Ukulele Concert

Typically our evenings are taken up together with a movie or some YouTube, but we got a chance the other evening to listen to a local Ukelele Orchestra put on a Christmas concert.

We have struck up regular conversations with a couple who are neighbours of ours.  Irma and Walter are from Florida and travel full time in their Class A motorhome.  Walter is a ukelele player and has joined a local group to play regular concerts throughout the winter season.

The only ukelele song I thought I had heard before is Tiptoe Through The Tulips, so was not sure what we would be hearing at this concert.  I say ‘song I thought I had heard’ as I could not think of any song played by a ukelele other than that one.

We arrived at another RV Park clubhouse in plenty of time before the start, and saw a stage full of Elves, and Mr and Mrs. Claus.  I think I counted twenty-two people on stage in all, and they were dressed in all kinds of Christmas outfits and appeared to be raring to go.

The audience numbered probably close to 75 or 80 people and I presume most would have been from that park, although the parking lot had a fair number of cars.

Promptly at 1900 they started, not with Tiptoe Through The Tulips, but “We’re an American Band” by The Grand Funk Railroad.  Now the lyrics were changed somewhat to suit the season and with various ukelele references blended in, but that was a good way to start things off.

From there they introduced various people on stage with stories and backgrounds to songs they then played.  There was a single guitar, but otherwise everyone was playing a ukelele.  They did an excellent job changing the lyrics of easily recognizable songs just slightly to bring in some humour as they sang each song.  Once you start listening to some of the songs you recognize the ukelele, or in some cases the song was played with a ukelele instead of whatever would typically have been played.

I am sure there is a rule about posting copyrighted material or playing a song you hear at a concert so you will just have to google the songs yourself, or imagine the sounds and sing-a-long.  A short list of the songs played that I recognized is: Mele Kalikimaka, the Hawaiian Christmas song, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Elvis’s song Can’t Help Falling In Love, and Jingle Bells.

By the time the concert was drawing to a close an hour later, the songs were Christmas sing-a-long songs and everyone participated.

A welcome change to get out at night and experience a bit more of what Quartzsite has to offer.  Thanks to Irma and Walter for the invite and the Quartzsite Ukelele Orchestra.

Winter Solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and although the coldest days of winter are still to come it is one of the days I always look forward to the most each year. 

A lot has been written of the rituals associated with the various sun cycles but I am not climbing to the top of the nearest mountain to watch the sunrise.  I will however relish the warmth on my face and think about the return of the sun, with longer days and warmer temperatures.

Of course the closer you get to the equator the less impact the movement of the planet in relation to the sun has on each day, so in Arizona it is not nearly as pronounced as North Bay, but is a little more affected than locations we visited in The Bahamas.

On this shortest day of the year, North Bay will only see the sun for 8 hours 36 minutes, Quartzsite 9 hours and 55 minutes, and Hope Town, Bahamas 10 hours 29 minutes.  This picture is the closest I have to a December 21 picture.

Jupiter Island, Florida, December 22 at 7:07 in the morning

By the time we get to the longest day of the year in six months, North Bay will be basking in the sun for 15 hours and 48 minutes, while Quartzsite will see 14 hours and 23 minutes and Hope Town 13 hours 48 minutes.  This is the closest I can get to a June 21 picture.

North Bay, Ontario, June 16, 2019 at 9:13 at night

 

Our Visit To Molar City

Yesterday we took the much anticipated trip to Los Algodones.  Bill and Pat always visit on the way down to their winter spot in Arizona and also again just before they leave, so this was a special trip they made to show us the ropes.  I can see why they plan a stop on the way down and back as it is the premier spot to get quality eyeglasses and frames, as well as dental services ranging from simple cleaning, polishing, fillings, crowns, plates and I am sure even more.  There are literally hundreds and hundreds of dental offices and eyewear stores.

To get to Los Algodones you leave Yuma and travel a short distance west into California for a few miles before turning south onto a road that takes you to a huge parking lot where you leave your car to walk across the border.  This parking lot was not filled for our visit, but I would not want to cross the border when it is.  There is room for likely thousands of cars.  When we arrived we met Ken and Kim who we have spent some time with already, and friends Deb and her daughter Riley.  Ken and Kim are from Ingersoll while Deb and Riley are from Manitoulin Island, and they have been staying in a desert LTVA location not far from the border so joined us for the day.

