YUMA

 After leaving North Dakota, we made our way down toward Arizona, running from bad weather the entire way South.

Many stops were made, but a lengthy one was made in Las Vegas, where we took some time to relax. Mark and I have been to "Sin City" more times than we can count, so seeing sites was not a big deal to us.

We ventured out to Fremont Street for one evening and gambled, listened to music, and just enjoyed the sights and craziness of this place. We stayed at Desert Eagle RV park and the Famcamp on Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. Very nice campground, and our stay there was very enjoyable.

Arriving on December 1^st at Fortuna de Oro RVresort in Yuma, it was finally pleasant to be somewhere for a while. Being on the road does get tiring, and I always look forward to relaxing and putting our feet up.

The RV resort here is bustling, with many activities and things to keep you busy. There is a golf course attached to the resort. We are not much into golfing; however, we picked up a new sport here – Pickleball, which was fun, a way to burn off more calories, and a great place to meet new people.

I traveled back to Seattle in early December to visit my dad and daughter. Since we left South Bend, WA in June of 2021, I haven’t been back to that side of the mountains. It was great to see everyone. I stayed in a little ABnB not far from Addie's apartment. We ventured into the city (Seattle) and explored West Seattle too. We played bingo, ate some great food, enjoyed appetizers and drinks, and took in a Christmas "drag show" with many of Addie's friends. The time there was fun, and I made some great memories with Addie and her friends.

Addie and I at Christmas Drag Show

City of Seattle from W. Seattle

Back in Yuma, we had a fantastic Christmas dinner event run by the resort where Mark and I shared a table with a few other couples and enjoyed great food, excellent wine, and conversation. There was a live band playing. However, the music could have been better. We ended up leaving around 10 p.m. and headed home.

Celebrating Christmas in Yuma

This was our table with new friends

Additionally, we participated in the New Year's Eve party put on by the resort, where we met our good friends Rob and Theresa. The band that night was much better; they had alcohol and appetizers, and it was great to ring in the New Year with others. The odd thing is that the lights came on as soon as the clock rang at midnight, which was our signal to go home.

Ringing in 2023

Also, while in Yuma, we took one early afternoon and went to the Arizona Market Place, a "must-see" here. While at the Market Place, we found a shop called "Shade Pro," Mark and I decided to order new roller shades for the Motorhome. This was a worthwhile investment for sure. They came out and measured the windows we wanted to update, coming back about two weeks later to install them, and we were more than pleased with the result.

Old Shade

New Shade

On a sad note, we found out the hard way that Yuma has some very hard water due to its high mineral content. So, with that being said, we didn't realize how much that affected animals. Slowly but surely, over a month’s time, it was making Izzy ill. It caused much gastrointestinal upset (we were using an inline water filter which did not help with the hard water situation). Rumor had it all over the RV park that other dogs were experiencing the same thing.

We took her off the tap water and put her on bottled water, and her stomach issues were resolved in about 2.5 weeks. Lesson learned, I guess, but it was scary, and there was a time when I wasn't sure she would make it. She, indeed, was very ill. Mark also installed a portable water softener unit to help alleviate other hard water issues in the Motorhome.

Izzy recovering

So, once we made it past Izzy’s health challenge, Mark and I felt comfortable venturing out again, where we enjoyed the "Howling at the Moon" fest that is put on by our RV park. There is a bonfire and a live band, you bring your alcohol, food and lawn chair and enjoy the evening with friends. The bands have been good at these events.

Mark and I also took a few hikes while here; one was the "Painted Desert Trail" with our friends Rob and Theresa, and Mark and I did "Telegraph Pass." Sometimes, you have to look harder for beauty in the desert. The first hike was beautiful; however, Telegraph Pass was not. It's an excellent strenuous hike; there were a lot of rocks and gravel; the last section of the trail is a long windy road that goes to the top of a peak where they have installed a cell tower array; that part we passed on only because of injuries we both have sustained playing pickleball. If you are looking for a good workout, Telegraph Pass would be good, but Painted Desert Trail is a nice one to try if you are looking for beauty.

Our hike at Painted Desert Trail

Howling at the moon

 

We have eaten at a few restaurants here in the city that we would recommend.

 Da Boyz Pizzaand Pasta – Best Location is in downtown Yuma. They have excellent food, and the portions are enormous.

Prison Hill Brewing Company - located in downtown Yuma- has excellent food. They have a great selection of beer and wine and sandwiches that are very yummy.

Wheezys – A Foothills favorite that offers a variety of beers and some excellent food for all appetites.

Even though we were here for four months, we didn't do much in the way of touristy things, so one day, we decided to go out and see the YumaTerritorial Prison. You walk around, see how the prison was set up, and read about some people housed there. The prison itself sits right on the Colorado River. If you are bored and need something to do, this is an OK place to check out.

Near the end of March, we booked a trip back to California (Mar 23-27) so Mark could spend time with his family and we could explore San Diego. We booked two nights at the Horton Grand Hotel in the Gaslamp District. We explored so much in those two days.

Gas Lamp District

Seaport Village

We walked through the Gaslamp District and saw many restaurants that would have been great to try if we had stayed longer. We took Izzy for a walk in Balboa Park, drove down to the waterfront, had lunch at Seaport Village, and then ventured up to Cabrillo National Monument. It was very scenic, overlooking the city, the weather was sunny, but the temps were pretty chilly.

We woke up on March 25^th and made the trip up to Dana Point, where Mark grew up.  We stayed at his sister’s house and they had a dinner that evening for all the siblings living in the area, which was lovely and great to catch up. Mark and I drove around Dana Point and snapped pictures of the surrounding area. Being on the water makes this area so scenic and serene. Our time there was too short, but it was time to get back to Yuma so we could pack up and prepare for our departure.

Mark and his siblings and their spouses

Mark and his siblings

As our time ended here in Fortuna, Mark and I decided to cancel our reservation in Port Aransas for next winter and return to the Foothills, where many others we have met will return. We will miss our evenings by the pool, listening to live music, drinking cheap alcohol, and spending time with our new friends. But as we have said before, we need to get back on the road and start making more memories to write about in our blog.

So long, friends, until next time, and the adventures continue.