Finally relaxing.

I was too tired to walk yesterday but this morning I was out on the street to see what was going on.  Well…not much but here is what I saw.

Leaving the park and the bougainvillea are in full bloom.  A tough, tough species.

Heading north.

 

The desert trees and plants are so well adapted.  Very small leaves for water preservation.  So different from home where we have lots of rainfall and lushness.  I love both.    My garden at home when the rhodo is in bloom and the Hosta’s are fresh. Quite a contrast.

Our little home in the woods.

Beautifully painted building along my walk. 

These grasses never do well at home…too wet. 

This wildlife refuge is right next to the sidewalk.  Eric said he read their information which said not to dig or use a metal detector in the reserve as there are unexploded ordinances!  Swell. 

Lots of beautiful desert plants.

That Cholla cactus looks soft and fuzzy…not….prickly, prickly!

 

Gorgeous Saguaro cactus that they carefully set a hydro pole next to. 

Welcome to Ajo.

I have now turned around and am heading back to the park.  I just caught the hind end of this big boar Javelina in the “Wildlife Preserve” next to the sidewalk right down town. Nice to see one but they are highly destructive.

 

This is the smaller sow following behind.  I also saw a big jack rabbit but I wasn’t quick enough.  The following link explains them and how they got here:  http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_javelina.shtml

Under the big Palo Verde tree.

Welcome street!

Many, many gift shops and many, many Mexican Insurance stores.

Bakery and coffee shop.

Marcellina’s cafe.  We ate breakfast here a few years ago and it was good.

American citizens social club. 

We ordered take out Pizza last night.  It was good and the restaurant is very nice inside.

Home again.  Time for coffee.

We like Ajo, Arizona

Our last night in Yuma and we are relaxing with a beer…..as usual!

Eric was laughing because I just about didn’t make it back before the timer on the camera shot the picture.

A beautiful sunset in Yuma.

We pulled out of Yuma about 10:30am yesterday morning after packing up and loading the bike.  Always stressful for Eric as he has to ride it up the ramp at speed and not go through the wall  into the kitchen!  It always goes fine but he wonders when he won’t be able to do it anymore. 

Coming through the mountains from Yuma to Dome Valley.  A twisty, turny  road. 

It is all freeway to Gila Bend where we head south on 85 to Ajo.  The freeway heading west was full of RV’s with quads and sand rails in tow as well as a huge amount of toy haulers with their toys inside.  The biggest holiday weekend of the year in the USA is coming up….Thanksgiving and then black Friday which is the monstrous sale day of the year.  The RV’s would have been heading to the dunes in California to rage around.  Not our cup of tea! 

Feedlots and possibly dairy farms along Eye 8 between Yuma and Gila Bend.  The smell is really something else!  Wouldn’t want to be in any of the RV parks along the way. 

Sorry for the reflection.  The Saguaro cacti start to appear as you get nearer to Ajo and the terrain starts to rise.  Ajo is at 1760 feet so it’s a lot colder than Yuma and…….Mazatlan!

We decided to try the Shadow Ridge RV park right in Ajo where friends Marilyn and Dennis from Alberta have stayed many times.  We usually stay in Why about 10 miles south of here at the Hickiwan Trails RV park but there is nothing there but desert.  Here they have lots of restaurants, a good grocery store (Olsen’s Market) a nice paved walking sidewalk and lots of places for Eric to ride his bicycle.  Doesn’t hurt to try a new park. 

It was quite a wiggle to get into a site as this is an old park.  They are pull thru’s but really narrow with bushes on one side.  Eric tried two sites before we finally got parked in the third one.  A little wider and no bushes.  It took awhile to get the satellite dish set up as there are two satellites that give a really strong signal.  Eric finally set up the tripod (usually has it on the 5th wheel hitch) and got it set up.  In the end it probably would have worked on the 5th wheel hitch ….next time! 

