Bryce Canyon National Park

After our short trip to Page with Tom and Ellen, we headed up into Utah, to re-visit one of our favorite National Parks, Bryce Canyon.  The park contains the largest concentration of hoodoos, which are irregular columns of rock.  The hoodoos are formed through erosion of the cliffs from the wind, rain and snow.   As some of the rock formations erode away, new ones are created.  The park is always changing.  As we arrived in the park on May 1, just in time for what seems to be our annual May snowfall!

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Left Yuma too soon??

Given the snow, and our limited time in the park (2 days), we were not able to do any hiking in the park.  We stayed at Ruby’s Inn campground, in their brand new pull-thru section.  It’s pricey, but very nice.  The family that owns Ruby’s Campground, owns the majority of the businesses in the area.  And they hire a lot of work campers for the season.

 

We were able to meet up with our friend Bob, that we worked with at Amazon a few years ago.  Bob decided to get his commercial drivers license, with a passenger endorsement.  This has opened up a lot of high-paying work camping opportunities for him.  In order to ease up on overcrowding, and the pollution that goes along with it, the National Park service is using shuttle buses in many of the parks.  Bryce Canyon has a free shuttle service taking visitors to most of the viewpoints in the park.  Bob was able to get a job as a shuttle bus driver.  For those interested, it pays $24/hour, with a discounted RV site.

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Bob, Dan, Ellen, Tom and Jonell

When we told Bob that we were coming, he booked us on a free shuttle tour of the park, as he wanted to check out the tour as well.  If you plan on visiting Bryce, I would highly recommend the free tour.  This is separate from the regular shuttle that just takes you to the overlooks. It is called the Rainbow Point tour, and lasts three hours.

This is the view from Rainbow Point, elevation 9115 feet.  The park borders Dixie National Forest, and off into the distance is Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument.

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This is the view at Agua Canyon, elevation 8800 feet.  Can you see the “face” in the rock formation on the left?

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The Natural Bridge is at elevation 8627 feet.

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The view at Bryce Point, elevation 8296 feet, is one of the prettiest in the park, containing many hoodoos.  You can hike down into the canyon to get a better view of the rock formations.

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More views at Bryce Point…

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There are over 60 miles of hiking trails in the park, and someday we will return to hike down into the canyon for a closer look at these amazing hoodoo formations.

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One thing I want to point out for anyone traveling to Bryce Canyon in an RV, they have two arches that you have to drive through to get to the park.  For whatever reason, they have signs stating 13 feet, 6 inches.  This would give pause to anyone driving an RV, particularly a fifth wheel.  The height of our 5th wheel is 13-3.  I’m not sure who did the measuring, but as you can see from Tom and Ellen’s fifth wheel going through the arch, there is plenty of room.

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If you are interested in Astronomy, they have special programs at the park in June; and in July, they have programs for those interested in Geology.  We plan on coming back to the park someday to hike down into the canyon.

Quote for the Day:  “Stepping out onto any lookout, you are invited to connect with an amazing example of some of the most unusual terrain on this planet, making you feel as though you are stepping foot on the edge of another world.” – Stefanie Payne

 

 

 

A quick trip to Page, Arizona

We had a one-day stop in Page, Arizona, with our friends Tom and Ellen, and certainly made the best of a rainy day, with a quick trip between storms to see Horseshoe Bend Overlook and tour Lower Antelope Canyon.  The scenery was spectacular, even if the weather was not co-operating.

HORSESHOE BEND OVERLOOK

Horseshoe Bend Overlook is where the Colorado River makes a 270 degree bend around the rocks in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  I’ve seen many photographs of this area, but never really knew where it was.  The orange rock is Navajo Sandstone.

After you park and walk up a small hill, you are greeted with this view.  If you look closely, you can see dozens of people in the middle right of the picture.

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All those people were looking at this:

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Horseshoe Bend Overlook

If you look really close at the above picture, down at the bottom of the middle, you may notice a couple of yellow kayaks.  Here is a zoomed in photo:

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Yes, there were people tent camping right on the bend.  And, there is even an outhouse down there (not sure who gets to clean that!).  I think this would be an amazing spot to kayak and tent camp overnight at.  Not sure if this requires a special permit or not.

Even though they charge $11.00 for parking, it is definitely worth a stop to see this overlook…even in the rain!

