Today was a great day for a really good walk. I had been having some heel pain and that has slowed me down a little but today I was able to do 4.5 miles relatively comfortably. I am grateful for my new running shoes. Good shoes really do make a difference as we get older!
Today was chore and football day.
Later in the afternoon, we went for a bike ride. There was a Lowrider Show in the park across the street. The cars were really tricked out with unique paint schemes. They were outfitted with hydraulics that allow the driver to raise and lower the cars at will. There was music and there were food trucks as well. We have never been to a car show quite like this one! The gaudier and more WOW…the better!
While Tim biked, I ran errands and did a little holiday shopping. It is hard to think of Christmas when it is always warm and sunny…but Thanksgiving has passed and so it is time to prepare!
This afternoon, we went back to Naked Dates. On Saturdays from 3pm-5pm they have live music. Today’s group was the Teccas, a duo from Montana though, half of the duo was ill, so, we had the pleasure of listening to Scott Tecca. He played the acoustic guitar skillfully and had a rich singing voice.
We had smoked pulled pork sandwiches with slaw and pickles and they were very tasty! Later, Tim had his date shake.
I love to watch older people dancing together. The gentleman guiding his partner across the floor, the two perfectly in sync after years of moving together. It makes my heart happy!
Scott told the story of his original song, “ Whiskey in Heaven.” He wrote this song to help himself heal after the tragic suicide of one of his good friends. Years later, it still makes him choke up as he performs. We could feel it too. It was raw and honest and real. If you are curious…you can find his song on YouTube.
Scott, as I mentioned, is from Montana. He made it clear that he would not be spending another winter there. Today in Wellton, Arizona it was 80 degrees with 9% humidity and a light breeze with bright sunshine in a cloudless sky. It was a perfect day…in every way! I think we might go back to Naked Dates…maybe next Saturday!
The sun was setting as we headed home. Incidentally, the tractor trailer in the picture was loaded with crates of broccoli, picked here in these farm fields, one of several trucks traveling the road to Yuma this evening!
I waited until a little later to start my morning walk. It was chilly and windy. By late morning, it was much warmer and I set out. We were joking about a wind chill factor…probably not funny to most of you! Today’s high was 77 degrees.
Tim did another long ride to Somerton.
I drove to get him and then we went on to San Luis for lunch at La Bodega. We had really good salads.
After lunch, we wandered some back roads and farm roads and found ourselves on the canal road along the border wall.
We have written before about the interruptions in the “Wall”. South of Somerton, the “Wall” is a steel barrier about 2 feet high.
The new “Wall” begins for several miles and then there is another gap south of Yuma. It is here that we saw Border Patrol gathering people who were crossing illegally, actively walking through the opening.
We drove through farmland to get back to the campground. The cabbage and lettuce were being harvested. In other fields, workers were weeding the endless rows with hoes…long days of backbreaking work.
I pedaled through the park this evening and then later, we drove to downtown Yuma and walked.
We found a small store on an alley that had date shakes and Tim could not resist!
I started my day with a walk, albeit reluctantly. The wind was howling outside…but I made the effort! The trees were bending with the 25 mph gusts.
The dust was flying. I had grits in my teeth and in my eyes!
I walked about 2.5 miles and then gave in!
The wind had calmed in the afternoon. Tim took a long bike ride to Somerton with the wind mostly at his back. The farm fields were fairly quiet today. I drove there to get him. Later I cycled around West Wetlands.
We spent a quiet day talking with and texting friends and family. Holidays are hard…I especially missed my mom and my kids today.
We enjoyed quinoa bowls for dinner. I added roasted sweet potatoes, raw spinach, grilled chicken, cranberry sauce, pecans and we had pumpkin spice crackers with fig and honey goat cheese. It had lots of the traditional flavors and was delicious and healthy!
At dusk, we took a nice walk together.
From our house on wheels to your house…we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday morning, I began my walk under densely clouded skies.
