Day 3 Arizona West RV Park Yuma, Arizona

Since it was evidently clear that I was still not ready for adventure today, Tim began to plan his own bike trip. He plotted a course to the town of Somerton 16 miles away. His route took him through citrus groves laden with lemons and oranges, along canals, and through farm fields. It was a nice day for a ride and he enjoyed it very much. He was getting pretty antsy waiting for me to get well…he needed to get out for awhile.

Tim arrived in Somerton and waited in the park under the water tower for me to come to get him.

We found a little Chinese/Mexican restaurant for our lunch.

Lee and Claudia had taken Aunt Mavis out to the farm fields nearby. They were able to talk to a couple of men working with a team who was harvesting cauliflower. They were given an entire case of fresh cauliflower and they were generous with the gift. We have 2 beautiful heads of freshly picked cauliflower in our fridge. We give so little thought to how our food is grown and how it arrives in our local grocery. It was interesting to hear what they learned. The produce is processed on a conveyor right on the field. It is cut and trimmed and washed and packaged and boxed and loaded onto pallets and goes directly to a cooler within 2 hours of being picked.

We traveled to Old Yuma for dinner with Lee and Claudia, tomorrow they return to Tuscon and we will travel west into California. We have enjoyed spending more time getting to know them better…two very gracious and kind people.

Day 2 Arizona West RV Park Yuma, Arizona

I cannot shake this upper respiratory thing. It has got me down and not feeling like doing much. Tim went for a couple of bike rides. We did go to Walgreen’s and FedEx in the morning to take care of some chores. I slept for awhile in the afternoon and then did feel well enough to sit in the sunshine.

Lee and Claudia were out and about all day with Aunt Mavis. They were gracious enough to cook dinner for us tonight. Burgers with roasted chiles…so flavorful! We stayed outside talking until well after dark.

Mileage: 57,683 Arizona West RV Park Yuma, Arizona

Today we drove back to Yuma. Lee and Claudia were taking their new rig for a test run and they were going to stay in Yuma with us for a couple of days.

Today was an ordinary day; laundry, taxes, chores, cleaning, bills…nothing to really write home about!

The highlight of our day was watching the Super Bowl outside on the patio, in February, with Lee and Claudia. We should have taken a picture of that!

Day 4 Kofa Wildlife Refuge – Palm Canyon Road

It was cloudy and windy and chilly this morning. I still was not feeling great so we rested until late morning. We did take the Jeep back to Queen Canyon for a shorter ride.

California desert poppies…such beauty amid the rocks!

We spent the afternoon working on taxes and being lazy.

It is raining in the desert this evening!

Tomorrow we head back to Yuma.

Day 3 Kofa Wildlife Refuge – Palm Canyon Road

Whether the coyotes howling in the distance at 4am woke us up or if we were already awake and we heard them…we aren’t sure.  It was very cool.  Another reminder that this desolate place is alive. 

We took another road through Kofa.  The longer we stay, the more we see.  Today we noticed scat, animal tracks, a centipede, lots of butterflies, new wildflowers, a hummingbird, and a Gambel quail. 

Our lunch spot.

These are the guts of a dead saguaro. The wooden ribs once helped to hold the cactus upright. The round pouch that you see is actually a scar. A woodpecker probably drilled a home in this cactus. The cactus formed a scar or a “boot” around the wound, creating a nest for the woodpecker. When the woodpecker moves on, all kinds of other animals make their homes in the abandoned nests.

Did you know that Arizona has a “stupid motorist law?”  If you decide to cross a wash during a thunderstorm and get stuck in a flashflood, or if you go 4 wheeling and get into a mess that requires emergency services and rescue…then you have to pay for it!

I’m not sure if it is dust or the new wildflowers blooming…but I don’t feel very good…going to bed super early with lots of medication…need to feel better tomorrow!

Day 2 Kofa Wildlife Refuge – Palm Canyon Road

We took the road to Crystal Hill.  Quartzsite and the surrounding area is well known to rock hounders.  You can hike to the top of Crystal Hill and collect all kinds of interesting rocks and minerals.  We bypassed this hike though, and drove on the Pipeline Road through the northern portion of the refuge.  

Rocks and mountains and cacti everywhere.  I’m not tired of the view…I love it here.

Our lunch spot.

We drove through town to fill the Jeep with fuel.  We were also able to find the Quartzsite, Arizona Off-road Atlas and the Map of the Arizona Peace Trail also meant for 4 wheeling.

This evening we invited our neighbor, Bob, to join us for dinner.  We grilled shrimp and garlic flatbread with small potatoes and broccoli with teriyaki glaze.  It was nice to have some company. 

We had a campfire and watched the stars pop out.

“I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight with a billion stars all around…’cause I got a peaceful easy feeling.”  Eagles 1972

Kofa Wildlife Refuge – Palm Canyon Road

Mileage:  57,319

We drove back to Kofa this morning and traveled in the RV, towing the Jeep, 8 miles down the dusty gravel road that leads to Palm Canyon.  We were able to get a free campsite in “dispersed camping.”  There are places along the park road where you can plant your rig and stay for as long as 14 days. 

