This man-made reservoir, about twenty miles northwest of Phoenix, is the end point of the Agua Fria River.  On Saturday afternoon, while I was walking along the southern shore, there were people on boats, people fishing from shore and people sitting in the shallows, enjoying the cool water.  This is what Lake Pleasant, and other reservoirs around Phoenix’s periphery, mean to those whose other option is to crank up the AC- starting right about now.

Wildflowers are also starting to grace the desert.  This past weekend was the first burst.

The water itself reminded me of the best of the Sea of Cortez- blue-green and clear.  This section is at New Waddell Dam, on the southeast corner of the lake.

The flooding of the area took with it a large section of the upper Sonoran Desert, and some ranches.  in contrast to the lush greenery that surrounds the lake, skeletal trees still jut out from the shallows of Lake Pleasant’s northern arms.  This scene is one of several at Castle Creek, on the northwest side of the lake.

I know the local fish are happy here.  The shad were jumping all over the place, while I sat and contemplated just how awesome this oasis is.  They did  a fine job of staying away from the fishermen who were gathered atop Castle Creek Dam and along the creek’ s shore.

Unlike the lakes that grace Prescott’s forests and grasslands, Lake Pleasant cannot be circumnavigated on foot.  A hiking trail did engage my attention from the Visitors’ Center to Park Headquarters, on the south shore.  The north shore has separate hiking paths.  In between are sheer drop-offs and plenty of opportunities to bushwhack through the intervening desert.  Somehow, I don’t think the local rattlers would take too kindly to it.