Time to unpack in the rain! Everything looks good in the house. Our neighbor Mark kept the lawn mowed. It's been a good winter. Time now to start planning for the summer riding. Thanks to everyone for the nice comments on this last Winter's blog. This will be the last post until we come up with a new one.



The early flowers have already came and gone, but the daffodills are our all over town. The flowering trees are in full bloom too.



Tug boat rests at the dock in the Coos River.



We were welcomed home in the rain!



Highway 42 between I-5 and the Coast. Lots of spring flowers out. And the blossoms on the trees are very pretty.



Roxy and Scorpion~ will always remember this place. The sign is pointing to a road taking you to the beautiful Rest Area on the Klamath River. Rox and Scorp spent a few hours here one warm day, like 116 degrees, on the way to HSVROC. What wimps. Some of us kept going

The old Mustang Ranch, just out of Sparks, NV. Many years of history here, including the last owners was the City. They took it for taxes and tried manageing it, but they went broke. Lots of the old Bordello's you used to pass on Hwy 95 look like they have shut down. The Mustang looks like there still may be some action over there, wouldn't be surprised.



Those black spots out there are some contented cows. They look fat and happy.



1st sighting of snow. Hwy 89, about 4000 feet.



Hot Flat Reservoir. It's been frozen all winter, just now starting to break up.



With the thaw, there is a lot of water running under the snow.



First glimpse of Mount Lassen.



Julie had to sniff around. She may have seen snow somewhere, but we couldn't remember when or where. She didn't like it much.



Mount Shasta from Hwy 89.



Black Butte, near the town of Mount Shasta City.



Stage of Jefferson...looks like they used up a lot of hay last winter.



Mount Shasta, from the city of Yreka, CA, where we're going to spend the last night on the road before getting home tomorrow.



New RV park in Yreka. Large wide, level spots on the side of a mountain. Nice clean club house, where they put out a good breakfast in the morning. They have over a hundred TV channels from Direct TV that is on a cable in the spaces, and a good high speed wireless internet. Our last night on the road for this trip!



It was 26 degrees when we woke up in Minnie this morning in Hawthorn, NV. 3/27/08. This snow is close. We're getting ready to leave our "Whiskey Flats" RV park and have another day of adventure.



Last visit to Old Mexico before leaving Yuma for the season. This old momma dog was enjoying the hot sunshine.



Saying goodbye to our good neighbors in the park. Sharon and Wayne Wright. They'll be headed out soon for West Virginia.



Traffic wasn't too bad going across Hoover Dam. The road construction is coming along good.



Always a pleasant sight to see these Palm trees near the welcome center to the Dam.



This will be the new bridge across the canyon below the Dam. Quite and engineering marvel!



You can get good room prices at most of the Casino's during the week. They were advertising their Super Buffet tof 8.95. Food prices sure have gone up in the gambling towns!



Traffic, Smog, and wind going through Las Vegas. Was glad to get out of the traffic on the North side.



Top of one of the over 6000 foot passes. about a 40 mph wind. Killing gas mileage, and Julie can't get settled long enough to go potty! She was getting blown along in the desert



Cold wind in the high Country. I usually don't go home this way, but I like Highway 95 so decided to do it today. Sort of a mistake. I could be over on I-5 in the warm California gardens.



I think this is coming into Goldfield (or one of the other small old town that are sort of near ghost status.



House probably owned by a rich miner from the past.



I think this is Goldfield. One of the larger old places to visit. Lots of interesting things to see here.



Took a long time seeing this hill in the distance to figure out why they had gone to some much trouble to put a road up there. As I got closer, I could see a big group of microwave antennas on top.



I think this is Tonopah.




Casino in Tonopah.



If Kelly ever gets to Tonopah, NV, she'll want to stay here!



This is the pins I've ordered for the Yuma VROC ride in March of 2010



The "Old" Erlich's Date Orchard. It close a couple years ago. In the back was the "Sheltering Palms Family Trailer Park" a very old RV park on 8th street and Avenue B that is now closed. What a shame, the Bougainvilla plants are huge and beautiful! The sun wasn't right for this picture, but took it anyway.



This house is 3 blocks from where we live. It's not a wonderful neighborhood, but there are some nice older places here. Love the Palms and Cactus, they grow together here in the Oasis. Yuma has more humidity than most of Arizona. The annual rainfall averages only 3 inches, but we have the Colorado River, many irrigation cannels, and hundreds of acres of green fields that raise the humidity. On the 115 plus degree days in the summer, it seems very hot. On humid days, the swamp coolers don't work, if you don't have A/C you'll be warm!



3 18 March 2009. We hit a hundred on our porch in the shade today. It's only 2:30 PM, so will probably go a little over before it starts to cool off for the evening. I just got back from a 90 mile scooter ride for lunch.



For years I've thought the Arizona flag was about the prettiest of all our 50 states. Since Arizona only has one license plate, I can finally display a flag on the Metro! It came from the Mexican Swap meet yesterday!