We used Passport America which took half off the first night and 10% for the second night.  Not really an issue for us as we now stay where we want regardless of cost.  Not frivolous but we are past saving money for our old age!  I think it’s here! 

Looking toward the exit out of the park.

Pretty quiet in this row….just us.

It was a quiet evening with leftover curry and rice for dinner which was delicious.  Eric was wiped out as he hadn’t slept much the night before so it was an early night. 

It was very quiet over night as we are right down town where the speed limit is 25mph.  The roads are paved within the park so there is no dust. 

Today it is bright and sunny and Eric is off on his bicycle which is something he really loves.  He was worried about his tires wearing out so he brought the extra wheels off my bicycle (which I don’t ever ride) as spares.  I am a walker not a bicycler.  Each to their own!

Today I will shop for a few things at the grocery store, have a nice walk and I think we’ll have Pizza from the Pizza Hut which is about a block away for dinner. 

We have decided to stay an extra day and head to Edgar and Anna’s RV park in Santa Ana, Mexico on Friday.  Hopefully we will miss the Thanksgiving day back up at the border.

We are not in a hurry and are trying to enjoy the journey.

Leaving for Ajo, AZ tomorrow.

We were supposed to leave today but….I was tired and still had things to do. 

Sunday was laundry day which is an easy thing in this park and one of the reasons I like it here.  Not too expensive, big commercial machines and….lots of them.  While I was doing laundry Eric was out on on his bicycle for a ride.  The wind started to pipe up and then it really started to blow.  Just like last Sunday in Laughlin only not quite as bad.  Eric was back at the rig when I returned from doing laundry….too  much wind and dust to ride.  So…another afternoon trapped in the RV in the wind.  Such is life!

Today (Monday) I was off to Wal Mart to do a last shop before we head to Ajo and then into Mexico.  After lunch we were off to pick up bottled water, fuel up, look at motor homes and go to the Yuma Palms mall for a couple of last minute items.  No wonder we’re tired! 

We tried looking at motor homes at one RV place on the way to the mall but the salesman wouldn’t let us look on our own.  Since we aren’t sure if a motor home is something we really want we wanted to browse on our own.  Nope…they couldn’t possibly let us….so….we left. 

A little shopping (Eric got some flip flops) and then back to La Mesa RV where Eric had been on Saturday.  They are very relaxed there and have no problem letting you puddle around on your own.  We looked at diesel pusher motor homes which I have never even been in before except for friends ones in Mexico.  Many of them were far to opulent for us.  Eric likes light cabinetry and most of them were dark.  I found lots of them a bit garish as they added all sorts of unnecessary trim, especially as the prices went up.  To me less is more!  We then continued on and had look at 5th wheels.  In the end it was all good information.  The salesman gave us his card at the end and had a quick chat with us.  He is a biker and has a lift on the back of his motor home and his wife’s quad goes in the back of the pick up that they tow.  He said we could call him in the spring when we return and he’d show us his set up on the motor home.  Low key and we’ll go back if we decide to look some more. 

Tomorrow we’ll pack up and head to Ajo for two nights and then…..Mexico. 

P.S.   When I paid for our extra day I asked Pat, the manager if the dog kennel people stay all winter.  Turns out they come here twice a year from just outside Portland for dog shows.  One in Tucson and one here.  Beautiful dogs. 

A walk up the canal and then off to San Luis, Mexico to do our paperwork.

I have been getting up every morning at 7:30ish and doing my morning walk along the canal. 

The hot air balloons were in the sky this morning.  Quite beautiful.

At first only a few and then they were everywhere.  Maybe there is some big event happening. 

 

 

That’s us….the Cyclone.  Eric will have coffee made when I return.

Looking west.  The big trees are on the edge of the Arizona Sands RV park.

These are two of the three resident canal ducks.  The white one must be getting old as I’ve seen it the past few years. 

The third duck.

The fellow at the edge of the canal is fishing!  Eric asked one of these fisherman what they would catch and they said “ Catfish!”  I can tell you I wouldn’t eat anything out of that canal.  It was too gross to even take a picture of what piles up against the small foot bridges.  Yuck!

