We’ve Left Our Desert Paradise

HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY!!

Yep, with heavy hearts we decided it was time to leave the desert.  Actually, since everybody else was leaving we decided it was time for us to go too.  We didn’t want to be out in the boonies all by ourselves and it was starting to get too hot.  We can’t run our A/C without firing up the generator and we can’t run that all day.

I have to say that as much as we LOVED our 47 days boondocking out in the desert I was looking forward to a LONG shower and 50 amp electric hookups!

We had some new visitors come to stay.  Doug & Joann liked it so much that they came back from Tucson after Doug’s doctor appointments and Jim & Ellie’s friends from South Dakota, Larry & Geri came out too.

Before we left we all decided it was time to go visit Palm Canyon.  Janna & Mike and Rollie & Gina had all gone there while they were staying out in the desert so we decided we needed to to go check this place out too.

All the girls (Me, Ellie, Joann and Geri) got in Ellie’s car and the boys (Rod, Jim, Doug and Larry) all piled into our car to take the one hour drive there.

We all took the 1/2 mile hike to the canyon.  Sounds easy but that 1/2 mile is pretty much straight up.

The trees are called California Fan Palms.  They are not date bearing palms like the ones in Palm Springs or El Centro.  According to the National Wildlife brochure they are probably the descendants of palms growing in this region during the last periods of North American glaciation.  Some botanists theorize that the trees gradually spread into these canyons as the climate warmed to desert conditions.  Other researchers think they may have been spread into these canyons by birds or coyotes carrying seeds in their digestive tracts from other palm groves.

Since palm trees do not produce annual growth rings like shade trees, it’s very difficult to say how old the trees might be.  It’s pretty cool to see these in the desert anyway.

Our last potluck in the desert

Our last campfire

AND our last sunset

So, now we’re on a private lot in the foothills of Yuma to enjoy the company of several friends that are staying here.  We also had a really nice visit with Rod’s sister, Sue and her husband, Rich at the Texas Road House where we all enjoyed some yummy steaks.

Sue & Rich

We’ve also been guests of Bob & Phyllis at the local Moose Lodge where we enjoyed “Wing Night” with them and our “lot mates”, Mac & Netters.

Netters & Mac and Bob & Phyllis

So here’s where we’re situated now (we’re on the right)

Tonight we’re headed out to Parish’s Bar & Grill with Mac & Netters for some corned beef, cabbage and beer.  Should be a fun night.

Up Early To Climb The “Mountain”

We had been looking at this hill close to us ever since we got here.  Apparently, the thing to do is climb to the top of it.  Don’t know why other than there is a little log book for anybody that makes it up there to sign.

We actually got an early start and were out the door by NINE O’CLOCK in the morning!!  Mike and Janna were leaving so we had to get out early.  We drove the cars to the bottom of the hill and then started the hike up to the top.

It started out easy enough

We even got to see some sheep

The little white building at the top is halfway

The top

We made it!!

So did Jim & Ellie

And so did Mike & Janna (with Emmie)

Looking back down where we left the cars at the bottom

What a beautiful view from up on top (those little dots are where we’re camped)

Then we had to eventually come back down

This cave was on the other side of the mountain but we decided since we didn’t know what was in there we weren’t going inside.  Sure didn’t want to come upon a coyote den.

Today Rod and I decided to head out to Parker Dam since neither one of us had been there before.  Parker Dam is 320 feet high, 235 feet of which are below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world with only one quarter of it actually above water.  It was built between 1934 and 1938.  You can no longer walk across it but you can still drive on it.

Tomorrow we’re headed back up to Lake Havasu City for Rod’s last dentist appointment.  Our time here is getting short and we’re going to be sad to leave here but we need to start heading back to Texas by April for doctor appointments.  After that we can take off for the summer!

I will leave you with some of the gorgeous sunsets we’ve been enjoying here.

This is called a parhelion or sundog.  Pretty cool.