Why does fogging happen? The rubber sealant around your RV window can deteriorate from exposure to the sun. Direct sunlight causes the glass window panes to expand while cool night air causes them to contract. The constant expanding and contracting eventually weakens the seal, allowing moisture to seep inside the window and making it foggy
For some reason I woke up at, not sure what time, couldn’t get back to sleep, finally got out of bed at 124am, per my FitBit app
Thankfully I am binging “The Royals” mindless entertainment (fictional royals) I always do computer stuff while watching, ie Candy Crush, reseach on whatever, then Spanish (not while watching TV), actually I always to Spanish first to get it done.
Anxiously awaiting Allan getting up so we can get on with our normal morning routine then to today’s outing.
Yahoo, Allan’s up. He does his morning routine then on to breakfast. Shower, and head out, destination Plank Road
The historyThat’s me on a 8 x 12′ plank
Looking up at the beginning of the Plank Rd. The sawhorse type fence is to keep folks outAs always, the climb is steeper than it looks. Reward time!Yonder way is Donald’s wall, we hike over. Looks a little short from here, that too is deceiving. Border patrol keeping watch, there are patrol units approx every 1/2m. Up close there is not only a berm but a gulley on the Mexican side. Hard to believe anyone could get over the fence.Out on the road, this gizmo films stuffToys playing on the side of the dune; again much steeper than it looks
Next stop “Center of the World”
Some of the stuff here
Dinner, Allan homemade, air fryer Keto Pizza. Shrimp, yes shrimp (shrimp in the bag so it doesn’t “contaminate” Allan’s ingredients) for me and Meat Lovers for Allan. 😋
Today’s destination, Valley of the Names but first our free breakfast (only pay for the coffee) A cute diner with a bear theme. Allan loves bears! I liked their hot saucesAllan had eggs, bacon, waffle, I had eggs, sausages & biscuits with gravy, neither of us had those before, forgot to take the photo-they were large plates. We both enjoyed the eggs, Allan wasn’t a fan of his bacon and only ate 1/2 the waffle. Neither of us liked the biscuits, there were 5 of them. I was suprised the waitress didn’t ask why there was just a bite taken.
The Valley is a 35m drive for 15 miles, we knew not to expect great roads. Pavement ends here, let the bumps begin
Nice of them to let folks know where the road isThis is boondocking, can’t imagine the state of the cupboards
Very impressed google knows this road, but guess google knows everything!
Who’s that up yonder way? Looks heavy (cause it is)!
Our bounty, guess who collected rocks in the wine bottle bag??We were going to do our names but boy it was windy cold. Maybe we’ll be back for that.We are now a part of this! This is “DURING WORLD WAR II, SOLDIERS training in the desert north of Yuma, Arizona, began decorating a site they called “Graffiti Mesa,” using rocks to write out their names in the clay. The tradition continued on after the war, and the graffitied area grew and grew. Today over 1,200 acres of land are decorated with signatures, messages, dates, initials, and designs.”
Walking away, will we find it again if we return?
Driving home we are surprised this is still here. Click for the story, bizzar, why is it still here days later? Crime scene? Allan’s guess
“Bombay Beach is home to an impressive selection of attractions and experiences”
Our question?? Does it have a restaurant as we have not eaten yet today? A drive around reveals 2 restaurants; 1 opened 1 not. Lowest bar in the western hemisphere because they are 223 feet or 68 meters (below) sea level. The ski refers to water skiing not snow skiing. They are self-described as “No-frills bar with dollars adorning the walls; ceilings, offering burgers, beer other staples.” Other staples, WINE! There are bills posted everywhere!
All full, off to the beach. Bob among the stars at the entranceWhat does it mean for a place to be below sea level? Sea level is a reference to elevation of the ocean/land interface called the shoreline. Land that is above this elevation is higher than sea level and lower is below sea level. Spot anything??
There is no end to unusal in this neck of the woods! Stuff on the beach
Rocking horse!
A confessional!
Should have had lunch here
We, the swingers!!
Dream catcher, always dream BIG!Hum, I thought SOS was Save our Souls or is it Save our Ships??
Who wants to be a wet swinger? Step right up!
Allan never lets us down, he can sniff out the “on tap brew”Where else do you see hay on the beach? No where!
Today was one of the most amazing, education, enlightening day we’ve had in our travels. So much, so little, just so…. So happy Allan found this adventure!!
Today’s itinerary: Salvation Mountain / Slab City / East Jesus / Bombay Beach
Friday the 13th was always my Mum’s favourite day so I grew up looking forward to them. Who else loves them!
I was a bit reluctant to go cause the drive is just under 2h each way but I’m a good sport so off we go!
Stop 1: Salvation MountainClick here for the story, created by cousin Leonard. Leonard passed 02102014
Paint cans are a big thing
Not what we expected, super cool
Click on the photos to see the detail
Stop 2: Slab City
Under the unforgiving sun of southern California’s Colorado Desert lies Slab City, a community of squatters, artists, snowbirds, migrants, survivalists, and homeless people. Called by some “the last free place” and by others “an enclave of anarchy,” Slab City is also the end of the road for many.
Allan planned this trip and didn’t do any research, very unlike him, on what we’d see, these sights were therefore, unexpected.
People do live in these RVs, as a whole they were very friendly.
No, Allan this isn’t really a hostel! Note the solar panel on the camper, the guy that lives there is standing on the right. The Class A has a sign “Occupied”
Next the library, note the comfy seating for your book reading enjoyment!
