We Move it on Down the Road into Texas

After a breakfast with Steve and Janie Lowe,  we hooked up fairly early on Wednesday and headed out of Las Cruces, through El Paso and on into the western plains of Texas.  At the town of Van Horn we left Interstate 10 and took Highway 90 south.

 We were hoping to make Del Rio and we made it just before dusk.  We were almost out of gasoline as the small towns out here are few and far between.  We booked into the Broke Mill RV park where we had stayed on a previous trip.  Here is the windmill:  their namesake out front.

As it turns out we spent the night right next to another Cougar so Miss Kitty felt right at home.

🐈

Hiking A National Monument with our Michigan Neighbors

On Tuesday, Janie and Steve Lowe, our hosts, took us for a tour of the Las Cruces, New Mexico area.  The Lowes are our neighbors as they have a summer /seasonal home up on our street near Frederic and a winter home down here,

We decided to take a hike at the Dripping Springs Natural Area which is part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.  Above are Karen, Janie and Steve as  we prepare to enter the visitor center to sign in.

Above our tour guide (Steve) points our the path we are going to follow on the display at the visitor center of the National Monument.

This vast Natural Area is south of Las Cruces and is rugged and beautiful.

The trails into the Organ Mountains were narrow and somewhat steep but not overly strenuous.  On one trail we met a couple from Kalamazoo.

At the top of the trail we explored this small cave.  It had been used by primitive people for hundreds of years, and by a hermit priest in the early 1800's.  After our hikes we had a delicious lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant near the downtown campus of New Mexico State University.

(Go Aggies)

💪

We Make It To Las Cruces

After about a three hour drive on Monday we arrived at the Lowe's house just north of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The Lowes have a beautiful home on the north outskirts of Las Cruces, so we parked in their driveway.  Steve and Bill and the dog, Blue, took a long walk in the desert while Janie and Karen got caught up over a glass or two of wine.

Steve is somewhat of an expert on minerals and such.  Here is part of his collection.  We are going on a countryside tour on Tuesday.

👨

On The Road to Las Cruces

We left Yuma at 10:00 AM on Sunday which is about  a normal time for us after a long stay at one place.  The weather was clear with little wind, so the travel conditions were fine.  We had lunch near Casa Grande, AZ and drove on past Tucson.

Past the town of Benson we started seeing these interesting rock formations.

We stopped at a rest area off Interstate 10 for a break and to scan the landscapes.  Here is our rig above on east-bound US-10 before Wilcox,  Arizona.  The new truck is pulling the travel trailer with ease as it has a bigger engine than our old gray truck.

The Huge rounded rocks were unique and interesting to see up close at the rest area.

We finally made camp at the Alaskan RV park near Bowie, Arizona.  It was small and unimpressive but had full hookups for $20/night.  This pretty wandering cat liked our rug that we put at the bottom of the steps and moved right in.  He would have come inside but we did not invite him in.

🐱

Time to Move On

Today, Sunday January 27, 2019 marks the end of our month's stay in Yuma.

We have decide to move on to south Texas.

Fortuna De Oro has been an excellent RV park for us.  It has a great location on the far eastern side of Yuma.  There is a Family Dollar and a Fry's grocery store nearby,  as well as a Yuma Public Library branch.  The public buildings are always clean and there is always plenty of hot water in the bathrooms.  The recreational facilities are topnotch and the employees are professional.

In short ....we may return someday.

Time will tell.

⌚ 

RV Travel Pets

Fortuna De Oro RV park has three dog run pens.  They are almost always being used: day or night by someone and their pet(s).  

On our bicycle rides we often stop at the runs to see what kind of dogs are present and how they are behaving.  We see expensive purebreds and adopted mutts and everything in between.

Some dogs play together and use their time as social hour.  Others are loners.  Once in a while we see a skirmish break out as the pack mentality kicks in and a dog decides to show who is the alpha of the run that day.  Dog owners here are meticulous about picking up after their animals so we never have to watch where we are walking along the streets.

But for a truly no-fuss pet...... 

...it is hard to beat this one.  It is a stuffed chicken.  Yes stuffed!

We have not had a chance to talk to the owner about the chicken, so we do not know why or how this chicken became a traveling pet.  Some things are for sure,,,it does not eat much, need much exercise, and the owner does not have to pick up after it.

To Each His Own!!!

🐓

Zooming Through the Desert

The thousands of acres of public land in southern Arizona are attracting more and more All Terrain Vehicles (ATV's) just like we are seeing in the wooded areas of northern Michigan.

The vehicles are fun to drive but many of the old people who can now afford to own them think they are 18 again when they get behind the wheel.  (and drive as such!)

Just like some winter snowmobile drivers, many ATV owners go out to see how fast they can zoom through the desert trails and how many miles they can travel in a given amount of time.  We have noticed that many drivers are trying hard to impress their riders, and seldom take the time to appreciate the scenery they are rushing through.

Jeeps are also very popular down here during the winter months.  Sometimes we see as many as 30 or more parked in our main RV Park parking lot as various Jeep clubs gather to picnic and party together.

The vast Sonoran Desert attracts many visitors and people who like to explore.  We often wonder if anyone actually walks in the desert or rides a mule???

It would be much quieter and less dusty if they did.

😷

These Types of Lawn Enhancements Are Not Seen in Michigan

Here is another example of an old item people in Arizona use to decorate their landscapes.