Doesn’t seem to bother the ducks.

Coming down the other side of the canal. 

Heading home….the dark tree line is the park.  Dark because it’s so bright out.

Between these two rigs are many pens of dogs.  I counted at least ten.  Most are golden retrievers and the plates on the rig say Washington.

All are well fed, brushed, walked and well looked after but….what the story is I don’t know.  They were here last year but were tucked in the corner and the people were in a big park model.  Still not much of a life for so many big dogs. 

It was quite windy this morning with ominous clouds in the sky.  We decided to brave a bike ride to the border to do our paperwork but…we did wear our heated jackets.  You don’t have to turn them on but you can if you want.  As we left the park there were raindrops on the windshield.  Oh, oh we don’t like rain and it was also very cool.  We both turned on our heated jackets.

I realized that as we were out on the road that I had forgotten my camera so, sorry no pictures.

  When we arrived at the border (San Luis Colorado) there was a huge amount of construction on both sides and it looks like it should be quite nice when it’s done.  We parked the bike and left it in a grocery store parking lot and walked to the border.  First order of business was the tourist visa at immigration.  After filling them out we took them to the banjercito to pay.  We told the two fellows there we were also going to do our vehicle importation for the motorcycle and the truck.  That sparked quite a conversation between the two of them.  We paid for the visas and then back to immigration for a stamp.  When we were asked where we were going to stay in Mazatlan we said “Las Jaibas RV park” and the immigration officer was familiar with it as he’d had quite a few people come and get visas who said they were going there.  So we were stamped and then back to the banjercito for vehicle importation.  We paid the usual large amount of money as a deposit for importing the bike and the truck.  This will of course be returned when we leave Mexico and we turn in our stickers.  This has worked just fine so far.  We had copies of our passports, drivers licenses and vehicle registration with us so everything went smoothly.  The two fellows doing the paperwork were personable and friendly and the whole process took about an hour.  Now the walk back to the US side of the border which is a convoluted wander and then a half hour wait in line to cross back into the USA.  Lunch at Carl’s Junior….which was good but huge proportions and the huge size of the clientele reflected the huge amounts of food. 

Back to the park to sort out the paperwork.  We made copies of stickers, paperwork, visas and insurance.  Copies in the vehicles and originals in the file.  Eric does not put the sticker on the bike but carries a copy of it with him.  Removing the sticker would damage the Lexan windshield. 

When we arrived home there was a Fedex sticker on our door.  Eric’s front tire for Big Red had arrived.  It was left at the office as we weren’t home.  He ordered it on Wednesday from Jake Wilson and it was here in two days.  Free shipping and no tax….and cheaper than the one he order two years ago.  You can’t beat that.

Tomorrow is Eric’s birthday so I’ll make lasagna for him and he can have the day to do what he likes.  Go off on a ride on Big Red! 

More new tires for the rig.

If you are tired of hearing us talk about tires I can assure you….we are tired of talking about them.  However, no tires, no travel!  Eric has been fretting over the fact that we still had two Carlisle “special” trailer tires on the rig.  After our continued problems with separation of 14 tires and finally a tire that separated and took off the side of the rig going home last year he is done with trailer tires.  Off with the rims and up to Wal Mart for two more E rated LT truck tires and we think we are now safe.  Will they wear oddly…probably… will they separate…doubtful.  Everywhere Eric has looked people have the spare tire on their rigs and the rigs are damaged.

New light truck tire going on the rig.

The Carlisle tires will come with us as spares.  Look okay….but Eric doesn’t trust them.  The one that separated and damaged the rig didn’t show any signs of separation.  All rotated properly and properly inflated at all times. 

Just about done on this side.

New tire waiting to go on. 

Hopefully we can quit worrying about tires for awhile.  The new tires will show us if the alignment we had done in Vegas helped at all.  Time will tell.