The town is nestled in the absolute northern most point of Mexico right along the US border to the north and east along the Colorado River.  It is across the border from California but as most of its business is tied to Arizona it stays on Mountain time.  Wikipedia says the name comes from the word Cotton Plant so I suspect there was or is a lot of agriculture centred around cotton in the area.  There was no evidence of cotton in town other than the tons of vendors selling blankets and such.  Strangely enough on the two times now we have been through Yuma there are a number of fields that grow cotton as we see the large bales set up ready for transport to wherever it is further processed.  The town is apparently nicknamed Molar City as it has become known primarily for the place to go for dental work for Americans and Canadians alike.  The dentists and most of the facilities are as good as any in Canada and the US and the dental surgeons trained in the US.  You do have to check around as some will be better than others, but for example we were told you can get single crowns fitted for about $450USD, so a lot better than Canadian pricing.

We were not inside the border more than a hundred yards and you feel like you are in any of the hundreds of tourist towns in Mexico or the Caribbean countries.  Hawkers and vendors are every five feet trying to give you their card to refer you to ‘their’ optical place or dental office.  Intermingled are hawkers and vendors selling just about anything you can imagine.

We turned a corner and one of the guys spotted Bill, called out his name and they both hugged each other as old friends.  As Bill and Pat have been going as regularly as they do, the people they have known through the visits remember them and warmly greet them, knowing what they are there for.  It is amazing to me really how these individuals can remember a face and a name from the thousands of people they will see and meet between each visit, and think it is a testament to how well they do what they do.  Their livelihood depends on reading peoples faces and remembering who they are.  Bill explained to the guy what we were there for and he promptly led us to what he claimed was ‘the best’ optical place in town at least in terms of price.  The fact that he led us there and we didn't just walk in meant we got some form of discount.  The discount was never disclosed but we felt good about the pricing of what we purchased so that is what counts.

We did not go for any dental work but may opt for that another time.  On this trip we were focussed on eyewear.  Pat has two pairs of quality frames that needed new lenses and I opted for a new pair of frames and lenses.  It is amazing you can go into an optical place, pick out new frames, get the existing frames tested against what your current vision is, choose the coating types for the lenses, pay $120 in my case and come back in two hours for them.

Despite our total bill being just over four hundred bucks, the unknown additional cost was going to be in what Pat spotted in the two hours we were waiting.  I didn't have to wait long as she was first to see the optometrist which meant I was the last one to come out.  By the time I did Pat had already commissioned one of those guys who paints scenes on stuff to paint a maple leaf.   The painting style is almost like Bob Ross and his technique, but this guy is nowhere near as slow and deliberate.  His ability is based on quickly painting something so he can keep people moving to make more money.  I don't know what his day is like but he can paint a maple leaf complete with mountains, trees, a deer and a few birds for $38 in fifteen minutes.  People were lined up buying stuff from him so I don't think he is hurting.

With that sale complete, Pat was off to the next booth for a lively discussion on how much to spend on blankets.  From there the ladies went to a jewellery store in order to get a shot of tequila with a beer chaser while browsing the aisles for that special piece of jewellery they don’t need.  As Pat says though “it is never about need, rather about want”.  She got out of there without buying anything so I suspect it might have been just about the tequila and the beer.  I joke a bit about it but being in a place like that for some is like being a kid again in a candy store.  The people who work and sell know what they are doing and while they don't get upset when you just walk by, they are very attentive once they make eye contact or you stop for a second.

Finally we went into one of the many pharmacies that also line the streets to see what they were selling.  You can buy virtually any medication that you can think of and the prices are very low.  Many of the items we saw were as cheap as dispensing fees back home.

It was time for lunch and Deb recommended an open air restaurant she had been to before, which did not disappoint.  Service was started with the obligatory margarita round for those that like them and then orders were placed with food coming out fresh, hot and very good.  It was typical Mexican food and was excellent.  Of course while we were seated every street vendor came around to their now captive audience to try and sell something, but as long as you said no thanks they would move on.

After lunch we returned to get our glasses while Bill and Pat had also purchased a few of the metal painting from the same guy so we were off again through the narrow aisles.  From there we walked the few blocks back to the border.