I even felt raindrops! We have been in Yuma for a month and this spitting was the first rain we have had.
We came back to stay in Yuma because we had our credit card compromised while we were in Tucson. We needed an address where we could receive our new cards. We decided to return to a place that we knew. We have since decided to stay here through December 13th when we will prepare to fly to Atlanta for the holidays. We feel like this will make things a little smoother. When we return to Arizona after the New Year, we will travel around a little more.
Tuesday afternoon we packed for another overnight camping trip in the desert. We went back to Picacho and explored the maze of 4WD trails outside the park.
We saw burros, their white muzzles are a stark contrast against the rocky mountains, making them easy to spot!
We took a spur off the main road and drove up and over a small berm. We found ourselves in a bowl surrounded by rock formations. As we walked around, we realized the view from the ridge was spectacular and so that is where we set up camp.
Tim loves his Jeep shirt!
Tim’s campsite video!
The sunset was magnificent. It was hard to take it all in because we were surrounded by changing color on all sides.
We went to bed early. It was really cloudy and the moon had not yet risen so it was very dark. At around midnight, the wind began to blow pretty steadily. We were battered for a couple of hours before the winds calmed and we slept.
We were awake at 5 am. The moon was surrounded by a perfect halo of light…a moon ring that forms when light is reflected off of ice crystals. We had never seen this before…gorgeous! We slept again until 7 and then it was time for coffee and a fire. As I was sipping my coffee, I noticed an animal high on the ridge. A bighorn sheep stood stock-still; his distinct silhouette visible in the morning light.
A morning video as well!
We spent all morning wandering on trails.
We saw more burros. These mamas were braying at us. They were not happy to have visitors.
We had a great day exploring and as always, we were searching for our next campsite…
Our credit card was delivered and so the rest of the day was spent updating accounts with new information. All is good now!
We left Yuma on Saturday morning. We saw this hot air balloon drifting above the Colorado River.
On our way out of town, we picked up our new friend Aunt Mavis.
We were all bound for Tucson. Our good friend Lee was having a birthday celebration and we were thrilled to be included.
Claudia met us at South Forty and ferried Mavis to the house to be with family. Lee was surprised because he didn’t know she was going to be there.
On Saturday afternoon, Tim and I went to REI to shop for new shoes. Tim said that he could see my shoes coming before he sees me! They certainly are bright!
Saturday evening, we found a Mexican seafood restaurant called Mariscos Chihuahua where we had really tasty shrimp fajitas.
Sunday, we did our morning exercise and then I spent time grilling peppers and making a goat cheese spread for some appetizers.
Finally, it was time to leave for the party. Lee was completely surprised when we showed up! We very much enjoyed meeting his friends and family. Sometimes, when you go to an event and don’t really know anyone…it can be rather awkward. But…Lee and Claudia are blessed with a warm and wonderful circle and we were readily welcomed. We enjoyed the afternoon and then in the evening we went back to Lee and Claudia’s home where we had supper. I had a blast playing with the children.
Monday morning, we went to get Mavis from the hotel and then we returned to Yuma. We are so grateful for our new friendship and for the honor of being included in this weekend’s festivities.
Best wishes for a wonderful birthday Andrea! We love you!
We had no ill effects from our COVID boosters. We did our morning exercise and then packed up for another tent camping experience. We wanted to go back to Picacho.
18 miles on gravel washboard to the park.
The campsite that we really wanted was already taken. We found a spot near the river and spent a pleasant afternoon.
Tim spotted this kingfisher.
Tim also spotted this coyote.
Another amazing sunset.
The moon was full and gorgeous.
We got up at 12:30 and we were able to see the partial lunar eclipse.
The coots were a hoot! They chattered and bickered and splashed among the reeds ALL night long! We heard owls and burros and coyotes and other water birds as well…Tim heard them…I actually slept!
This morning we wandered down 4WD trails and through washes, enjoying, as we always do, the desert scenery.
We saw burros and a deer. We stopped to have our breakfast. This is an area we want come back to explore and do some more tent camping.