LOWER ANTELOPE CANYON TOUR

We were scheduled for a late afternoon tour of Lower Antelope Canyon, but it was cancelled due to the rain.  Flash flooding is a serious concern, and several people were killed a few years ago when the canyon flooded before they could get out.  This is why the only way to enter the canyon now, is with a guided tour.  Fortunately, we were able to reschedule the next morning.

Lower Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon, made out of Navajo Sandstone.  The tour takes about one hour, and you will walk approximately one mile.  There are stairs leading down into the canyon, and back out of the canyon.  In between, you have many slots to pass through.  It’s not recommended for people who are claustrophobic, but the beauty of the canyon may keep your mind off the fact that you are in a small space.  My photos really do not do justice to the colors of the sandstone.

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Going down into the canyon

There are many narrow passages…

 

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Lots of different formations made over time by the wind and water coming through the canyon…

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The light shining down from above, creates different shades of color throughout the day…

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Canyon Arch

Before they added stairs, visitors would climb up the rocks using the gouges in the rocks shown below.

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We had a great time during our all too brief visit to Page.  There are many things to do in the area, and we are considering stopping back in the fall on our way back to Arizona.  But work beckons, so we had to keep going on our journey.  Stay tuned…

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Dan, Jonell, Ellen and Tom

Quote for the Day:  “All the lessons are in nature.  You look at the way rocks are formed – the wind and the water hitting them, shaping them, making them what they are.  Things take time, you know?” – Diane Lane

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sedona: visiting a Chapel and a Castle

We have arrived in Moran, Wyoming for our summer work camping job at Luton’s Teton Cabins.  I still have to finish up on our posts about our drive up to the Tetons from Arizona.  Today’s post will finish up our brief trip to Sedona, Arizona, where we visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and Montezuma Castle.

CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS

The Chapel was inspired and funded by a local artist, Marguerite Brunswig Staude, and completed in 1956.  She wanted to build the Chapel as a monument to faith.  The view of the Chapel is impressive, approximately 250 feet tall.

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Chapel of the Holy Cross

St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Sedona runs the Chapel, and holds Taize Prayer services on Monday evening.  That is the only service that is held in the Chapel on a regular basis.  Weddings are permitted, but many restrictions apply.  A small parking lot is at the base of the Chapel, and there is a long, winding walkway up to the entrance.

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Walkway to Chapel entrance

The view of the area is stunning.

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Parking lot and surrounding scenery

The interior of the Chapel is small, and there is a gift shop in the basement.

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The Chapel is a stunning place to visit, say a prayer, and remember loved ones.  The plaque by this angel states “And He shall give his angel charge over you to keep you in all ways.”

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MONTEZUMA CASTLE

South of Sedona, in Camp Verde, is Montezuma Castle National Monument.  Between 1100 and 1300, Southern Sinagua farmers built a five-story dwelling into a cliff about 100 feet above the valley floor.  It is believed the building had a total of 45 rooms.   The Castle became a national monument in 1906, and up until the 1950’s,  visitors were able to climb up ladders to view the Castle up close.

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The bushes in front of the cliff are the Creosote Bush, among the oldest plants on Earth.  Creosote has been used to treat everything from toothaches to chicken pox.

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A 45-room “Castle”

They believe this area was chosen due to it’s close proximity to water, and native vegetation that they could live off of.  Beaver Creek is just a few hundred yards from the cliff.

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Beaver Creek

After the park service discontinued letting people climb up 100 foot tall ladders to view the Castle up close, they built this diorama so visitors could get a better idea of what life was like in the Castle.

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For the past several years, I have been getting “stamps” at all the places operated by the  National Park Service that we visit.  Our friend Ellen decided that was a great way to keep a record of the places that her and Tom visit, and she purchased her own National Parks Passport book.  Here is Ellen getting her very first stamp of Montezuma Castle!  This year they also have a 100th anniversary stamp of the death of Teddy Roosevelt, in addition to the regular stamps.

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Quote for the Day:  “Travel makes one modest.  You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

A quick trip to Sedona

After a relaxing week at Pueblo El Mirage RV and Golf resort in El Mirage, Arizona, we headed north to Camp Verde, Arizona, where we met up with our friends Tom, Ellen, Kathy and Steve.  They are on their way to the West Yellowstone, Montana area for their summer jobs.  We stayed at Distant Drums RV Resort, a very nice park, and conveniently located to everything we wanted to see.  There are so many things to see and do in northern Arizona, that we may have to consider a summer work camping job here just to see everything!  (it’s at a higher elevation, so the temperatures are not so hot in the summer).

