What to do when the wind blows?

 Weather has been 'interesting' this year - 

lots of cold and wind-

very strong gusts!

OH MY!!

Notice the "For Sale" sign?

When the wind gusts are 30 mph it is a good time to find a museum.

Wellton Arizona (Population 2,222)  has a surprising little museum.

I especially like the black and white one.

Fun to find a  sense of humor in a museum.

These are Desert Claw Vine Seedpods.

We enjoy 'visiting' the Stage Stops 

(even 'virtually')

We think the crowded airplanes are bad.  How would you like all your luggage on your lap, carrying mail beneath the seat,  a few station stops and bad food, 

sleeping in your seat, and pay $3000 for the 'terrible ordeal'?

It's nice to know that they provide buffalo robes for your comfort,

-Gents who use chewing tobacco are asked to spit with the wind 

(not against it).

Liquor is prohibited, but if you bring it, be sure to share.

Loud snoring is not permitted.

Prohibited topics of discussion are Stagecoach robberies and Indian uprisings.

Living is the desert requires innovation.

The 'refrigerator' is water soaked burlap sacks placed outside where the breezes can keep the eggs, milk, and butter cool.

If egg prices keep on going up, you may want to have your own chickens.

'Back in the day' they actually branded their chickens.

Not a bad idea!

Lou reminiscing about his days of farming in Millford.

(and glad that is in the past)

Wellton's prize winning float for their annual parade.

 

Across the border

 Yuma Border Crossing 

We were told to get there ( to the optical shop) when it opened at 8AM, but to come back to the US before noon or else be subject to extra long lines and a possible overnight stay in Mexico because they close the gates back to the US and the wait can be as long as 4 hours.

Others have suggested walking up the river a bit and crossing over that way 

if need be.

We noticed several patches of barbed wire, but not very many.

Who are they trying to keep in ( or keep out?)

Typical border town that has tons of trinkets

along with the bartering ritual.

Some streets you can be attacked with the merchants pestering you to purchase

most anything.

Los Algodones is known for the number of Dentists, Pharmacies and Opticians.

It has more dentists per capita than any other place in the WORLD!!

Every day more than 3000 people cross the Yuma border to get dental treatments.

We happened to stop at one of the dental offices, and definitely would not go there.  They recommend full mouth replacements with ceramic crowns - Yikes!

There are plenty of people that do get good dental work done, but I'm thinking it would be hard to choose a good one amongst the thousands.

We went over for a pair of eyeglasses and had a really good experience.

Exam + tri-focal progressive lenses in basic frames cost $100.00

and-it was done in 3 hours!

(Compare that to the weeks it takes to get the lenses done at home)

We got to the line to cross after 11AM

and the time estimate was about an hour.

Guess we won't have to spend the night!

Always glad to get back to the US!!

KOFA Wildlife Refuge

ALL DAY TRIP

Bouncing around in jeeps☺️

KOFA wildlife refuge - over 600,000 acres between Quartzite and Yuma.

This is a very popular site for exploring - even if you don't see the Bighorn Sheep that it was designed to protect.

KOFA is the standard abbreviation for the King OF Arizona mine which was one of the most prominent gold mines in Arizona in the 1880's to 1910.

We were in the northern part of the refuge and saw lots of Saguaro and Cholla cactus.

Time for lunch!

Russ and Sue, Dave and Sylvia, Harold and Jan-and 3 dogs!

Kind of a wide spot in the road,

but we saw no other cars.

A pretty place for a short hike-

prettier than the south end of KOFA.

Sylvia was glad to find the slot canyon that she found on a previous trip.

We were surprised to find slot canyons that remind us of Utah.

We didn't see any Bighorn Sheep, but we did see a lizard and 

a

Tarantula Hawk (wasp)

They find a tarantula in it's den, and sting it (which paralyzes it, but does not kill).   Then they lay their eggs on the tarantula and when the larve hatch, they have fresh tarantula to eat🤨) 

YUK

Always something to discover.

On the road again - With these funny looking mountains there are always plenty of ways to see imaginary things.

Sylvia wanted us to see the 'toes'

(including the bunion)

The KOFA maps show the Water Tanks.

This was #8  (I think)

Lou wanted a nap

(I caught him in a yawn)

This plant reminded me of the Century Plant,

but found out it is Agave.

We had a good day, but long!!

"What do you do all day?"

 

"what do we do all day?"

That is a question often asked of the retirees who stay at the winter location for several months.

Sometimes we wonder the same thing!

So we 'go where we've gone before'

We did explore this area last year.

and we always enjoy the spots of color that venture forth.

Sights of water in the desert are always appreciated!

Imperial Dam

Besides jeeping, boating is popular.

Weekend venue 

includes concerts at the Naked Dates Farm

(we also did that last year)

Exploring the desert

 

When there is free time to explore the desert surroundings, you can always find some ghost town nearby.  We were intrigued by the 'Cemetery' in the ghost town and found it a bigger deal than expected.

Unlike typical Arizona ghost towns based around mining, Agua Caliente ("hot water" in Spanish) was built around a natural hot spring and a stagecoach line. The natural hot spring in the area had been used by American Indians and later by travelers along the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in the early 1860s.

The 'old' section with dates of 1800's

I always love the metal sunflowers in the desert!

The newer section (with the white fences) has dates as recent as 2019.

This is a very well cared for cemetery,

note the abundance of new flags.

We noticed the name on the current 'convenience store' 

("Conde's Middle of Nowhere Chevron")

 in the tiny town of Sentinel had many Conde relatives buried in this cemetery.

 By the year 1897, a 22-room resort was built, complete with a swimming pool fed by the hot springs. Many used the resort for its healing properties, but farming in the area ultimately sucked the springs dry.

A very few of these building remains were visible.

Adventure turns Mis-Adventure

Leaving Eloy- Thankfully, a kind motorist pointed frantically to a problem on the  driver side.
Lou saw that the wheel on the trailer was smoking --NOT a good sign!
We managed to limp to a truck stop about a mile away, and camp out there for 2 nights while we found help.

 

Getting to the wheel bearing was a "DIRTY JOB"

and needed trips into town to get a big enough tool to pull 

the brake drum.

Sure enough, the bearing was shot -

Really Shot!

We were looking for a tow company, but discovered nobody would tow a travel trailer so, I kept calling folks, and

After a couple of 'divinely appointed' phone calls we found a repair shop within walking distance of the lot we were parked in!

Then, another blessing --

Lou contacted the manufacturer of the axel and they are sending

a "good will" offering of a new axel, complete with bearings, and brakes for free!

Hallelujah!!!

Can't stay in the truck lot too long so we need to move!

Another big blessing

Lou's cousin Russ Mayer just 'happens to have his fully equipped 5th wheel available for us to use'

What a trip!! 

and God had our back the entire time!!

Praise the Lord!!