Chalking Our Way North

The trouble with weather forecasts is that they are right too often to ignore and wrong too often to rely on.

When we sit in one place for a long time we give the chalk a rest.  Well, we’ve been sitting on the western edge of Arizona for quite some time.  Over the last week or so that chalk has sure been busy.  We’ve written a lot of plans on our virtual chalkboard and done just about as much erasing as we have been writing.  February is here.  The weather has been gorgeous.  We’ve had no snow and no ice but we’re ready to move on.  The problem is when you go places you’ve been you get comfortable.  Maybe you get a little more comfortable than you really want to get.  I think that’s how we feel when we’re around the Quartzsite, Yuma and even Palm Springs. We’ve been in those spots enough that we don’t feel we have to run around and do a lot of sightseeing.  We can actually relax and just live a little without being a tourist.  Sometimes you need a little down time and other times you don’t.  We've had down time.  It's been good.

With the weather still on chilly side (or is that downright cold and icy?) in the north.  It’s just way too early to start the move in that direction at a fast pace.  However, it’s not too soon to start taking little moves or trying to figure out how to get there.  The last couple of years we’ve wanted to travel through Utah but each year something has come up that we haven’t done that (surgery and car wreck).  So, it’s back on our chalkboard for this year …. again.  At least that’s what we’re thinking and that’s what we’re planning at this exact moment.  We do have our little eraser out just in case something else comes up again.  Isn’t it nice to be flexible.

We used our ROD (Resorts of Distinction) membership to stay where we are now.  Thus, we get to stay free.  Free is good.  No, free is usually best.  This place is about eight miles west of Yuma in California.  Even though California is on Pacific time, the area around here really operates on the Yuma clock.   The time confusion causes havoc with the clock in our cell phones.  Cell phones don’t know that they aren’t supposed to change at the California border and they do seem to be changing constantly back and forth from Arizona to California time.  I have decided I like Arizona  time best.  It just seems to suit my own hours. Since Arizona does not go on daylight savings time I really never have to worry about adjusting my internal time clock. By the time we head back to the Pacific Northwest that time zone has already made the changes.

We’ve stayed at this park in the past.  We like the location.  This time we even got a great site.  It’s long and it’s wide.  There’s plenty of room for a patio even after the motorhome, the car, the trailer and the ATVs have been parked.  We’ve not been this lucky in the past.  However, I sure like it when we’re closer to the hot tub.  I guess no matter how much we try we can’t have everything and if we were given a chance to choose, I’d probably pick the site we have now.

Just across the highway from the park is the California Highway Patrol headquarters.  Now we are in a very small town and small towns usually don’t have such headquarters.  However, these patrol officers feed on the traffic between Yuma at the Arizona border and the ever so popular, Imperial Dunes. For a few miles east and west of their headquarters, you will encounter numerous officers on this stretch of freeway.  They are very vigilant.  It’s rare to drive on the highway and NOT see an officer or two or three.  Usually you’ll even see one beside the road with a car pulled over.  You just need to be sure that car pulled over isn’t you if you head this way.

Lots of room for a barbecue.

Monday it was our turn to have a few folks over.  So, we did.  Since we were in a park, we couldn’t have campfire.  We always miss the campfires at the gatherings.  We had a great group.  There were a total of ten of us.  We barbecued steaks and did a lot of talking.  It was another fun evening with a great group of people.  We even had a couple party crashers.  My cousin, Wally, and his wife, Susie, are staying in Yuma so they came too.  As we get closer and closer to our departure time, these little get togethers are a little more important.  We know we won't see these folks probably for another year.

Steve, Carol, Dan, Delcie, Kay, my seat and Terry

Freddy, Wally and Susie

We’ve started making a little list of the few things we need to accomplish while close to Yuma.  That seems to be the only way we get things done.  We knew we needed an oil change on the Jeep and we also knew we needed to make sure we had a good spare tire.  Those things are taken care of.  We also took the Jeep in and had the brakes checked.  It seems we need to replace the front brakes so we scheduled that for Wednesday.  It feels good to get things taken care of.  It’s just not good to have to pay for those things.  The problem is we haven't found anyone else that would.

Tuesday?  It’s off to the Imperial Sand Dunes and checking out the area around El Centro.


‘Tis life on the road.