Have we told you that we like the desert? I met a lady from Canada the other day. She said, “Isn’t it nice here?” I replied, “I think I am falling in love.” Boondocking is basically camping in the middle of nowhere and able to do without any services besides what the RV supplies – which is pretty much all that we need. Remember the old song ‘Down in the Boondocks”? We went up to boondock in high country in another BLM area. (Bureau of Land Management – public lands).
We left the metropolis of Lake Havasu City and Quartzsite BLM received us with open arms. It was wonderful to be back. Wide open space, mountains on three sides, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, terrific night sky watching. It was like we belonged. The moon rises are beautiful in the desert (actually, anywhere!). It is a majesty to behold the moon rising over the mountains caught between 2 cacti. Camera cannot capture it (mine doesn’t, anyways). And the many different varieties of cacti are fascinating. Doug wants to take some home to grow in his garden and actually dug up a little one and it is on board. While on a bike ride his tire was punctured by a cactus thorn. More on that later. There are few green lawns in Arizona, but a lot of cactus gardens.
We moved onto Muggins Mountains Wilderness Area on Tuesday. It is another BLM not far from Yuma. On the way we drove through a military proving ground/air base where all matter of military vehicles are tested. Around Yuma we saw lush green fields of garden veggies all around – lettuce, cabbage etc. The Yuma area grows 90% of the green crops in the winter for North America. And a lot of the workers are migrant workers. The wilderness area is up a remote narrow gravel road that leads to some mountains. Just over the mountains is Yuma Proving Ground – another military area that detonates explosives. We could hear the blasts. It truly is a desolate place. It is a popular hiking spot, but not so much a popular camping spot. We were all alone.
Which wouldn’t be so bad except for a warning sign on the BLM kiosk stating that it could be a border crossing area and folks should use extreme caution. Really!? That put me a little on edge. But we enjoyed the night viewing. The stars are so bright. And we could see the lights of the farms from the valley in the distance. It really is beautiful. We heard coyotes and saw bats as they flitted around us. We hiked both days we were there. Rugged and strenuous workout, but so worth it. The second night we saw a plane circling around and around. It could have been a military exercise, but the lateness (10 PM) and the warning sign played havoc with my rest that night. I would do well to remember what someone said once, “You are invincible until the Lord calls you home.” But I was looking forward to being in civilization again.
Riverfront RV Park in Yuma is in the older part of town and is beside the Colorado River. Doug and I are some of the younger residents! It is a quiet park that has lots of antiques on site – everything from vehicles to bicycles to housewares. It even boasts of entertaining 2 neighborhood bobcats that hunt in the nearby wooded area. Apparently they are semi-friendly and can be seen sometimes napping by the river not far from campsites. I hope to lay my eyes on them while I am here. Speaking of bobcats – Bobcat Jack is a winter resident this season. He is a blues musician that was guitarist for Van Morrison, played with Steve Miller Blues Band (when he left the band Boz Scaggs took his place!) and many other famous performers. He will be entertaining the residents here once a week for the winter. I sat in on his first performance this weekend and it was fabulous.
Remember the flat tire on Doug’s bike? He tried to fix it with a patch and to secure the patch he wrapped Gorilla tape around the tube. He put air in it and got the wheel back on the bike and, BAM!, the tube blew up. We got a chuckle! And then we bought a new tube. Yuma is a cyclist’s heaven with bike paths and routes throughout the city. The paths are well maintained, the terrain is flat and there is hardly anyone on them. We are able to get to anywhere with ease and we are getting plenty of exercise. We connected with Crossroads Mission. It is an organization that provides many community helps – homeless shelter, soup kitchen, 2nd hand store, addictions counseling to name a few. We volunteered to help them with a booth they set up on Saturdays at a farmers market. December 1 was the annual Christmas lighting celebration in Old Downtown Yuma. Main St was closed and food and merchandise vendors set up booths. There was live music, attractions for kids and an antique car show. Some great classic cars and even some weird twisted hydraulic stuff, but we don’t get why people like to do that to a good car. On Sunday we found a church (Grace Bible Fellowship) to attend and felt at home.
I think this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship!
Let's Do The 180! 
I loved reading of your travels!!!!!!! Enjoy the journey
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