We took a drive up to Sedona (about 15 miles north of Camp Verde) and did a short hike to view Cathedral Rock from Oak Creek Park.

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Steve, Kathy, Ellen, Tom, Dan and I

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Cathedral Rock in Sedona

 

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old pump house and water wheel

The trail winds around Oak Creek river, and many people have stopped to stack rocks, which is called cairns.

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Cairn rocks

We did attempt to watch a sunset over the rocks in Sedona.  The sunset itself was a bit of a dud that night, but the color changes on Thunder Mountain were nice.

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Thunder Mountain before sunset

 

As the sun was setting….

 

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Long shadows, followed by the rocks lighting up from the setting sun…

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Dan decided to photo bomb my sunset pictures!

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Stay tuned, more to come from Sedona

Quote for the day:  “Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.” – Mattie Stepanek

 

Winter work camping is done!!

We have finished up our 6 months of work camping at Westwind RV and Golf Resort in Yuma, Arizona!  It was our longest work camping job that we have done since we started our journey in 2013.  And we’re going to do it again (for 1 more year) this fall!  This season, Dan and I both worked 3 days a week, Thursday – Saturday.  Dan worked 24 hours each week, on the golf course. In exchange, we received our full hook-up site, including all utilities, for free.  I worked in the office, for minimum wage (currently $11.00/hour in Arizona) averaging about 28 hours/week.

In total, I made approximately $8,000 for the 6 months of work (I haven’t received my last paycheck yet, so I don’t have the exact gross pay figures).  Our expenses were minimal, as we did not have to pay anything for 6 months of rent/utilities.  Laundry was not included, and we spent $225.00 at the on-site laundry facility in the park.  We probably could have found a cheaper laundromat, but the convenience of walking to the facility outweighed the expense.  But the real benefits of being in one spot for so long is all the wonderful people that you meet.  Dan enjoyed working with the full-time year round staff on the golf course and in the maintenance department.  I had great co-workers that made the job fun (shout out to Lori and Roy!!), and a very patient office manager, Kathy.  We never seemed to stop learning…

This fall, Dan will only be working 16 hours/week, 3 days a week.  In exchange, we will receive our site for free, but will have to pay for electric/utilities.  He requested this, because he often finished up his work by lunch, and had to spend the afternoon making “busy work.”  Being a former math teacher, he ran the numbers, and it wasn’t worth working 32 extra hours per month to cover electric/utilities.  It amounted to getting paid just over $4/hour.  I will be back in the office, and the minimum wage in Arizona is set to increase to $12/hour next January.  So that’s a nice perk, as most winter jobs do not pay.

In addition to having a positive experience at Westwind, we decided to come back for several other reasons.  We are planning on going to Alaska in 2020, but not to work, just to play tourist.  Having an income over the winter season will help to offset the loss of income in the summer.  Also, we really enjoyed getting together with our friends Dave and Marilyn.  It was a pleasant surprise when we found out they had moved to the Yuma area and next season our friends Tom and Ellen will be joining us as well.  Tom will work in Guest Services (helping to park RV’s, read electric meters, and whatever else is needed) and Ellen will be in the mail room.  In exchange for their hours, they will receive their site for free, including utilities, and a voucher which they can use at the onsite restaurant, golf shop, and concert tickets (only the office is a paid position).

It took 6 months, but I finally saw my first rattlesnake and roadrunner at the end of March, while playing golf with Dan, Roy and Lyle (who is from Canada and rented a park model a few doors from us).

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A zoomed in view, as it was much smaller (thankfully) than I expected!

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Needless to say, you must keep the ball in the fairway!

It was hard to get a photo of the roadrunner, so this is a bit blurry.  They move fast, and are not as big as I imagined (must have been all those cartoon road runners I watched growing up….beep beep!)  And yes, they can fly, but usually just run around.

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I’m not sure what I prefer, dealing with alligators while golfing in Florida, or rattlesnakes in Arizona.  I think I’ll stick with the safest alternative, Max.  He doesn’t bite!

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What’s next?

We have a month to wander around until we start our summer job, back at Luton’s Teton Cabins.  We spent a week near Phoenix at Peublo El Mirage Golf and RV resort (very nice), just relaxing, and are now near Sedona for a few days.  We have met up with Tom and Ellen and Steve and Kathy who are all on their way to West Yellowstone for their summer work camping jobs.  I will have a new post about the Sedona area in the not too distant future.

