Frank and Sandi's to Hotel Americana Nogales AZ

 

Up around 7am this morning so Eric and Frank could retrieve the cargo trailer and bike from where it was stored at the Elks club in Apache Junction.  Good byes and loaded up to go by 10am.  We've had a good visit and we hope to see them in Mazatlan this winter.

 Our route today.

Up the quiet street to Baseline road.

Going south as wind our way to I 10 south.

Quiet two lane road here.

We bypass Florence and Coolidge and we see lots of cotton fields.

Onto I 10 and on the tight is Picacho peak.  Reminds me of Tetakawi in San Carlos Sonora.

North of Tucson and we get more and more lanes.

Off the 10 and onto 19.  We stopped in Green Valley at the Safeway to pick up sandwiches and have our lunch.  I usually make sandwiches but I opted out on the last leg to Mazatlan.

We picked up diesel at just under $6 and got to the Americana Hotel around 3pm.

Unpacked and we'll have beer and frozen lasagna from home for dinner.

Tomorrow morning we'll head to the border early as we have to stop at kilometer 21 to get our tourist visas and import our truck which they hassle us about because it's over a 1/2 ton.  Just nonsense and another stupid rule.  The trailer and bike are no issue.  No one in their right mind hauls an RV or trailer with a 1/2 ton!

We'll stay in Navojoa tomorrow night.  One more stop tomorrow before Mazatlan and after almost 3 weeks on the road we'll be glad to get there.  Our friend Papa John said that for the first time ever he wasn't stopped at a checkpoint on his way to Mazatlan....fingers crossed.

A couple of quiet days in Mesa.

 The last couple of days were quiet.  Lots of chat, good food and rest.

Tonight we were off to the Coldwell County Barbeque for dinner. About a 15 minute drive away.

There's a blackboard with the menu as you come.  Ribs, brisket, loaded potatoes, sides...etc. and then you order at the counter.  Nice cheery staff and really efficient.

Tables inside or outside.

Lots of people eating.

I asked a nice lady to take our picture.  Frank and Sandi look great, Eric looks suspicious and I just look dopey😁

There we are loaded up and ready to eat.

Ribs, coleslaw, macaroni and a container of hot peppers, onions and pickles.

When we were done we went over to the barbecue area.  All of this has just come off the bbcue after 10 to 12 hours.  It'll go into heated cabinets and be ready for tomorrow's menu. All kept at a precise temperature.

The heated cabinets hold the cooked meat  over night for the next day. They're behind the young bbcuer.  He explained about each huge propane tank with the racks for the meat inside.  

They use mesquite wood for the smoking which gives the meat a distinct flavor.

There were four huge tanks and they all cooked a bit differently and he said that they had favorites.

The wood is burned here and it smokes the meat while it cooks

Eric went around the back where the chimney was with the the pitmaster where he explained thecprocess.

Racks for the meat.

The meal was good, big meaty ribs and it was interesting to see the process.  Nice guys that were happy to explain it all.

A really interesting experience.

Tomorrow morning Frank and Eric will go get the trailer at the Elks Lodge and bring it back so we can load up.  Short day tomorrow as we head to Nogales, AZ for a night.  Wednesday...Mexico.

Yuma, AZ to Frank and Sandi's in Mesa

Yesterday morning we weren't up early yesterday as we didn't have far to go.

The Ramada is a good stop.

Heading out of town.

Onto I8 heading east towards Phoenix. 

Up ahead Dome Valley.

 

Datelland. Date trees out in the middle of nowhere.

Once we were off the I 8 we were on smaller two lane highways with nowhere to stop and pee or eat lunch. We kept going and once we were on the 202 there was lots of construction...wider and wider. We ended up at Frank and Sandi's at 1pm so we ate lunch there,

Eric and Frank took the trailer to an Elks club to park it for 3 days.

Lots of complex,rules...no parking on the street. I week in the driveway and only in your garage with door closed on a day to day basis.  

We had a lovely happy hour on the patio and here Sandi is starting dinner.

Frank is bbcueing and Eric is helping by drinking beer.😁

The golf course is out behind them to it's  a nice view.  Yes, golf balls hit the house.😁

Eric observes..He's a great eater but he doesn't cook!

Tasty Iowa pork and acorn squash.  

We're here to visit chat and relax and we'll go to Nogales AZ Tuesday before heading south on Wednesday.

A couple of days in Yuma

 Today is Friday and we will leave tomorrow morning for Mesa and a visit with Frank and Sandi.  It's a short drive so we won't have to leave really early.

When we arrived on Wednesday afternoon we were beat. Instead of going out for dinner I went downstairs and picked up Mango Chicken and Jalepeno Naan from the in house Curries restaurant. 