We took the Jeep on a rough road called Kofa Queen Canyon Road.  The steep mountains nearly engulfed us as we made our way through the narrow passage.  The sky was brilliant blue, the sun warm, and the scenery incredible.

We have started to notice changes in the desert flora.  The wildflowers are beginning to bloom.

This cactus is a jumping cholla.  It is called a jumping cholla because the stems are easily broken.  This allows bits of cactus to fall to the desert floor where they begin to take root.  These pieces are also easily carried in the fur of animals or on items of clothing and spread through the environment.  In the past several days, these cacti have started to develop buds.

Happy hour today…because we were feeling happy!

Cactus spines hurt!

We met our neighbor, Bob.  He has been fulltime RVing for the past 5 years.  It was great to talk with him.  He had lots of good ideas for things we should try to see while we are in the southwest.

As we cooked dinner, the sun began to set. The sky was a glorious canvas. 

The mountains to the east were bathed in fiery red light.

We are looking forward to exploring more tomorrow!

Day 10 Arizona West RV Park Yuma, Arizona

Today was spent getting ready to camp in the desert. When we went to Kofa Wildlife Refuge the other day, we scoped out an area where we can park the RV for a couple of days. There are no hookups and no other services for miles. Today we did all the laundry, got firewood, propane for the grill, groceries, filled the fresh water tank, emptied the grey and black tanks so that we would be ready in the morning. We were finished with our chores and after lunch we were rewarded with some playtime. We took the bikes back to West Wetlands and rode along the Colorado River. We took at break to rest on a picnic table and I was cloud watching.

The view was outstanding.

I got to the top of the hill ahead of Tim. He is itty bitty on the gravel road far below.

This train is crossing the Colorado River from California into Arizona.

We decided to go out to dinner one more time. We have been trying to go to Da Boyz Italian Restaurant but once again they had a wait. We went back to Prison Hill Brewing and got the same thing we had the other night…yum!

A walk back to the car.

If the blog isn’t posted for the next several days…don’t worry about us. We will be in the desert and I’m not sure if we will be able to post. We will catch up when we get back to town!

Day 9 Arizona West RV Park Yuma, Arizona

We grabbed our passports and headed for Los Algodones, Mexico BC. This is a tourist town on the Mexican border. It caters especially to “medical tourism” or people who need cheap prescriptions, eye glasses, and dental work. There are about 350 dentists in the immediate area across the border. This town is nicknamed “Molar City.” We have found that it is easy to cross into Mexico. You park your car on the US side in a secure lot and just walk on in.

We walked among the street vendors. There is not a speck of wasted space on the sidewalks. People are selling jewelry, leather goods, blankets, pottery, metal art, clothing, hats, handbags, and all kinds of trinkets. Everyone invites you to come and look at their goods. “Cheaper in the morning.” You want this for $10.00…how about 5…for you senor…3.”

Also there are many salons for manicures, pedicures, massage and hair.

We stopped at La Parrilla, an outside patio restaurant where Tim had Tecate beer and we ordered chicken chimichangas for our lunch. The guacamole was very good and the tortilla chips were the best we have ever had.

We wandered around for awhile and then wandered back to the US border entry.

“Welcome to the line,” said the man selling cold water for $1.00 a bottle. We waited for about 40 minutes to cross, but there was shade and cold water if you wanted it. If you want the experience of going, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes!

Today it was warm enough to ride topless in the Jeep. I just read that 75% of the US population will suffer below freezing temperatures this week…it is sunny and warm here…that’s why we are here!

Day 8 Arizona West RV Park Yuma, Arizona

Our journey today began at the Palm Canyon Trail in Kofa.

From the parking area, there is a half mile trail up into the canyon.

The trail leads to a narrow rugged canyon where you can see the fan palms growing. This is a cluster of about 40 palm trees that have managed to survive in this harsh desert climate. This canyon allows the trees the perfect amount of moisture and sunshine. It is ecologically and biologically significant. For us though, this walk was not about the palm trees but more about the beauty of the canyon. My heart felt full as I made my way up through the rock formations. We took a lot of pictures…trying to convey just how special this was…the rugged peaks high above us, the surrounding mountaintops, the desert far below…this was an outstanding hike.

We had our lunch and decided to drive into Quartzsite. We wanted to see what the buzz was about and we needed to refuel the Jeep so that we could continue our ride. Quartzsite is the largest area for dry camping in the United States. You can come and park your rig in the desert and live there for free. There are a lot of area businesses that cater to the RVer’s. We saw signs for the RV Proctologist…he will come and take care of your holding tanks. This place was a carnival! There were all kinds of people selling all kinds of things from their RV’s and tents. It was a kind of giant swap meet. It is hard to put into words or pictures…

With a tank full of gas and cold drinks, we headed back to Kofa. We wanted to cook dinner in the desert, watch the sunset, and stargaze.

We stood then watching the stars pop out until we could see the Milky Way…simply beautiful!! Of course now it was very dark in the desert and we had to use 4WD to get out…such fun! We were hoping to see the animals begin to emerge. We saw about a dozen jackrabbits.

Today was an amazing day!