Yuma

As I said, Yuma was not what we expected. There ARE mountains (contrary to what we had been told) and there is much agriculture in the area. We learned quite a bit through our friends, Ed and Loretta, who took us on a tour of the area. The farmlands are irrigated by the Colorado River and the area produces 90% of the nation's winter produce! They rotate five crops a year, and we just missed the broccoli/cabbage season. Durum wheat is grown this time of year, shipped to Italy once harvested where they make pasta and return it to the U.S. for sale.

On our tour through the countryside, we were pleased to see much green. Interestingly, in the middle of this land, we encountered the prototype to the Golden Gate Bridge! Who would've thought?

We visited an RV Park on the Colorado River behind a dam (the Imperial Dam?) and it was so good to see water in a river! The water shortage in that area is serious business, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of farms. So to see the life-giving water in somewhat more abundance was reassuring.

From there, we stopped at a local date farm and treated ourselves to a date shake. Yum! Dates are called 'nature's candy' because they are so sweet. Here we are with Ed and Loretta at the date farm:

While in Yuma, Fritz got involved in the park's lapidary class, continuing to learn about his new hobby and develop his skills. I committed to going to the pool every day to try to swim off the pounds I had accumulated this trip. The tan was just a bonus! While on my daily morning walks, I marveled at the desert beauty busting out in blooms. Who would have thought that such a vicious-looking cacti could become such a thing of beauty? Here are some examples:

Prickly pear

Bougainvillea in a Ficus tree

Blooming Ocotillo

Bottle Tree

We took a day trip to the old Yuma Territorial Prison, set on the banks of the Colorado River. It was a beautiful setting in an otherwise dreadful place. Fritz was briefly incarcerated, trying his best to look mean.

Yeah, right....!

Yuma Territorial Prison grounds. Colorado River in background

Having seen all we came to see, and getting increasingly hungry for home, we decided to leave Yuma early. Highs were expected to be in the 90s the following week, and the cool of home sounded inviting (not to mention the people of home!!). We decided to return to Wickenburg on our way and see our friends there and in Sun City West one more time. Sharon (in Wickenburg) is simply the warmest hostess I've ever known and always makes us feel so welcome. If it weren't for the lure of family, we would probably live there!  A day trip over to Sun City West with our treasured friends, the Todds, and another shopping spree in their

Sharon in Wickenburg

orchard, wrapped up our time in Arizona.

The Todds in Sun City West

We are blessed to have such dear friends there, who have all left the porch light on for us if we decide to return.









We decided we probably wouldn't return to Yuma, favoring Wickenburg and Green Valley, but we saw a lot more of the beautiful and varied state of Arizona and feel quite comfortable there. However, there's no place like home, and with anticipation urging us on, we headed north. I will pick it up next time to share our return trip adventures. Until then.....