I’m not sure what the name of this cactus is, but it was in full bloom at the RV park in El Mirage.  We were told it only blooms for one day each year.  Since we were leaving the park the next morning, I was not able to go back and verify if the flowers were still in bloom.  It was beautiful though!

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Quote for the day:  “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

Yuma Territorial Prison

We have finished up our work camping in Yuma, and have moved on to the Phoenix area for a week of relaxation.  I will do a final post on our work camping experience, but I wanted to finish up on our Yuma posts first.  We always enjoy visiting museums and historical sites, and spent a few hours with our friends Dave and Marilyn visiting the old prison in town.

On July 1, 1876, the Yuma Territorial Prison opened its gates for the first time to prisoners, and continued to accept prisoners, both male and female, until it closed in 1909.  The last prisoners were transferred to the new Arizona State Prison in Florence, Arizona.

The prison has an interesting history, and is worth visiting if you are in the Yuma area.  Many of the original cell blocks remain, but a lot of the buildings and exterior walls have been demolished to make room for the railroad, or were destroyed in a fire.  This is a photograph of the prison complex when it was in full operation.  At the time, the Colorado River came right up to the rocks.

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The main guard tower was reconstructed on its original site.  The Sally Port remains intact, as well as the buildings behind it, which are not visible on this photo.

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Main Guard Tower

The Sally Port is where the prisoners entered/exited the prison.  It was large enough to hold a covered wagon, with both doors locked, for unloading the prisoners.

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Six prisoners were assigned to each cell, and in 1901, iron bunks were installed, since the wooden bunks became severely infested with bed bugs.

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Marilyn, Dave and Dan

This is the exterior of the six-person cell blocks.   The cage on the left is part of the “incorrigible” ward that was built in 1904, and consisted of five steel cages.

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When prisoners misbehaved, they were sent to the “dark cell,” where they endured 24 hours of darkness, along with snakes and bats.  As part of the guided tour, you go down the hallway into the dark cell, to experience what it was like.  As we discovered, the bats are still there…they didn’t like the flash photography (you can see a few in the photo on the right)

The Yuma prison was “co-ed”, and twenty-nine women spent time in prison (many for adultery).  They had a separate cell that was a bit “nicer.”

The prisoners, not surprisingly, hated the place, but the local community thought the prison was more like a country club.  The museum contains a lot of interesting information about the prisoners, life at the time, and a display of weapons.

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The Yumans perspective:

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The prisoners perspective:

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In 1910, the Yuma high school burned down, and classes were held in the prison from 1910 – 1914 while a new school was being built.  When the Yuma high school football team upset a team from Phoenix, those fans complained it was ‘criminal’ and the school decided to adopt the nickname “Criminals.”   That name remains in place today, and their mascot is the face of a hardened criminal.  It’s the only school in the country where you can rightfully call the students criminals!

Quote for the day:  “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” – Victor Hugo

Military Testing: Yuma Proving Grounds

First off, a special thanks to blog readers Jim P. and Wayne W. who replied on my last blog that this building is a VOR Station, allowing aircraft to use their radio beams to navigate throughout the US.  Always good to learn something new every day!  dsc05652 (1)

About 30 miles northeast of Yuma is the United States Army Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG), which covers 1300 square miles of the Sonoran Desert.  General Motors also operates a test track on the grounds, and permits the Army to test their vehicles on the tracks that GM built, at no cost to the government.  You can visit parts of the YPG, but not the GM facility.  If you do go to YPG, you must have photo identification, proof of vehicle insurance, and current vehicle registration of the vehicle that you are driving, in order to get onto the grounds where the free Heritage Center museum is located.

There is a nice display of weapons that have been tested at YPG since WWII, outside of the facility.  Some have been put into military use, and others discarded as not acceptable.

The facility has a long history, going back to World War II, when the Army trained over one million men and women out in the desert to prepare for combat. General Patton was instrumental in getting this training facility started. He felt this would be an excellent area to prepare the troops for WWII.  The museum has an interesting movie about the WWII training experience, including many first-hand recollections from WWII veterans.

The grounds are still in use today for combat training.  When you drive around in the area, you can see small makeshift cities that our troops continue to train in, to simulate desert conditions in the Middle East.