Bill said that typically when they have been to Mexico the wait at the border can be up to two hours.  This day we were very fortunate as the wait was less than five minutes.  There were not that many going back at the time we went so it was an easy out back to the US.

On the way back to Quartzsite we stopped at a local market that we were at a few weeks ago when we first travelled to Yuma.  It is reminiscent of the fruit stands that used to line Highway 8 all along the Niagara Penninsula.  Wooden stalls with fabrene walls, dirt floor and a steady flow of traffic.  The last time we were through we picked up some things that we definitely wanted to repeat.

This stop did not disappoint.  The celery, broccoli and cauliflower had been picked that morning so were about as fresh as you can get.  Prices are better than the grocery stores down here and even with the currency exchange as bad as it is right now, the prices appear to be about half what they are at home.

Radishes, Broccoli and Celery - picked Fresh

If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

Water Water Everywhere

Last summer when planning for this trip I had read a number of blogs about the quality of water in most places throughout the US as being very hard.  This is primarily due to the fact most places obtain their water from ground water in deep wells or aquifers.  For the last forty years we have lived in North Bay, Ontario which has probably the absolute softest water in the province, with regular readings in the range of 20 parts per million of dissolved solids.  It gets its water from a deep freshwater lake so is naturally softer.  I felt I didnt need a softener for when we are in North Bay, and decided to wait until we were on the road in the US before deciding how to proceed.

Without knowing what level of hardness we would experience as we travel along, I started looking at the various products that soften the water.  With our experience on the boat we wanted to select a product that would soften the water before it gets into the coach, and subsequently the faucets and water lines.  When we had the boat we used a heavy duty marine watermaker to make our own water from seawater.  I tested the results after every session and the hardness of the fresh water that was produced was in the range of 200 parts per million.  To put that in perspective, seawater is about 35,000 parts per million, so you can see how effective the watermaker is at removing salts.

At 200 parts per million there are enough solids still in the water you should carry out a regular maintenance procedure to remove the hardness and scale from faucet heads and screens in the washrooms and galley.  To do that, once a month I removed all of them to soak in CLR for a few hours, then rinse them.  At the end of the season when we put the boat on the hard for the summer I completely drained the water tanks, lifted the inspection lids and washed the walls down with a mild bleach solution.  Even though I did that to the tanks I was never able to remove any of the scaling that might build up in the water lines.

There are various water softening products out there and I figured as we are using the coach as much as we are I would need to find a unit that had the ability to mount and provide a good level of reduction on the hardness scale.  I selected the On-The-Go portable unit and have it hooked up outside and providing softened water to the coach.  In the meantime I have started to design a method of installing it in the coach.

The unit comes with test strips and prior to the water entering the system I tested the hardness.  Here the water tests at the maximum end of the scale which is about 1,000 parts per million.  I am not sure what the authorities that manage the water here report for their hardness but the little strip test shows end of scale.

After it has gone through the softener it comes out somewhere between 40 and 80 parts per million.

Once the hardness starts to increase again we will notice water spots on utensils and sinks and such so will have to regenerate the system again.  That is done by adding dissolved salt to the tank that has the softening agent inside.

In the meantime, I have been scouting out areas to mount the unit and have made a decision on where to put it.  The unit is about two feet high and quite heavy so I have found an area in one of the bays in the basement where it can be safely secured.  To get to it, I need to run water lines between it and the filters, so I have designed a scale template and laid out what I think will be an effective way to do that.  Until that is done I will have to add the salt to regenerate the system outside the coach and will document what that process is like when it happens.

Open the left hand flu flu valve, next to the doohickey and water goes round and round

More to come at some point in the future on this project.  I am not sure if you are like me in this regard but half the problem is coming up with a solution that works and is efficient in doing whatever it is you want to accomplish.  For that I have found laying these things out works best.  Once laid out I take a picture and paste it into an app that allows you to draw various scenarios.  

The other half of the problem is actually making the decision to start the project.  This is one of those projects that, once I make that first cut into an existing line to put this in, I am committed.  So, I will ponder this for some time I am sure before I make that cut.

A Christmas Onion???

