for the Running Man Gas Station. The Kofa Hotel is a mid-century architectural Gem - but sadly is very run down and gets sketchy Trip Advisor reviews. We tried the Kofa Coffee shop anyway and wanted to love it but couldn’t. Also, we drove through the neighborhood and found the school where Katy’s school team from Cave Creek Arizona used to play the Parker teams at softball and basketball. The mid-century dome-shaped school gym on South Navajo and West 18th is definitely worth a drive-by.

There are a bunch of interesting places to check out in the desert east of Parker that aren’t on the water - but the river itself remains the most attractive and perplexing part of Parker. The waterline is lush and green - but every foot of the water front has been built up with narrow two-story houses that make Venice beach feel like a low-density suburb. And where there aren’t tall skinny houses tightly stacked next to each other there are RV parks with RVs parked side by side with only a few feet in between. If you want privacy along this stretch of the river it seems that it’s all about owning a boat and using that to find some nook with a little personal space. We spent part of a day looking for a swimming beach with public access but couldn’t find anything. 

But we did visit several other destinations as well as some good restaurants that will be described on following pages. Also for anyone interested in vehicles, off road racing, or river racing - check out the schedule of events for Parker Arizona.