The museum has displays of what the base was like in the 1940s and 50s.  At the time, these were state of the art technology.  Looking at this telephone, we all started going “one ringy dingy, two ringy dingy” at the same time! (you need to be over 45 to get that)

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XY Dial Central Office Equipment

When testing equipment, it’s is crucial to document and record the test, which is where this Film Processing Machine came into use.

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This camera has been in use since 1944 to record rocket testing.

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RC-2 (Bowen) Ribbon-Frame Camera

YPG is testing items for the modern-day soldier, including this cooling vest that serves as a base layer, and the night vision goggles.

A lot of ammunition gets tested out in the desert, and we could hear a lot of “booms” going off as we walked around on the premises.

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The YPG is also a major testing/training area for parachuting, including high-altitude jumps.  They had one very famous visitor to the area, when former President George H.W. Bush decided to jump out of an airplane at the young age of 72.   The museum has framed a copy of the autographed newspaper on the wall.

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Quote for the day:  “Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” – Douglas MacArthur

 

 

 

 

 

A Date (farm, that is)

We do try to have a “play day” with our friends Dave and Marilyn, that live in Yuma, and see various sites in the area.  Dave was trying to find something new to show us, but we got off track and ended up at the Imperial Date Gardens, in Bard, California.  Little did he know this was actually a place that I wanted to see.  I love dates, Dan, not so much.

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The place does offer tours, but since we just happened upon the place, it was not on a tour day.  No one was at the place, but one of the workers took the time to come outside and talk about the date palm trees.  In a very short time, I learned more about dates and palm trees than I thought possible!  It was very interesting, and growing/harvesting dates is a very labor intensive process.  Imperial Date Gardens specializes in the Medjool Date, because, as the manager honestly pointed out, it has the highest profit margin!  They also taste great.  To buy them right at the plant, was very cheap.  I was able to get a pound of extra fancy medjool dates for $5.75.  I should have bought more, as they are double and triple that price in the local stores.

The “male” date palm trees and the “female” date palm trees are carefully populated (I think that was the term he used), and they create little offshoots.

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the “male” trees

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the “female” trees

The male trees and female trees are kept in different areas.  If you stare at the two pictures long enough, you will see the difference between the sex of the tree.  Once a month, they flood the fields to provide water for the tree.  The harvest starts in August, and can go as late as October.

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the “baby offshoots”

 

Because Yuma has over 300 days of sunshine a year, it is a major agricultural area.  Acres upon acres of produce is grown here, and sold throughout the United States.  It is interesting driving around the Yuma area to see the lush green fields surrounded by desert brown roads.  If you check the origin of your winter produce, much of it will come from this area.

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Dave has noticed this white buildings all over the country.  We spotted one in the Yuma area.  We have no idea what it is, other than a government facility of some sort.   We tried to get closer, but there was enough Warning: No Trespassing signs to keep us away.  It is surrounded by acres of romaine lettuce fields.  If you know what this if, let me know.

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Sometimes it’s okay to just wander and get lost.  You never know what you will find.

Quote for the day:  “Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” – Lawrence Block

Working and visitors

For the first five years of our full-time RV life, we only worked from mid-May to the end of December.  We spent January thru March just hanging out in Florida, but I would get bored by March.  I need to have something structured to do with my time.  This is the first year we will be working all the way thru mid-April, at Westwind RV and Golf Resort.   (yes I know, “poor us” having to stay in one place for six full months!)

Our current job is a good test to see how this longer winter job will work out for us, from both a financial standpoint, and on my “boredom” meter.  We probably won’t decide until the end of March what we will do next winter.  We really want to give this a good try, and see how everything goes.  Ideally, it would be nice to find shorter term jobs, and be able to travel more.

Work in the office/registration has definitely picked up.  January was very busy, and February has been crazy as well, as this is the peak of the snow bird season.  March is when we start taking reservations for next season, so we don’t anticipate much of a slowdown at work until early April.  Dan has been busy on the golf course, and enjoys cutting the fairways, and rolling the greens.

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But once again we have been faced with the sad reality of life.  Monday we noticed an ambulance down the street from us, in front of the motorhome of the work camper that works opposite days of Dan on the golf course.  His wife had a heart attack, and passed away.  We spent some time with him yesterday, and he told us they should have started RVing earlier in life.  We hear that all the time.  Don’t wait on your dreams, whatever they are.

