Since arriving at the BLM
area called Senator Wash back in December (Wow, it’s been that long ago?) it
definitely is time to update everyone on just how our winter of content panned
out. Were we in California or
Arizona? It depends on the day
that’s for sure as the banks of the Colorado River – with Yuma being tucked in
Arizona’s southwest corner - shares borders with Mexico and California. Our daily hikes were shared by both side of
the canal with Arizona on one side and California on the other. Kay’s Fitbit was very busy logging all of the
steps/miles that we walked.
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| Jeff on the California side |
Known as the vegetable capital of the world this area is
phenomenal as it grows more than 90 percent of the nation’s leafy vegetables
from November-March. Can’t forget Medjool
dates, swap meets and “fresh from the field” veggies at very reasonable prices.
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| We just love the "fresh from the field" goodies! |
The bustling area to the east of Yuma is called the
Foothills and was pretty much the area that became most familiar with us
staying at Senator Wash where we were boondocking on BLM – about 20-some miles
to the west of Yuma proper. The
Foothills was created back in the 60’s and today is home to about 15,000
year-round residents and as many as 40,000 people at the peak of the winter
season. With nearby Mittrey Lake which
is home to water fowl and off-the-grid campers and Martinez Lake where a
smaller community resides that caters water toy activity such as speed boats
and jet skis.
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| A very calm Martinez Lake |
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| Enjoying a cocktail on a fairly cool day - notice the sweater! |
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| Mittrey Lake, 1-10' deep, 200' elev, 300-500 acres |
One area that is quite visible daily as we drive to and from
our home at Quail Hill where we are camped, is the Yuma Proving Grounds – home to
military activity.
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| An Army tank in view on one of our rides into town |
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| Army ranger's land after practicing jumping |
This winter was not our usual type of winter since we’ve
been on the road, to say the least. Road trips to Phoenix on one occasion for
service work on our PowerTech generator and then off to Quartzsite for yet
another service consultation on the generator.
It was pretty frustrating for Jeff, but we finally got everything in
working order. Amen!
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| Service work in Quartzsite |
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| Playing "heads-up" in the generator compartment |
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Tent Sale Extravaganza - anything under the
sun for RV's |
Other updates to the coach included getting our day/night
shades re-strung along with the purchased of a macerator and portable “Blue
Boy” (or black waste hauler). Not having
to pack everything up on the coach each time that we needed to relieve our
black and grey water tanks is a luxury. Jeff
has an efficient system devised which works perfectly for this. So, we now travel with this new piece
nestled within the cargo carrier on the back of the Jeep. Two things that we needed before we hit the
road were a custom made tarp to cover and secure the items in the carrier and a
magnetic sign that we could mount to the Jeep that said . . .CAR IN TOW. We’re sure that you know why we wanted this. I’m sure you’ll agree that it must be for all
of the inconsiderate drivers on the road that don’t realize just how big we
are.
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Taking down the old, and putting up the new.
What a job! |
The Jeep Grand Cherokee did a very good job on its first year
as our “toad” vehicle. We did however
need to get a new radiator in February, but aside from that expense we have
been pretty lucky. The Jeep continues to
give us the room that we need and tows really good.
The months of January-March had Kay busy at STI Physical
Therapy in the Foothills, two times a week, working on stretching exercises to
help with pelvic floor pain. Jeff even bought her
a Yoga mat for doing her stretches in the coach. Abby, has been her constant coach when she is
on the floor. It’s really cute to see
her huddle by the mat next to Kay. STI had good friends that cared about you!
If you’re a fan of classic American cars, as we are, you
can’t miss Yuma’s “Midnight at the Oasis” event, which is a supercharged car
show featuring some 900 vintage vehicles.
It was definitely hard to pick which pictures to display, I we think
you’ll enjoy the ones that Jeff has selected.
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| Carol Shelby Cobra |
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| Rat Rod |
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| Beaumont-Canadian Chevelle |
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| '63 Corvette (split window) |
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| '56 Chevy Nomad |
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| '65 Chevelle |
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| '67 Blown Nova |
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| Wayne & Ann Drury with Jeff |
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Kyla & Mark, originally from Oregon,
but live full-time in the Foothills/Yuma |
One of Arizona’s hidden gems was just up the road from us –
a visit to Castle Dome Mines Museum combines history with spectacular desert
vistas for a perfect day trip. The
museum is a ghostly mining camp (dating back to the 1600s) sprawled across
rocky desert at the foot of Castle Dome Mountain. It includes a rustic town, more than 50
buildings stuffed with artifacts, a restored stamp mill, a self-guided hiking
trail past mine shafts and graveyards – all surrounded by the spectacular
scenery of Kofa National Wildlife refuge.
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Milling machine used to crush the rock
before it was separated and melted down |
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| Mercantile building |
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| Read photo below on why glass had a purple tint |
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| Is this guy old enough to drink? ha-ha |
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| No bank vaults in here! |
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| Chapel |
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| This is where the blacksmith did his repairs |
There’s lots of history but the most interesting piece was
that in its heyday followed the discovery of a rich vein of silver in 1864 when
during that era more than 3,000 people lived in Castle Dome City, until 1979.
For us, the best part of being in a new place is learning the
land and meeting new friends. We are
very blessed to have met some very good people over the winter in many places
that we touched – either by coach or in person.
These memories will always be treasured.
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John, a full-timer that we met on one of our hikes,
from Ohio |
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| Good friends Rosemary & Bob from near Sacramento |
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Our good friend Bill who lives in Phoenix. . .and who
brought us donuts! |
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New friends from Senator Wash,
Reba & Fred from Oregon |
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| Wayne & Ann from Toronto, Ontario |
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Betty, our awesome friend
from Prince George, BC |
Like all things, it becomes time to move on as we have been
at Senator Wash for a good four months. Plans
are to travel from Yuma into Southern California to the desert near Anza Borrego
Desert State Park for a few days and then make our way for an overnight stop in
Benson, Arizona to call on our friends, Shirley & Henry, who we met at the
Escapee’s SKP Saguaro Co-Op last year. From
there since it’s still too early to head to Minnesota, a stopover at one of our
favorite BLM spots outside of Safford, Arizona.
We do believe that we are still looking for the warmth and continue on with the
relaxation of retirement, surrounded by Mother Nature’s gifts.
Hugs,
Kay & Jeff