This old buggy probably came from a nearby ranch and was once a person's comfortable mode of transportation.  It was made primarily of wood and leather.  In the dry desert air here it will last a very long time outside in the elements.  Up in Michigan, in our damp and often freezing weather,  this outside  buggy would soon rot and fall apart.

⛈

Cacti in Yuma

The town of Yuma is in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.  The largest cacti to be seen are the Saguaro which are thick in parts of the Desert but rather rare here.

A Saguaro Cactus can grow to be 40 feet tall and the species is protected by the state of Arizona.  This old beauty above is in a lot near our RV park.  Note the bird nest hole in the front arm.

This healthy Prickly Pear cactus is along the main driveway of our park.  Note the blooms that will open later in the season to make bright blossoms.

Here are what the blooms look like after they open.  This picture was taken from the internet so the color can vary with each plant.  The bees and hummingbirds are waiting.

🌵

Another Indoor Activity for Retirees

In the welcome center of our RV park there are tables to be used by the guests.  We almost always find the first table looking like this below.

A jigsaw puzzle seems always in the process of being put together.  To our surprise each puzzle becomes a community effort.  In other words, people come and go and work on whatever puzzle is started,  often two people at the same time from the top and bottom.  It happens that the puzzle solvers often do not even know each other.

This is the cabinet nearby where you can see that there are plenty of challenges for RV guests if they want to dig in.  Beauticians in the attached beauty salon often come out and work on a puzzle during their work breaks across from whoever is there.

The results are terrific and are usually pushed down the table and admired for a day or two while the next puzzle is started.  It is a admirable hobby down here that never ends.

⛶

The Yuma Swap Meet

Any time spent in the Yuma area should include a visit to the Swap-Meet market that is open on weekends, but only if you enjoy garage sales and pawing through junk.

On Saturday we decided to go have a look at the displays and goodies for sale by the local people.

Above is Bill on the main street of the marketplace.

It costs a dollar to get in and  one never knows what you might find for sale.  Above you see a group of saddles next to golf clubs and more normal sale articles.

This rocking horse was almost real-life size.  Note the used tires in the background.

This miniature train was running around the grounds giving children free rides.

Here is Karen inspecting some parrots.  Note the cages of parakeets on the right.  Animals are fair game for purchase.

We did a lot of looking, but not much buying here.   It is always and experience to remember.

🐎

The Yuma Area Lives Up to Its Name

On our recent outing to the date farm we were not far out of Yuma, but we saw why many refer to this agricultural region as the "Salad Bowl" of the U.S.

 The ground is black and flat with many irrigation canals running through it.

There are produce fields as far a the eye can see.  The warm/hot year-round weather allows one crop to be planted as soon as another is harvested.  The sun keeps shining and the vegetables just keep growing.

🍅

They Are Still Around....

Roadrunners

that is........

Bill finally saw a couple of the birds  near a golf course on one of his bike rides.

We were beginning to think that Wylie Coyote had been really busy down here this last year.

🐾

Some People Never Learn

This is yet another example of why Snow Birds down here should not stay out in the Arizona sun too long!

And this guy picked the wrong  supplemental sign to dress up the manufacturing emblem on his park model trailer!

We hear his wife is still upset.

😡

A Not-So-Fancy Dinner in the North Hall

Who could ignore this poor crippled child in the main parking lot of our RV park?

Certainly not us - especially when eating can help his cause.

The Shriners Organization of  the Yuma Foothills was holding a 

"Shriner Diner"

dinner on Monday evening so we attended.

For the price of $8.00 each we got a hamburger supper plus we donated $5 into the 50/50 raffle.

The meal was not fancy, but filling and  it was $21 well-spent.

🍔

We Visit a Yuma Date Farm

We met a Michigan couple from Coldwater  named Mike and Betty who asked us to join them for a tour of a nearby Date farm.  The farm catered to tourists and gave $10 tours.

We accepted the invitation.

Martha's Gardens is located a few miles out of town so on Monday morning we met a small group there to check it out.

After a short introductory speech we hopped on the trailer with about a dozen other tourists for a guided tour of the orchard/grove of date palms.

Here is our young tour guide who was one of the owner's sons.  Martha is his mother.  He drove the tractor and stopped at various places to explain how organic Medjool Dates are grown, harvested, packed, and shipped.  Like so many people down here he was bilingual in English and Spanish.

The tour took 1-1/2 hours.  He answered many questions.  The farm has 8000 trees and each tree gets 150 gallons of water each day.  The trees are pollinated by hand, and each tree produces approximately 300 pounds of dates.  This is the nursery above and the white cloth protects the young trees from the hot summer sun before they get transplanted.

The farm has a nice retail store at the end of the tour with many sweet goodies to purchase.

Martha's Garden even has a small food counter in the store where you can buy lunch, or try one of their award-winning Date Shakes.

They were yummy!

🍨

Our Small Canyon is a Wash (In Arizona Terminology)

In an earlier blog post we described the ravine behind our trailer site as a small canyon.

That was wrong....

Upon further review it is known as a Wash.

It is approximately 100-yards wide behind our travel trailer.

This is the view from the back our our travel trailer looking north across the wash to the other side.  There is a subdivision over there.

From the small subdivision looking south --> this is our trailer in the middle of the picture above.

As dry as it is here now, the wash must have been created by Nature over hundreds of years.

Looking east you see a nearby road at the top of the picture.

This is a warning sign at that same road at the wash, so apparently really hard rainfalls can still happen here in southwest Arizona.

Hard to imagine!

☔