It is the time of year for everyone to enjoy the Santa Claus parade, or Christmas Parade as some call it.  I am sure all of us can remember standing with our parents, in the cold, sometimes snowing, sometimes raining, and sometimes just plain cold, until we could get to see Santa Claus.  We can also remember doing the same with our children and the excitement building in them as the end of the parade got closer.  We also used to watch the Toronto Santa Claus parade on TV every year with our kids and Pat’s parents.  We made an afternoon of it and enjoyed the show.

On our travels we have experienced a few parades in some places you don’t think of as typically having a Santa Claus or Christmas parade, but in each case they find a way to celebrate the arrival of Christmas.  Last year we saw a boat parade in Florida, and the year before a Junkanoo in the Bahamas.  This year we experienced a parade in the desert town of Quartzsite.

Crystal River Christmas Boat Parade 2023

New Plymouth Junkanoo, Bahamas, 2022

We bundled up because it was cold at about 12C or so.  Yes, I know that is still technically shorts weather but it is the desert and when the sun goes down, so does the temperature.  We all got bundled up and drove the few miles to the road where the parade would pass by.  Everyone stayed in their vehicles until the parade started, but soon everyone was outside wishing those on the floats a Merry Christmas.  It is nice when you get in a setting like that to exchange greetings with people you dont know, who are there for the same purpose, and it doesnt take long to get back into the same feeling you had at a parade as a kid.

For the size of the town we were impressed with the turnout, both for spectators and floats.  It started just after 7pm and lasted for about 35 minutes before the float with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  There were no street lights so it was quite dark but I am fairly certain I saw at least three Santas go by, so I suspect some were just dressed as Santa.  Most of the floats were four by four off-road vehicles decorated with all manner of lights, while some were trucks and trailers, police cars and emergency vehicles.  The people who participated certainly put a lot of effort in decorating their rigs.  My phone does not take particularly good night shots so these are what they are.

I think that might have been a Santa

This one too

Not sure who this is…..

Local service bus, the ‘Camel Express’ decorated up

I actually did not get a picture of the float with Santa on it for some reason, but believe me, he was there.

Just about all the participants on the floats were dispensing candies and treats, while some were running down the road doing the same from sacks.  At one point a trailer went by and because of the dark we didnt see it, but heard all kinds of candies hitting the ground at our feet, plus one big thud.  We turned on our cell phone lights to gather them up, noting the thud that hit the ground was an onion.  Now I know there are lumps of coal that may be left for some at Christmas but we were really puzzled about the onion.  It was not really any worse for wear so I brought it home and it will end up being eaten at some point.  This was also no random act as I saw other onions on the road after the parade ended.  I couldn’t help but wonder about the onion and what the story was about.  It was obviously a deliberate act to take onions on the float, but why.

Well I know you will want to know as well, so I googled it.  Google found a story from the Arizona Republic on line newspaper from 2019 (go figure).  The story is found at this link and apparently there is a tradition centered around the Christmas Onion.  So now we know.  I hope the link remains viable for you to read over time, but it is an interesting read and basically talks about the various layers of Christmas that elicit more tears/emotion the closer you get to the center/Christmas.  I wont be throwing onions at people any time soon but think this was a way for whoever threw it to send a message about Christmas.

Lake of Blue-Green Water

The Natives who lived in the Western region of Arizona referred to the water that flowed down the Colorado River through their lands as Blue-Green.  Blue-Green in their language is Havasu and they were referred to as Havasupai.  So, when the Parker Dam was built in the 1930’s the reservoir of water being held back was called Lake Havasu. 

Bill and Pat wanted to share the experience of Lake Havasu City with us, so we took the ninety minute drive up through Parker to there.  From Parker to Lake Havasu City you are roughly travelling along the Colorado River valley with some sections near the Parker Dam with tall cliffs encroaching on either side of the highway.  This would be why they chose that section of the river to build the dam.  It is quite scenic and I was more interested in looking at the cliffs and crags than taking pictures apparently as I do not have any good ones of the rocks.  I will get some next time as we are taking that route when we start our trip home in a few months.  I did get some pictures of the river and blue-green water, but again, the pictures do not always transfer what your eye sees.

As good as it gets for Blue-Green

Lake Havasu City was developed by Robert McCullogh in 1963 initially as a place to test outboard motors on Lake Havasu.  He clearly had other plans right from the start because his family was known for chainsaws and not outboard motors.  To spur development of the area he built a number of manufacturing plants for chainsaws, and the Wikipedia link above is quite detailed in his backstory and the link to the area.  