Pat with Barb and Jack Foree. 3/15/09. Foree's made a flying trip to Yuma to attend a family wedding, we were able to get in a breakfast together before they had to head back to Holbrook. It's always good to see Jack and Barb, wish they would have had more time to hang out.



John (Slick) Clemons paid us a visit today. He rode over from Phoenix on his Nomad. He shooed the chickens out of the way and came to the house, then we did a little tour of Old Town before heading out through the lettuce fields to Somerton for lunch. He's putting a hurt on the Buffet at the Blue Marlin.



Slick in Somerton.



We rode down to the border at San Luis Rio Colorado. As I was tqking this picture a policeman stopped his car and came over and told us we couldn't take pictures of the border. He acted like he might take the camera, so I was very nice and told him I wouldn't think of taking anymore pictures! I didn't, but after all, we are in America, this is the US side of the border. I can't believe you can't take pictures. I thought this only happened in foreign countries!


John cruising up Hwy 95 South of Yuma.



Gassed up and taking a break before he jumps on I-8 and heads home. Thanks for the visit John, it was fun! (don't know why he's wearing leather, it was around 80 degrees when I took this picture:-)



This is our Dentist's office in Algodones. Three are around 350 dentists in this little town, and they all seem busy.



Colorful Pinatas in front of a Candy Store.



A Bakery and Tortilla factory.



A nice car wash in Algodones, Mexico.



Bougainvilla grows profusely down here. I think it beautiful.



One of the little business court yards.



Juanita has her "Beer Goggles" on!



I'm standing Mexico, taking this picture of the American Flag on the other side of the border.



I bought another Marge Cates painting today. I have my eye on one more.



Don, this isn't the Wool Growers! We're with our good friends Sharon and Wayne. We rode 42 miles out to Tacna, to this advertised Basque Restaurant. It was a nice little place, and the prices were fine, but there really wasn't anything Basque on the menu, except some lamb chops. The ride was good, the company was good, but the food didn't say "Come back"



These are blossoms in our Tangelo tree. It smells heavenly!



This is some of the very early or very late fruit that is just starting to turn orange. We'll havest these before we head home for the summer. The new fruit will be ready to eat when we get back.



Pat has been getting up early while it's still cool enough to work outside. She's almost done detailing the whole park model trailer. This is the last section. She's worn out several toothbrushes. After the cleaning, she's putting on a liquid wax.



Not only a good place to eat, it's an art gallery. This is in Historic Old Town Yuma.




There were many to choose from. Hard to decide which one I liked the best.



Settled on this for our house. It's a painting of the little church in the old City of Castle Dome, which is now a ghost town. I visited this place last week, 20 miles of dirt road to get there. We know the artist, she is a musician and art instructor. Plays piano in the Bard chruch every Friday night for the "Sing". Musicians from the area come to entertain, most old time hymns, but there is a good variety of music and instruments. That was the main reason for choosing this one.



I'm toasting you with a fresh Date Shake at the Sun Gardens. This is a processing house, cannery and gift shop in Bard, CA. About 10 miles from Yuma.



Our friends, Wayne and Sharon at an old museum in the heart of the Date Orchards.



The honor system to buy oranges, tangelos and grapefruit. It's late in the day, the cash box is probably fuller than the old wagon. 2 bucks a bag.



This Lettuce field had been harvested. they leave as much in the field as they take. this will be plowed into the ground, and a different crop planted right away. Then, after whatever that will be is harvested, it will be back to lettuce. Let Us Ride!



This is a field of Bib lettuce. Every kind you've ever heard of, and some you haven't is grown here.



Amber, our favorite waitress at the Hungry Greek Chef, is showing off one of the many pies they offer. Huge pieces and a good variety of both fruit and cream pies.



Amber holding a piece of fresh peach pie.



And, it pie isn't your thing, here's a cinnamon roll that was baked right here. Yum yum!



A delicate desert flower. They are just starting to bloom, in a couple of weeks, there will be a profusion of color out here.





A baby dragon.



Fuzzy Cholla



These are the Pipe Organ Cactus. Most grows in Mexico, but it is north of the border in this area. The National Park follows the Mexican border for 30 miles along here, and there are a lot of this kind of cactus. Average rain fall here is 8 inches a year, compared with 3 inches in Yuma.



An old Centenal. These plants can be over 200 years old.







A nice Saguaro. There's more of these than the Pipe Organ in the Pipe Organ Nat. Park.



There are some rugged mountains around this little valley. It got up into the 90's today, Pat was about at here limit with the heat.



We were going to make the 21 mile loop through these hills, but we heard the road it pretty rough. All dirt, lots of washboard and loose gravel. We're going to come back here next year with the little car and take the loop then.



Entry to the Park. I forgot to bring my Golden Age Passport, will remember next time.



The mine museum in Ajo. We learned a LOT today about the mine and the history of Ajo. All very interesting, but will probably take another trip for it all to get stored into my data bank. This was the rest room in the old Franciscan Mission. The sign had come from an outhouse in another little town that is now gone, about 10 miles West of the mission.