We did have some visitors this past month, which we always enjoy (our door is always open!)  As Makena posted in her blog, Dan’s parents were able to visit for a couple of weeks.  They were able to golf a few rounds on the par 3 course here in the park that Dan works on, as well as participate in many other activities that go on every day in the park.  They had a great time, and we were happy that they were able to make it out to Yuma for a visit.

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Our friends Joan and Steve stopped in as well.  They volunteer at the Lake Mead Recreation Area in Nevada.  Due to the government shutdown, they were not able to work, so they drove down for a visit.  We learned some new card games, and talked about future work camping and volunteer jobs. We also got together with Henry and Terry, that work in the pro shop here.  All six of us worked together at Crazy Horse Memorial, so it was nice reminiscing about that summer.

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Joan, Jonell, Dan, Terry, Henry and Steve

Friends from Wisconsin, Dean and Jeannie texted us that they were passing through Arizona on their way to California for a volunteer work camping job, so we had a quick breakfast visit.   They spend the winters traveling in their Airstream, and summers back in Wisconsin.  It’s probably been five years since we have seen them, and it was great catching up with their adventures.img_2333

While Dan’s parents were visiting, Dan’s cousin Dave and his wife, Dee, stopped by as well.  They are over-the-road truck drivers, and were in Yuma to pick up a load.  It was a quick hello, as they had three days to get to Georgia.

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The big Quartzsite RV show took place at the end of January, and we drove up to check it out.  It was basically a giant flea market, but we did meet up with Terry and Wendy for lunch.  And as you can see, it was cold out in the desert!

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Our park has a concert series where they bring in tribute bands, and we have attended several of the concerts.  Some good, some okay.  Dan’s parents were able to see ‘December of 63,’ a tribute to Franki Vali.  It was an excellent show, and Dan’s mom was able to meet the band!

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And then there was the very energetic ABBA tribute band…

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Quote for the Day:  “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius

The dog blog is back for another year!

Hello everyone!  Your favorite dog blogger is back!  And Happy (belated) New Year!!  My parents need to leave the computer open and the wifi on while they are busy at work, so I can keep my peeps updated more often!  For those new to the blog, I’m a little Jack Russell Terrier that likes to take over the blog once in a while, and post about my life on the road.

 

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Keeping my peeps informed!

Normally my parents do their work camping thing (which pays for my toys and treats) from mid-May to the end of December.  I’m not sure that I like this idea of them working all the way through mid-April this year.  Usually I get to spend the first four months of the year being the center of attention.  Now they are off working 3 days a week, and I’m home alone listening to the radio.  I guess it’s better than being back in Wisconsin, where it’s 22 below, and that’s just the air temperature! My mom’s sister Margie sent her this picture this morning.  That is just wrong!  I feel bad for my cousins, Rudy and Reagan.  They are German Shorthair Pointers, so they have even less hair than I do!  I would need to use a litter box, because there’s no way I’m going outdoors to pee in that temperature!

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I did get to go with my parents to San Diego (thanks Gary and Julia for booking a dog-friendly house so I could come along!).  I’ve visited the Atlantic Ocean several times in Florida, and was excited to get my paws wet in the Pacific Ocean!  I’m officially a coast-to-coast traveler now!

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My mom and I sat down for our regular photo with my cousin Simon.  That tiny baby has grown into a handsome young boy.

Simon has also grown into the perfect height for getting snacks!  I’ve taught him well.

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I was super excited when my grandparents came to visit me here in Yuma!  They have been very busy with golfing, line dancing, playing cards and participating in many other activities in the park.  When they came over, gramps was a little pooped out, and grandma was more interested in her iPad.  I feel left out….

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sigh…

Longtime readers may recall that grandpa and I share the same birthday, March 20.  They will not be here in March, so we decided to have an early birthday celebration, with gramps turning 82, and I will be 12!  The cake was delicious!

 

Looking at the photo with 2 candles, has caused me to reflect on the 10 years that have passed since the last time I had 2 candles on a cake.

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just a pup at age 2

I now have some gray behind the ears, but I think I still look great for my age!  Back then, we were living in a house, and I enjoyed playing with the neighbor kids, Adam, Faith, Josh and Ben.  They would play football with me, which I enjoyed.  But I really enjoy living in a fifth wheel.  The smaller space suits me better, and I get to meet people from all over the country, and discover new spots to sniff and pee.   Life is good!

Quote for the day:  “A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.” – Robert Benchley