February 3, 2021 Ghost Towns

Mayflower Regional Park Blythe, California

Last night as we lay in bed, we could hear the coyotes calling to one another.  Yesterday as we were driving from Palo Verde, we saw a pack of four coyotes crossing the road in front of the RV.

I started the day with a walk by the river. 

Last time we were here, an owl was nesting in this tree. Supposedly, she still lives here. I have looked for her every day but haven’t seen her yet…though Tim heard an owl during the night.

We drove across farmland on our way to today’s adventure.  We saw more than 100 sandhill cranes grazing in the alfalfa fields.

Tim found a Jeep trail that would take us to a little town of Midway.  We traveled 20 miles across the Colorado Desert.  We were always surrounded by mountains.  It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for a long ride.

We turned onto an old railbed.

We had to cross the railroad bridge or turn around and go back.  Tim walked it, tested it, and declared it safe for passage.  I didn’t even like walking on it!

A video.

The little road took us into Midland.  This is a ghost town.  From 1925 and into the 60’s, this area was mined for gypsum.  There certainly isn’t much there now.

From Midland, we had to drive 20 more miles to the town of Rice and Highway 62.  We stopped for lunch.

As we approached Rice, I took over and drove the rest of the way.  Rice is also a ghost town. In Rice there is some unusual art…you never know what you are going to find in the desert…thousands of pairs of tennis shoes draped from the fencing.  The tradition began as an underwear tree.  People traveling along Route 62 would toss underwear from their cars onto the tree.  The tree caught fire at one point and people started throwing shoes onto the tree.  Then, a fence was built and the shoe garden was born.

We rode our bikes out to the end of the road again this evening.

More coyotes making noise!

February 2, 2021 Blythe

Mayflower Regional Park Blythe, California

Good Morning!  I group of gambel quails scuttled away as I opened the door.

This morning I chose to walk along the river on the California side.  There had been a few brief rain showers.  The sky was brightening and the day was already mild.

We traveled only about 30 miles to Blythe, California.  We have stayed at Mayflower Regional Park before.  It is a pretty park, also on the Colorado River.  The view from our front door.

When we arrived, this crop-duster was working the nearby fields.

We took a 6-mile bike ride to the end of the road.  We passed acres of alfalfa fields.

There were stacks of hay bales.

Southern California snowman.

Later, we walked down to the river’s edge.

This evening, we listened to a local radio station called the “Badass Blues 101.7”.

We watched a glorious sunset.

We ate fish tacos with slaw and pinto beans.

It was a nice stay at home kind of day.

February 1, 2021 Another Road Less Traveled

Oxbow Campground Palo Verde, California Day 2

I began my day with a walk.  This is the view from our front door. 

The heron in this picture is eating something…maybe a fish…

Our campsite.

I walked from California, across the Colorado River and into Arizona. 

I saw this loggerhead shrike in the top of a tree.  This little bird is a fierce predator.  They have been known to kill animals larger than themselves by stabbing prey with their beak and twisting very quickly to cause whiplash.  They are quite aggressive and are also known as butcherbirds.

Later this morning we packed the car for a Jeep adventure.  We spent the day exploring Trigo Mountain Wilderness.  This is a stark, severe environment.  There isn’t much vegetation and there is very little water.  The rocks are sharp and jagged.  The austerity though is also very lovely.  The first pass was up into a mining region.

We drove further south, crossing the desert and then descending into a deep wash, Clip Wash.

We climbed out of the wash and had lunch.  There was burro poop everywhere!  Tim decided to use it as firestarter and so we enjoyed a small fire as we ate. 

We climbed up out of the wash and into the mountains.  The road was very rough.  In some spots the gravel bed in the wash was very deep, causing the Jeep to rock and pitch as we drove.  Later the road got even more interesting. 

Enjoy this video…though it truly doesn’t show how bumpy and rocky the road was!

There was some water pooled in the crevices of some of the boulders.

Big craggy mountains.

We never made it to the end of the trail.  After we turned to go back, Tim drove the toughest part and then I took over and drove the rest of the way.

Tim spotted this trio of burros.

January 31, 2021 Cibola NWR

Oxbow Campground Palo Verde, California

I took my morning walk in the desert.  I walked about a mile and decided to turn back because I could no longer see the RV. 

I walked in the other direction and started to see lots of animal prints in the areas with thick vegetation, the areas that get more moisture because they are depressed in the desert floor, washes and other low-lying areas.  I think that the majority of the critters live here where water and food are a little more available.

