Yuma January 25th

Since we wanted to remain in Yuma for a month, we changed our location to Foothill Village RV park. The place we were first at only allowed a maximum stay of two weeks. The first thing we did upon arriving was looking up doctors and dentists. Marilyn needs to establish a relationship with a local doctor and arrange an exam so she can get a referral for her bimonthly medication. I needed to find a dentist and get some work done.
I was also due for a colonoscopy.

Waiting for the dentist office to open in Algodones

Lunch in Algodones

We visited Algonones, Mexico just across the border and had a fine time just browsing the shops and fending off the hawkers who wanted to convince us that their dentist, drugs, hats, wallets, jewelery, liquor, eye exams, glasses, contacts, etc were the best and lowest priced. I had a referral from a friend for a good dentist so we went to the office and I got in right away. Afterwards we browsed some more and had lunch in Plaza del Sol. Grilled shrimp as I recall. Poor Marilyn must have caught a bug because for the next two days she was not feeling well so she laid low and slept it off.
With the sun shining nearly all the time, we've had lots of time to spend at the pool and just lay about. We went back to Algodones a couple of days later and finished up my dental work. On the way back to camp we decided to visit the big swap meet in Yuma. Lots of stuff we don't need but we did pick up a few odds and ends that looked useful.
A ham radio buddy was down this way so we visited Sam and wife Betty where they were staying up north of us in the Imperial Dam area.

Sam WC7Q and me

On the way to the Imperial Dam area we passed through the Yuma Proving Grounds, an area owned by the US Army where equipment is tested.

A Sherman tank which saw action in Europe

German bullet impacts in the Sherman tank

A 16 inch shell used on battleships such as the Missouri or New Jersey

Shuffleboard anyone?

Consulting with my partner as we second guess the opponents next move

As I carefully push the "stone" down the board, I'm thinking, "I'm not old enough to play this game"

Disgustingly relaxed

Bathing beauty! Almost 40 years of marriage and I still marvel at her. The magic is still there.

I hired these guys to wash and wax the truck and camper

They did a good job and I gave them a nice tip

Watching the Hawks vs 49ers game

We decided to visit the historic Yuma Territorial Prison. It was operational from 1876 to 1909. 

"Despite an infamous reputation, written evidence indicates that the prison was humanely administered, and was a model institution for its time. The only punishments were the dark cells for inmates who broke prison regulations, and the ball and chain for those who tried to escape."

This is the only part of the 18 foot thick wall remaining. The rest of the wall was used by Yuma residents to rebuild the city after a massive flood early in the 20th century.

The prison yard where inmates exercised

Mamabear getting ready to open the cell door for me. I was convicted of grand theft love

Convict 1005 is not happy

The cell where I'll spend the rest of my life

The guard tower

I was released on grounds that I had to fix a picnic lunch

On one of our geocaching trips we had to travel over a bumpy, gravel road to reach Army Air Force #4 airfield. There were many of these remote airfields constructed during WWII for training pilots. Many of them are still identifiable on google maps.

Checking our coordinates on my smart phone before heading out

In the photo above, the old runway blacktop is still visible but in bad shape

Looking west across the runway

Bleak, very bleak

The flight director in action

This cache was a QR code sticker on the No trespassing sign

We decided to not go any farther with the car and just hoof it to the coordinates

This section of the airfield must still be used because there is a gate and card reader at the entrance

OK, OK I get the messaage!!

Ready for takeoff!

 There have been some amazing sunsets here.

Here's a 10 second time exposure of the moon at last quarter

So that's the story so far. Next up is Marilyn's Remicaid infusion on the 29th and then after that I have a follow up appointment with the gastro guy with results of the colonoscopy. Then it's on to Organ Pipe National Park.

Yuma AZ

We arrived at our campground after a leisurely four hour drive. While passing through the Jacumaba mountain range we were struck by the huge rocks that peppered the landscape. This area was formed during the Mesozoic era when the Gulf of California came into being.

 Imperial sand dunes are where there were hundreds of RV's parked and dune buggies playing in the massive sand dunes.

We are going to stay in this area for at least a month. We have some medical issues to attend to and we want to explore and see how well this area fits into our long term goals. While looking for a place to stay we found that the fee for a month's stay is proportional to its distance from Yuma and varies according to the time of year. Since it is winter the fees are at their peak.

We went geocaching on Saturday the 4th and wound up way out in the boonies. At first the GPS pointed to a location atop a rocky hill.. So we climbed up through a small ravine.

It was pretty steep and slippery and I was concerned that it might be dangerous. Once we got to the top we looked around for an obvious spot one might hide a cache. Glancing at my GPS again I discovered that the arrow was now pointing back where we parked. While we were up there it occurred to me that this terrain was perfect for rattlesnakes to hide. From what I've read, rattlers spend the daytime hidden under rocks to escape the hot sun. I also distinctly heard a hissing sound much like a cat. On the way back down, I kept looking back over my shoulder half expecting to see a mountain lion stalking us. Once we got back to the road we found the cache without any problem.

Looking easterly from the top of the hill

Sunset over Yuma

A time exposure of Yuma in the distance

San Diego CA

We left Ramona Canyon on Friday Dec 27 and headed for Arlo and Carmen York's home on the Marine base in Mira Mesa.

Arlo is Marilyn's cousin and has served his country for over 12 years. He is now a staff sergeant in the Avionics division. We spent a week there parked across the street from his home.

They have four kids ranging in age from 10 to 2 with one more on the way. He and Carmen were terrific hosts and made us feel welcome. Each child gave us a big hug when Arlo introduced to them to Marilyn and me. I've never seen such openness from kids when confronted with strangers.

They took us to see "Frozen" on Saturday at the Navy base theater on Coronado Island. It was free....free is good. From there we went up to the Veteran's memorial on Mt. Soledad. The huge cross has been the subject of much controversy and it was great to see it still standing. The low walls surrounding the monument were covered with tiles each one with a vet's picture and explanatory text. Quite a moving experience.

View from Mt. Soledad

Afterwards we visited the La Jolla area and drove along the sea wall where the rich folks live. The odor permeating this area was not pleasant. Apparently, the sea lions are fully protected and due to the number of them along this stretch of beach they leave a lot of "presents" in the area. No pictures because we kept the windows closed!
We had the opportunity to meet up with a couple who we met while in Julian last week. Terry and Jeanette Fox who live in San Diego invited us to spend an afternoon exploring the "old town". We had a wonderful time with them and had an early dinner at a local outside diner.

On our last day there we went to Coronado Island again and spent the afternoon on a sandy beach watching the kids play and just enjoying the fresh sea air and relaxing.

Does she looked relaxed? Yup.

Leanna and Josiah

Michael and Alexander

 We left San Diego Thursday Jan 2 and made our way to the next destination. Yuma Arizona.