Perhaps his biggest and most well known project was the purchase, removal, transport and eventual rebuilding of the London Bridge.  This link describes a lot more than I am going to write about it, but when you see what the results of that purchase and his vision were, of building a city in the desert you can’t help but be impressed.

The walkway that has been created along the waterfront where the bridge is located is lined with trees, is well manicured and a very popular place for locals and tourists alike as it was busy for a cool morning.  There is certainly a different feel when you are in a desert location with water, grass, trees, and a mountain backdrop.  The population is around 56,000 year round but the city has a much larger feel to it and is clearly still growing.  We took a drive north of the city before we returned home and both Bill and Pat commented on the amount of new building that was going and had taken place since their last visit.  You can see why retirees from all over the US would want to come to a place like this.

One other interesting thing about Lake Havasu and not necessarily the city proper, is the presence of 28 replica scaled down lighthouses.  These are lighthouses from the US East Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes.  The one that marks one end of the entrance to the canal that goes under the bridge is the same one we have at home hanging on the wall as a tapestry.

Replica of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, North Carolina

For those readers who have travelled and may be interested in this sort of thing, this particular lighthouse is reminiscent of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, in Jupiter, Florida.  When we boated out of Stuart we would very often pass by that lighthouse on our way up or down the Intra-Coastal Waterway.

While we were in town, for lunch we took the ferry across to the California side of the lake to the Native run casino.  Not nearly as big as the one we saw in St. Louis, but big enough, and I imagine quite busy during the height of tourist season.  You would think that would be just about now, but the casino was nearly empty, so not sure what that means.  But we managed to find a few machines to drop our cash into, and despite the winnings Pat had in St. Louis she could not repeat here.  I was consistent in my losing so we did not come out ahead at all.  It was a fun stop and the lunch was great.

Zeus got his revenge this time

Casino with empty marina.  I am sure it is packed in the summer.

Entrance to London Bridge canal approaching from the lake.

An RC Flyers Goldmine

Quartzsite is a small community of full time residents, but come this time of year the population certainly swells with people coming from all over to enjoy the sun, sand, mountains and great weather.  I think there might have been one day so far with some light overcast but usually it is clear blue and 22.  The wind is always light at less than ten knots so conducive to aerial balloons, power gliders and radio controlled aircraft.

When I say people come from all around we have noticed it is generally locations West of the Mississippi with a few from Ontario, but more from the prairie provinces and BC, and all kinds of US states down the west side - Utah and Montana in particular.  So when it comes to the flying community here it is mostly people from afar.  A few guys have homes here where they winter from the cold up in their northern home.

One gentleman, who strangely enough does not fly all that much, is very well known in the community and has what I can only describe as an aviation model museum in his back yard.  Jim is a 93 year old man with a slight build, sharp wit, a good spring in his step, and a head of brown hair.  His place is the centre of everything RC aviation in Quartzsite and either he or one of the other local flyers can be found almost every day working with aircraft parts, engines, controls and all manner of bits and pieces.  He is retired Air Force and was a boom operator on refuelling tanker aircraft.  In the few times I have spoken to him about his career he has some interesting stories about his experiences.  One particular one was of his participation in the refuelling of the SR-71 Blackbird on its historic supersonic flight across the ocean from New York to London in 1974.

He has a two story hangar of about 20’ by 40’ with just about any kind of radio controlled part or model you can imagine.  Some are new in boxes, some are hanging from the ceiling and some are being parted out from crashed models.  Every one of them can still fly and I understand most are available for sale.  So if you are passing through Quartzsite on your way somewhere or want to come to enjoy the experience, stop in and see him to make a deal on your next adventure.

Mostly Warbirds hanging around

Lancaster Bomber ready for another raid

KC-97 Stratofreighter tanker version

Back In The Saddle - Sort Of

From 1979 to 1983 I flew commercially for the company where I worked for forty one years.  It was a fantastic company to work for and flying was a wonderful foundation for understanding the complexities of an aviation enterprise.  By the time 1983 had come along, Pat and I were interested in starting a family, so I made the decision to exit the cockpit and start a job in the office.  That was one of the best decisions I ever made.  Over the years I was afforded the occasional opportunity to fly one of our aircraft but in time that became less and less.  I still look up at passing aircraft wondering where they are from and where they are going, thinking of the pilots up there daydreaming of the day they can get out of the cockpit and start another chapter.