We had a short ride today. 

We were looking for another site in the desert but we didn’t see anything ideal.  We drove on to Oxbow Campground.  It is part of the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.  We found a spot on the Colorado River.  We saw a roadrunner and gambel quail in our campsite.  Later in the day, a hummingbird was peering at his reflection in the RV mirror.  He kept coming back.  He even stopped to admire our US map.

After lunch and quiet time, we took the Jeep to explore.  We have been here before but it is a nice ride on the riverside. 

We took a Jeep trail or two.

We drove to the Cibola Lake Overlook.

Access to Cibola Lake is closed from September to March. This is an important habitat for migratory birds. Today we saw a flock of white pelicans.

On the way back to the RV we saw this small raptor. We were not sure what it was though Tim guessed it might be a kestrel. The American kestrel is the most common small falcon in North America. I am not sure that I have ever seen one! It is a beautitful little bird….the picture is inadequate!

We prepared spaghetti squash with onions and mushrooms and tomatoes and ground turkey in a savory marinara. 

January 30, 2021 Deserted In The Desert

Somewhere on BLM EC633 Winterhaven, California

One last morning walk in the neighborhood around the campground.  The sky was crystal clear.  There was a bunch of activity coming from the Air Station.  I captured this C130 as it passed overhead with a deafening roar.

I did almost 4.5 miles today because today is a travel day and I wasn’t sure I would get a chance later. 

We have stayed in Yuma for more than 2 weeks…that is a really long time for us to stay in one place.  It is noisy here with trains and jets and sirens.  But it has also been relatively warm and Yuma is a great springboard for adventures.  We really liked going to the remote date farm for lunch.  We also had several terrific bike rides on the canal roads and along the Colorado River.  We had wonderful drives in the foothills and a couple of nice sunsets there as well.  Our favorite adventure was the long gravel road to Picacho.  It is though, time to move on.  We get restless and curious and eager to see new places and so we must go.

We had talked about going into southern California.  The stay-at-home orders had been lifted and the campground in Blythe is open.  There is also lots of BLM land where dispersed camping is allowed.  We took 8W to S34, a rough but paved road, into the desert.  After about 15 miles, Tim started to look for a BLM road that we could take to create our own campsite.  This is what he came up with…

Oh, the places he takes me!  Enjoy his video!

Someone before us left behind a pile of firewood.  We got set up and built a fire ring.

We walked around, exploring, soaking in the solitude and the silence.  Tim found an area about ten feet wide with 6 large holes with large openings…

I went in search of these holes, to see for myself but never found them.  I did find several creosote bushes with burrows beneath with 8-inch holes.  We wonder what will come out tonight!!

We spent the afternoon quietly.  Tim started a fire in early evening and we sat and watched the desert and drank wine.

I fixed grilled tuna steaks with teriyaki glaze, a salad of spring mix with blackberries and goat cheese and walnuts and basalmic dressing, grilled baby potatoes with garlic and cheddar cheese, and fresh papaya for dessert.  Doesn’t that sound like a good dinner?

We watched the sunset and then stayed to see the stars come out.  I saw another shooting star.  We could see the haze of the Milky Way.  A pack of coyotes howled not too far away.

January 29, 2021 Last Day In Yuma

Arizona West RV Park Day 16

Morning walk under cloudy skies with a tiny peek of sun.

After morning exercises, it was time to get stuff done. We rapidly checked off things on our list and then this afternoon, we had some time to play. We decided to take one more bike ride in West Wetlands Park. We ate our lunch along the river. We biked about 8 miles today. The way back was harder with the wind but it was totally worth it!

More chores when we got back and now we are ready to roll but, for a few last minute things.

Friday night…date night…Chipotle chicken salads…hit the spot!

January 28, 2021 Another Day in Warm Paradise

Arizona West RV Park Day 15

As I walked, I spoke to my mom.  She told me that it was too chilly to walk at home…28 degrees and feels like 18 degrees…NO THANKS!!!  We are terribly spoiled.  We haven’t had to suffer winter for the past many years and we truthfully don’t miss it at all.  The most important aspect for me is the light and the color.  Winter in the northeast is painfully grey.

Tim had an idea to drive to Somerton and ride backroads among the farm fields…I wasn’t feeling it.  He has really wanted to do a long ride and so he left me to clean/scrub the inside of the RV and he cycled the 16+ miles to Somerton.  In fairness, I did urge him to go! He may have found me a lemon (fresh off a tree) for our scallops tonight. 