Sites available if anyone is looking
Do not know how they dump. It doesn’t smell that’s a good thing. We did see a dude delivering waterLove that the GPS know the dirt roads
Stop 3: East Jesus
It’s been quite an experience so far and East Jesus does not dissapoint.
East Jesus, (click to learn more) here we come. Approachng we encounter this is the “welcoming” sign
I’ll let the photos tell their stories, such detail. Tires, bottles, one man’s junk = such creativity
I highly recommend visiting the East Jesus website “what a place” is the sentiment we walked away with! If you are in the area these places are a must see!!
paying better attention! Today’s scheduled events, walk to the Circle K to buy the winning Power Ball ticket. Walking by the original Wally World
Presenting ……
Now off to Arizon Marketplace only to determine it’s closed today. I’d better smarten up!
One of our Yuma Bucket List things is watching the very noisy military jets take off/land. The airport is 7 minutes down the road, let’s go.
We find ducks galore! You are encouraged to feed them, as a result when they see humans they come a running or flapping! Unlike most places, here they say bread is OK to feed but not fruit.
And then victory! Spot the jets? They always fly in pairs
Today we head, for the second time, to the Yuma Proving Grounds. TripAdvisor’s #5 best things to do in Yuma. Second time cause they were closed on Friday when we attempted a visit. Photo 1; if you look at the sign, to the right of the brick and a bit up. the little dot is a military ✈️. You’ll see more of it soon
We understand you have to register: both our driver’s licences, Bob’s registration & insurance to enter. We are prepared and anxious to see the Heritage Museum
The front lawn of the entrance, lots of tanks
In we go with all our docs, “hello how can I help”, we say we’re here to see the Heritage Museum, “that’s no longer open”. Why oh why didn’t we read to the end of the web page. The part that reads… Hours of Operation: Closed until further notice.
Back to the plane, it appears the pilot may be practicing as the plane did several fly-bys
Introducing (who else is tired of me naming everything) “Colourful Flammy”For those of us who have known Allan forever, who would have ever thought we’d see him in this pose!
Kyle, Megan notice Allan’s “Wonder Woman” sleeve You guys give the best gifts. Allan is loving it, never lost a screw today (back off with the screw references LOL)Out with the old
We’ve been looking forward to the festival, it’s our “Date Day, Date Fest”
Start the day at the Yuma Farmer’s Market, they have great fresh produce inexpensively priced. Seems to be turning into a weekly visitOn to the festival. It’s very crowded, by now crowds feel more like the norm though I’ve never been a fan of crowds,
In the crown who does Allan spot?? Friends Debbie, Donny & Lucy. Her dark coat blends in too well, she is here 🙂
Entertainment and vendors galore. What we can’t find are date squares or a date shake
Lunch time! Lutes Casino has a specialty burger called what else “Lutes Special” A burger with hot dogs in it
Looking for a wedding chapel?
Trivia! We easily remember the zip code here cause when we saw Elvis one of his jokes was “Yuma 85 degress for 365 days” hence 85365. It’s not true but it doesn’t make the zip easy to remember
Haven’t found a date square or date shake yet. Are date squares Canadian like Butter Tarts. Turns out… “A date square is a Canadian dessert or bar cookie made of cooked dates with an oatmeal crumb topping.” Allan, time to give up!!
We did get our new favourite hot sauce. Mamma Bella, “Mamma Bella es muy deliciosa”
Walk the wetland times. This is the back of the Yuma Penitentiary as seen on the beginning of our walk. Birds on our walk! We also saw a Roadrunner
Almost 10k steps, it’s that time
Back at the festive we find a date shake! More of a date “spoon” I thought shakes were consumed with straws! This is very good and not as sugary as expected
Fun day! Hot tub time and throw in howling at the full moon!
We are working on our Yuma Buck List!! Have seen lots already but don’t want to miss out on stuff so now have a list. Up today…Castle Dome Ghost Town Museum
Driving we spot.. what is it?? First thought, a plane but it didn’t move, next guess a cloud. Next, neck guess – a dog. No to the cloud & dog. We settle on a UFO 🛸🛸
Allan checking out the signage. No photos, hum
Pavement ends here. Didn’t know we’d be on a rocky road for the last 14km (8.5m). Happy we didn’t decide to trailer a Vette. About 1k into the drive we encounter this sign.
Made it! Bob loves this type of road, us not so much.
We were surprised that way out there there was an RV park to accomendate about 5 RVs with full hookups. Maybe park workers?
Love the upper balcony The fountain; the sign 🙂
The mine shaft
Shattered glass is common around historic mining sites. Hard at work!
Hum! having a little bit of a good time?
What happens when you drink on the job?
Look at those pipes!
My bother used to work for Peter&Paul. Their sogan was “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t”
Finally, an animal!
Bottles, bottles, bottleBack to our UFO. Mystery solved! I thought at certain angles it looked like there was a rope attached to it, It was a rope and it’s connected to the fan on photo 2. Look above the fan to spot the rope
Turns out it is a Aerostat blimp that flies at 10,000, The blimp is one of eight that are part of the Tethered Aerostat Radar System owned by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They are used for surveillance of the southern U.S. border.
4 more to go
A cute diner with a bear theme. Allan loves bears! I liked their hot sauces
A confessional!
In with the new… Way to go Allan!!