When we stopped in to see Bill and Pat the first time he asked if I wanted to go and see his Hangar.  “Sure” I said.  He and Pat live on a beautiful piece of land in central Ontario near Durham and has built a small shed in which he builds and works on the many model radio controlled aircraft he owns.  It is a step back in a way to the time we were kids and built balsa models, with wood strips, fabric, glues and airplane pictures on the walls.  You only need to click the link to the right of the screen and explore his blog to see how much he loves building and flying his aircraft.

So, it wasnt long before Bill asked me if I wanted to go to the field to watch him and the guys fly their models.  “Sure” I said.  The field is just outside Hanover and is a well manicured portion of a farmers field that is set aside for the guys to fly their model aircraft.  I think it might have been the second visit to that field and Bill asked if I wanted to do a circuit with one of his planes.  I was bitten.

Every trip we make to see Bill and Pat now includes a trip to the field for a few hours.  As you can see in the picture above, these guys are serious about their aircraft.  They each have cargo trailers fully decked out with five to ten aircraft and tools and spare parts.  I was hooked.

Arriving in Quartzsite this year I joined Bill on his daily trip to the local RC airfield for a few hours.  As we are here for the next few months and I am hooked well anyway, it seems perfectly logical to get into this on my own.  So, I purchased a small training aircraft, got my FAA licence and required insurance in case I accidentally fly into someone or damage something and am all set to get back into it.  By getting into it, the only real similarity to what I did forty years ago is it is an aircraft and I am looking up into blue sky.  Other than that it is a steep learning curve and something I am looking forward to doing regularly.

I had about four sessions with the local instructor and am now flying somewhat straight and level so we will see how this progresses.  I am looking forward to it and love the challenge.

Wayne (instructor) looking calm so that is good.

What Lies Beneath Our Feet

Yesterday, the four of us took a short drive up to Parker for some groceries.  There are a few grocery stores in Quartzsite but they are not anything you would want to go to for a large shop.  The prices are slightly higher and selection not as great.

Parker is a fairly small town and the link will describe some of the specific details about the town.  It is the closest town north of Quartzsite with any infrastructure that would draw you to shop there.  There is a Wal Mart and some medium sized grocery chains, plus a number of hardware stores, marine supply stores and typical retail establishments.  It is bordered on the Colorado River and just south of Lake Havasu so attracts a fair number of tourists that would be travelling to that area.

On the way up to Parker we noticed a large flat area to the West of the highway.  Google Maps shows it is the Copperstone Mine, but the owner of the mine Sabre Gold extracts gold from the open pit.  Now I suppose it is possible they used to extract copper but there is no mention of it in the company literature.  They appear to be running an active mine but there also does not appear to be a lot of infrastructure to indicate how big the operation is.

That lead me to looking at other mining concerns in the area and there is actually a large open pit copper mine north of this mine, called Mineral Park.  The link indicates it is still operational but the ownership of the mine has changed hands a lot so not exactly sure if that is an indication of the quality of the ore remaining and companies abilities to make money during the usual volatile copper industry, or some other reason.

It is clear there are certainly opportunities for mineral extraction in this part of the country, whether surface rocks and gems, or from the under the ground.  When you see the miles and miles of mountains, and rocks laying in the desert, you cant help but wonder if there is an unfounded mother lode out there.  When you look at the history of what happened throughout the West you also can imagine every inch has been staked at some point.

Dining in the Desert

Pat and I do not go out to restaurants all the often when we are back home as we both enjoy cooking, but it is nice to go out once in a while.  While we are travelling to new locations we will likely try out local establishments that feature local food.

When we were down in Yuma last week part of the trip was a stop at a local Chinese food establishment.  While this restaurant does not serve local food per se, it is a favourite of a lot of local people as the price and quality are very good.  This particular Lin’s is a fairly large restaurant with all you can eat Chinese and a smattering of American dishes.  We were there during the lunch period so stopped in.