After we got back to the RV…it was chore day! We cleaned the RV and the Jeep and our gear and washed clothes and did all that normal chore day stuff!
We filled the morning with walking and biking and blogging and then after lunch, we headed to CVS for our COVID boosters. We are so grateful to be able to get our vaccines!
This evening, I made shredded chicken with grilled onions and peppers and corn and black beans and fire roasted tomatoes in a chipotle lime sauce with corn tortillas. We packed some wine and went to the athletic complex for a picnic and an evening walk.
The law enforcement memorial at the park is very sobering. Most of the lives lost were Border Patrol agents.
Riverfront RV Park Yuma, Arizona Day 20, 21, and 22
When we returned from the rodeo on Saturday, we realized that our coach was not receiving shore power. It was late and we did as much as we could to problem solve and finally went to bed with no power. The next morning, we talked to our neighbors about the need to run our generator for electric. Dale was kind enough to come over to help us figure out what might be wrong. Soon, we were joined by Ron, a manager here at the park. The pedestal was apparently working, meaning that the RV was the issue. We made a call and because it was Sunday, we had to leave a message. Fortunately, the men were able to find a way to plug the fridge in directly so that at least the food was cold. We spent Sunday running the generator and sitting with our phones hoping for a return call. On Monday morning we got a call…Vic wasn’t able to come out until Tuesday. We made several other calls and found Richard from Best RV Tech. He was able to come out at around lunchtime on Monday. He was amazing! He knew exactly how to check everything and he was able to locate the problem breakers and replace and repair them. YAY!!! Just a temporary inconvenience.
Our initial intention was to go tent camping in the desert. With the power restored, we packed our gear and left! We went to the Barry Goldwater Range. We had obtained the necessary permit and as we entered the range, we completed the online check-in.
We got a late start but the gravel road through the Wellton Hills was well maintained and we made good time. We took Cipriano Pass and we found a great site near the Gila Mountains. We set up and for the first time in a couple of days, we relaxed!
Enjoy Tim’s video!
We enjoyed our dinner by the fire.
The moon was about ¾ full and it was bright and beautiful.
Tuesday morning, the sun rose in the cloud-streaked sky.
We meandered through the desert, stopping to have our breakfast.
These exploded ordinances are a reminder that we are in a military range. No maneuvers or jets flying overhead today.
We took the A9 spur all the way to the end and we stopped to explore and to admire the view.
As we drove back to the main road, I caught sight of a man running in the road ahead. As we got closer, we saw 4 men sprinting into the vegetation. All were wearing black from head to toe and each carried a huge black identical backpack. These men were not there to hike. Tim said: “They aren’t good guys!” They ran from us and quickly, wanting nothing to do with us and knowing that we could report them to the authorities.
We did call the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma and informed them of our encounter. We also saw a group of Jeeps and a several OTV’s traveling in that direction and we stopped and spoke with them as well. There are warnings about smuggling and we know there are lots of issues surrounding the border, but today, we witnessed the reality of the problem…this is a real thing.
The remainder of the day was spent cleaning gear and resting. A shower always feels especially wonderful when we get back!
Morning exercise, walking, and biking complete; we drove about 75 miles to Brawley, California. We were there to see the 65th Brawley Cattle Call, a professional rodeo.
The bullpen.
Bucking Broncos.
Barrel Racing.
Mutton Bustin…for children 5-8 and weighing less than 60 pounds. The kids actually rode on the sheep, trying to stay on as long as possible. The winner was a seven-year-old. He clung to that sheep for a long time!
The clowns were irreverent and hilarious.
Bull riding.
The patriotism, the pageantry, the danger, the thrill, the power of the animals, the athletic competitors, the skills and animal handling…this was a real western experience and we both enjoyed the day.
We got back to Yuma after dark and decided to have dinner at Prison Hill. It was a nice evening to be outside and the food was terrific. We ended our day with a downtown walk.