Yesterday was Thursday and in the  morning we drove over to WalMart so Eric could get an oil change on the truck.  Too busy and he made an appointment for today at 10:30  Since I wasn't doing my grocery shop we had time to take me to the Sketchers Outlet store which I like to stop at every time we come through.  I live mostly in flipflops as my right big toe was broken when I was 12 and over the years the bunion has expanded and the foot is wider so finding shoes of any kind is a challenge.  The toe is not painful so I've hesitated to have surgery in case I ended up with long term pain.  Yesterday I was lucky and found 2 pairs of flops and one pair of sandals.  Three pairs for $83.  Even in US dollars thats a bargain as most Sketchers flip flops are at least $50.  

The afternoon was spent with me doing the laundry downstairs which is an interesting set up.The machines are run by an app called Wash Connect.  I put money on my account and the app turns on the machines.  Once you get the hang of it it's easy.  We may be old but we still have to figure things out and keep up or we'll be left behind.  I organized the truck a bit and then it was time for dinner.  I like the Saigon Pho Vietnamese restaurant across the street and we've been there quite a few times.  However, the street is busy, the cars are moving fast and it's getting dark.  Eric said " no way" and since I've fallen badly twice over the last 5 years I can understand his point of view.  So ....I downloaded the Door Dash App so I could order from the restaurant across the street and Door Dash delivered.  Not as good as eating in the restaurant but...what can you do.  

This morning we were off to Walmart for the oil change and my shopping.  I had a number of things to buy including 8 pounds of butter and 6 pounds of cheese.  I can get decent cheese at Sam's club in Mazatlan but it's sporadic and I dislike the taste of Mexican butter.  I use it in baking but not to eat.  They sell Danish butter but it's four times the cost of butter at home.  

So we're mostly set to hit the road again tomorrow.  It's been quieter here than usual which is nice for us.  We've enjoyed the complimentary breakfast and had an omelette, waffles, yogurt and coffee.  Tomorrow I'll leave the breakfast lady a good sized tip.  Today it was really busy at breakfast and there were some really large people having breakfast and they were mostly quite young.  The older people were mostly a normal weight.  Health is more of a worry than what you look like.  Just my opinion. 

Tonight we'll have curry again....hopefully in the restaurant!

 

This morning our last breakfast here. Omelette, waffles, yogurt, coffee and a granola bar.  Good stop

 

Looks like a gymnasium!  A large room that must be used for banquets.  10 or so tables set up for breakfast.

Short day today (Saturday) so we leave at 9 for Frank and Sandi's in Mesa.  Last year we missed an exit off the 10 onto the 202 in Mesa...different route this time...wish us luck!

Ridgecrest CA to Yuma AZ

We were up early on Wednesday  as  we were losing an hour with the time change.  Another 400 plus miles to go.  As we headed out of town we saw two fuel stops with diesel at $7.50....how can two stations be that far apart.  The one by the motel is right off the one coming into town so people fuel up without knowing at $9.19!  I should have looked on line.  Are you tired of me complaining about diesel prices yet...too bad I'm not done yet🤣

More crummy California road.  So if we pay huge taxes on fuel to drive on the roads how come they're such a mess!

Not pretty or interesting until we got to the turnoff to Vidal Junction on 95.

We started out on 395 which connects to highway 58 which connects to I40.  When we come down through Las Vegas we only spend a short time on the interstate. 

 

We stopped in Needles, CA as we didn't have enough to make it Parker AZ.  Eric had put some of his extra diesel in the day before because we'd had a ferocious head wind for about 70 miles.  

He pumped for awhile and then it was confusing...nothing much had pumped so we ended up with 1/2 a gallon😁

We're on 95 south to Vidal Junction.  The first part was bumpy and then we ran into construction.  They seem to be putting in fibre optic ducting everywhere.

Vidal Junction and we stopped for lunch.  We head east to Parker AZ where we fuel up at $6.59. A nice station and when Eric checks the trucks computer we get the amount that the pump says.  Many stations we are a gallon or more short.

Heading to Parker and I call this the ribbon candy highway as it dips up and down.

Turn right for Parker.

How many places do you want to go?

Railway bridge over the Colorado.  I wonder how many times I've taken this picture over the years😁

Now that's more like it.

Main street Parker heading east.

Quartzite 21 miles 103 to Yuma.

Prettier here with the big mountains. 

Getting close to Yuma and more construction up ahead.  It looks like they may be four laning it farther north. 

Dry desert and bright green.  Yuma has beautiful soil but I'd guess they use lots of fertilizer too.  Grass crop here. 

Bales of cotton.  Part of this area grows cotton in the summer. 

If you look closely you can see the loose cotton coming out into piles. 

Then into bales....maybe some of the clothes you wear come from this cotton. 

All along here we see brasiccas...cabbage, broccoli and maybe brussels sprouts too.  Lettuce here too. 

The fields and rows would be laid out by laser on the farm machinery.  My rows at home sure don't look like that!

We turned off on Araby road and up to East 32nd and the Ramada Inn where we are staying for 3 nights while we rest and regroup.  We were both exhausted but no big problems so all is well.