Writing Prompts

Surprises Await in the Desert

You won’t believe what we found hidden in the desert mountains north of the Yuma Proving Grounds!

Dave posing in front of this tank at the open-air museum.

But first, we stopped by the Yuma Open-air Museum near the Army base and proving grounds. This is where we keep hearing the booms coming from at all hours of the day and night.

Me in front of a different tank.

Now let’s get to the real surprise. It almost took my breath away when I saw the color of the water in this beautiful lake.

Look how clear the water is!

We stopped for a very windy selfie with the lake as a backdrop.

The color looks pretty but our photos didn’t capture how blue-green it really was.

I literally had to hold onto my hat as I walked out on the sides of the boat launch to take pictures. We had the dogs and the further out we went, the more unstable the platform was, so we turned back. We drove around the dam and took multiple pictures, but I can’t find the gallery block anymore, so that’s why I’m adding the pics separately. The wind blew dust so badly it made brown clouds in the sky. From the lake we drove up to the Senators Wash and the Quail hill BLM Camping Spot. It only costs $80 a month to stay here, and it’s actually right on the border of Yuma and California. Rocks covered every surface, and in the summer, there would be dangerous animals and insects to watch out for, but there’s a certain allure to camping in a spot like this. Freedom to roam wherever you please (and can access), picking up rocks as you please, traversing the rugged mountains and enjoying those beautiful blue-green waters of the nearby lakes, make this area one to consider for a month or so next year.

The lake surrounded by beautiful and rugged mountains.

Ducks wading, sunlight glimmering on the clear water. There’s the platform we walked out on.
Another RV park is lakeside.
Palm trees, mountains, water, what’s not to like?
The water is a deeper blue-green as you view it from the top of the hill.
My phone finally captured the true color of the water in this pic. Dave took the other, more aqua looking photos.
The mountains take on a different look out here, reds, rusts, and browns in layers and formations that look more like dunes in spots.
A rock hound’s dream as far as the eyes can see. I needed an hour, just an hour, but another time.
See all the campers on the horizon with the mountains in the background?
Getting closer to the entrance of the camping spot as we return from exploring the area a little bit.

It would take days, maybe weeks to explore this entire area. There are plenty of hiking trails all through the mountains, and fun for people with side-by-sides and Jeeps to traverse the mountains, but rocky and steep in spots.

We let the dogs out for a drink and a quick walk around. Not too far though, there was some broken glass scattered among the rocks in a few places. Rude people! 😡
Another surprise is to see the fields and fields of lettuce and celery growing farms just outside the rocky, arid place we just left. I’m not sure what other greens are grown here, but I’m sure we saw some cauliflower fields too. Believe it or not, these crops are still harvested by hand! There is a tractor that they follow behind, separating the lettuce and tossing it in to workers that load it into boxes.

We saw this in action and then the huge trucks packed with filled and wrapped boxes ready to ship to market. It’s all fascinating to me, as are the mountains, rocks, cactus and wildlife of the desert. I find it beautiful, but a man we talked to said this is nothing compared to what we will see in Sedona! I can’t wait to get there next month!

On the way back to Wellton, the windy day had resulted in skies so dusty you literally could not see the mountains in front of you! I snapped the picture too soon, had i waited, you’d have seen the proof. I think I still have dust in my mouth. Now I know why the cowboys of old wore those bandanas over their noses and mouths. Can I make it a month in this harsh environment? I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to see if we come back next year to camp in that rocky spot. ☺️

I really enjoyed finding the oasis in the desert. I hear there are many more, I hope we get to see them!

Standard
Writing Prompts

Window Shopping

We stopped at an RV dealership in Yuma today for a bit of dreaming.

This 34ft Palazzo was beautiful even if it wasn’t as long as ours.

We had the best salesperson guide us through the lot! Charming and charismatic, he showed us about three different models of several brands, with varying amenities. We’ve just been thinking about what we would want in an upgrade like more slide outs and a different layout. Unfortunately, there isn’t a discount big enough to trade in our current model. And on top of that, we were only looking at preowned motor homes. However, we don’t want to have to make payments on anything right now. For now, we’ll keep on dreamin!

We did each get a sweet new pair of sunglasses though!