I met him at Centennial Park with sandwiches and oranges.  We enjoyed a picnic. 

This little hummingbird had been sitting with Tim when I arrived.

It took him a while to return after I got there.  He seemed to be used to people and stayed fairly close.

This afternoon, I spent time talking with friends.   It is so important to stay in touch.

We are making plans and have a list of things to do tomorrow.  Saturday we will venture into California and go a little north. 

January 27, 2021 Fortuna Foothills

Arizona West RV Park Day 14

I started my day at Sprouts.  What a pleasure to shop in a well-stocked, nice grocery store with beautiful produce and lots of meat and fish to choose from.  I went early and it was not at all crowded.  The carts were sanitized and everyone was wearing masks.  When I got back with groceries, Tim was just finishing his morning workout.  We drove to Fortuna Foothills and took a hike.  It was a little windy and chilly but the sun and the work of hiking, kept us warm.  We stayed mostly near the base of the hills.  The winds were fiercer at higher elevations.  It felt really good to be moving and climbing and breathing!

You do have to careful where you place your feet!

Afterward, we drove some of the Jeep trails.

This afternoon, I spent some time doing a few other errands.  We are getting ready to move and we know that resources might be scarcer and that people here in Yuma, for the most part, have been following the mask mandate…not everywhere does…We plan to leave here stocked up.

Tim did laundry while I was out.

We packed our dinner and headed back to Fortuna Foothills.  We ate sushi, sat by a fire, and drank wine while we watched the sunset. 

As we were packing up to go, I noticed a glow around the peak behind us. The almost full moon was rising. We stayed and watched as it made its way beyond the mountains and high into the sky. The full wolf moon is tomorrow.

January 26, 2021 East Canal Trail Take 2

Arizona West RV Park Day 13

We finished our morning exercise routine and then waited around until lunchtime before making a plan. I know you won’t feel a bit sorry for us, but it was only in the low 50’s. We wanted it to get warmer.

We took our bikes to Caballero Park and rode the East Canal Trail again. We had a nice cross breeze that made pedaling more challenging but not too hard.

We cycled about 6 miles to the community park and ate some apples and protein bars. Then we headed back. The wind was behind us now and we had an uneventful trip back to the Jeep…no flat tires today!

We saw a bunch of ring-necked ducks. They haven’t been in the canals before when we have been biking. They are here for the winter and will return to Canada to breed in the spring.

We might have stopped to get some groceries at Sprouts but it was extremely crowded. So far we have avoided going into any stores, but we need meat and produce. I am going to try to get up and go first thing in the morning.

There is a Marine Corps Bas ehere in Yuma. The jets fly day and night. Sometimes, the jetwash causes the RV to shake! We saw this Osprey tiltrotor aircraft coming in this afternoon.

January 25, 2021 Muggins Mountain Wilderness

Arizona West RV Park Day 12

It was raining this morning.  When it stopped, I tried to walk.  I was optimistic because the sky had brightened.

I walked in the campground…just in case…good thing!  I had done about 2 miles when it began to rain again, with cold wind.  I got inside and watched as we had pea-sized hail, thunder, and lightning.

Around 11, the sky brightened again and the forecast was for clearing skies but with lots of wind.  We hadn’t made a plan for the day…we were not sure what to expect weatherwise.  Tim had been looking at Google Maps Satellite feature and had found a Jeep trail that went from north of Yuma, through the Muggins Mountains, and down into Wellton.  We decided to take a chance.  We packed some lunch and off we went. 

We had a hard time finding the trail. The first road we took was blocked off.  The second had a no trespassing sign and was someone’s driveway.  The third road ran in the bottom of a wash and eventually became impassable.  We took Dome Valley Road.  It ran between farm fields.

We saw a muddy road that appeared to lead to a trail into the mountains…we found it!

We may have gotten a little mud on the tires!

It was cool and windy, but it was nice and warm in the Jeep.  The scenery was pretty.

This trail might have been an access/maintenance road for the power lines that run through the range. 

It was rough in places and we needed the 4WD.  We drove about 15 miles in more than 3 hours.  We didn’t pass another car the entire time. 

We wound our way back down the mountains and through the agricultural area in Wellton and back to the RV.

I went out to walk some more.  I have been getting more than 10,000 steps most days and I didn’t want to skip today.  The wind was still whipping and it was a chilly walk…but I know that I am warmer here than I would be at home.  I think that nasty weather is expected in Reisterstown tonight.