Me at the date farm in my new sunglasses 😎
Word of the Day Challenge
Standard
Writing Prompts

Chillin at the Date Farm

Linda writes Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “perfection.” Use it any way you like. Enjoy! 

The weather was sheer perfection for chilling at the Date Farm listening to music, enjoying a delicious date shake, and hanging with a few new friends. Music was the award-winning The Teccas.

We were told to bring our chairs, grab some food and a drink and it’s a lot of fun with good music. We were not disappointed!

The place is literally a palm tree farm!

They served food too, and alcohol. Dave brought one from home for me, but enjoyed their version of a Michalada. It was a relaxing good time with temps in the high 70’s ☺️


Standard
Writing Prompts

Fun in Prison

Wait! Fun in prison??

Well, when you’re visiting the Yuma Territorial Prison Museum, it’s a fun day indeed! So much history, yet told in such a interesting and entertaining way. Dave even posed for the mug shot like they used to make the inmates take them. They sat them in a chair, looking slightly to the left, so they would get the front view and the side view at the same time! He only forgot to put the striped shirt on to make it look authentic, but I let it slide.

My handsome convict.

There was medical history, movie star history, I mean, this is Wyatt Earp’s stomping ground, films to watch and we even got to see inside the cells. Flooding ruined much of the prison, but they saved a lot of it, so there is plenty to see. So many women were incarcerated here, even some for adultery! High crimes were grand larceny and murder, of course, and the incorrigible were placed in cels made of adobe and stone, which must have felt like hell in the summertime. The worst offenders were sent to the dark cell, which we got to walk through. Only a small sliver of light shown through a tiny hole in the top of the cell. They all had to make their own shoes and clothes, but one inmate used his free time to knit (looked like tatting to me) the most beautiful, delicate, collars and other garments for ladies.

This is the main guard tower built over a water cistern.

Part of the old entrance to the prison.
Lowell battery gun. Used to warn the prisoners not to try escaping.
Actual cells inside the prison. One we could even walk into. Is it just me, or can you see a cross?
Caught me peeking into a cell.

Dave outside one of the cells.

Across the bridge is California. We did go to play a few games at Paradise Casino.
It’s a small but beautiful casino.

Mostly slots but a few tables as well.

We only played with $40 but took home $63. ☺️ This casino is on an Indian reservation but the outside looks a bit like a prison to me. 😂

After having fun there, we went back into Yuma to go to Sam’s but first we had to get our Mexican food fix. We make almost all of our meals at home in the RV, so this was a treat! Finally, a real margarita!

The bartender didn’t really know how to make a swirl, but it was delicious with the extra sangria! I only ate half of what was on my sampler plate and I’m still so full I’m miserable. Totally worth it though!

I had so much fun today, I love any kind of museum, and let this be the only prison I ever see the inside of! I also love spur-of-the-moment side trips! As far as I knew, we were just going to Sam’s for some breakfast sausage!! I also got two new long-sleeved shirts because I don’t have enough. Watch it get warm now, lol! That’s ok, the nights are still plenty cool. I felt bad for Dave though, he wanted new sunglasses, but couldn’t find a pair he liked. Maybe he can try Best Buy next time.

Standard
Writing Prompts

Photos From the Last Few Days

I wanted to share a few pics from today and the last few days that I couldn’t figure into the posts.

A heart shaped rock I found right outside the RV. (No, I didn’t keep it)
Players playing shuffleboard as I was on my walk. This is one game I haven’t tried yet.

I missed the best part of the sunset last night, but caught this one while at the dog park.

While exploring with the doggies I took a few shots of the mountain ranges closest to us.
The desert to the left is a bombing range. Danger signs are everywhere warning of unexploded ordinance.

One of the warning signs on the left in front of a plant I’m curious to learn the name of. They are also plentiful in the Sonoran desert.

We were actually running errands but decided to go explore this area first. The doggies enjoyed taking a ride and getting out of the RV to do something besides walk to the dog park or other daily walks. I really need to research the mountain ranges around here and see what their names are. I don’t think we are that far from the Organ Pipe Cactus Monument National Park, which would be awesome to visit. So much more to do, see, and explore in Arizona!

Standard