This is a typical buffet style restaurant and the decor looks very reminiscent of a lot of restaurants that were built in 80’s.  It was clean, service on checkin and payment at the front was prompt and the food was great.  We all went back two and three times for refills and they were constantly coming from the back to refill the serving containers.

This particular restaurant is one of six others in Arizona and there are seven stores in Texas, so they have a solid market to be able to run a Chinese buffet in the southwest.  If you are in any of their locations I think they are worth a stop.

Last night six of us went out to a local pizzeria here in Quartzsite.  It is Silly Al’s and is one of the best pizza places we have been to.  The restaurant is quite large and is set up bar style with all kinds of rustic Arizona items hanging from the walls.  A couple of pool tables and a long bar at the back with the usual big TV screens playing football round out the atmosphere.  Bill and Pat mentioned that starting about this time of year it is incredibly difficult to get in and often they have come with lines out the door waiting for a table.

We were fortunate not to have to wait although the place looked about half full.  It was filling as we finished our meal so I think the timing was right.  Most every town will have their go-to pizza place and the way they do up their pizzas makes this the one in this town.  We will definitely go back for a visit to this place.

Prices here so far at restaurants are not too dissimilar to those in Canada.  In the case of Silly Al’s we each had a 10” Meat Lovers Pizza and a beer.  Total was $53 before tip and for that we have enough for lunch today as well so a good deal.

Clockwise from left: Bill, Pat, Pat, Kim, and Ken

AZ-95 To Yuma

We thought we might be able to catch the 3:10 train but it appears the rail line no longer exists, so we took the AZ-95 to Yuma for a nice day trip.  There were a few things each of us wanted to pick up and Bill and Pat know the ropes, so we travelled together and got a tour of things along the way.  I guess for people who come here often they possibly get used to the scenery, but we are finding it is ever changing and beautiful.  Particularly this time of year when the sun is lower on the horizon the colours pop.  Like I said in an earlier post the pictures probably dont really do justice, but the mountains take on a different hue every time you look at them.

Not long after we passed the LTVA areas south of town the scenery changed somewhat and we began climbing through a small raised area.  Most of the highways we have seen so far in the US have been designed in such a way it is hard to tell you are actually changing elevation.  There are some spots obviously where the grade is steep enough they warn with signs, but for the most part, the grade is so gradual you dont even really think you are changing elevation until your ears pop.  We are used to highways built on the Canadian Shield where it is very costly to try and bust through a hill to smoothen a grade, so you actually get steeper grades for shorter periods.

After we passed the rise and began a decent Bill pointed out an area to our left that is the launch area for a government run Aerostat program.  I googled the Aerostat Program and the one that is located just north of Yuma is still operational but it does not say specifically who the client is that is running the program.  There are lots of them that conduct various missions for different government agencies but without driving up to the gate to see whose name is on the gate we are not sure.  Typically they will have something to do with the border and either drug interdiction or people coming across illegally.  On our way down to Yuma the Aerostat was on the ground likely for some servicing, and on the way back they had it up back up in the air so suspect it was down for maintenance. 

No that is not a bug on the window

Now the location for this particular Aerostat is adjacent to the Yuma Proving Grounds run by the US Army so it is possible it could be something to do with that.  The Proving Grounds are huge and I am not clear what is specifically being done there, but the garrison is quite large with a major chain hotel, housing, a K-5 elementary and many of the services of a small town.

Go figure.  Who would have thought the little string was a trigger.😳

Around the same area as the Army base is another road that leads off to the General Motors Desert Proving Ground.  From a google view perspective you can clearly see the tracks and circuits used to test the various vehicles in the heat of the Arizona sun and sand.  Car manufacturers utilize these types of facilities to test the components in their vehicles prior to official release to the public.  Kapuskasing, Ontario was the home of the General Motors Cold Weather testing facility from 1973 until its recent closure this past summer.  Their press release on closure stated that advancements in technology, and testing with continuous improvement models made the facility redundant.  Not sure if the Yuma facility will suffer the same fate.

As we approached Yuma it was an almost immediate change in scenery from desert to lush fields full of vegetables and fruits.  Irrigation pipes are evident in every field and irrigation canals fed by the Colorado River surround some of the fields to supply water for the pipes.

Before we left to return home we passed over a bridge with a rail yard full of those container trains we had been seeing throughout our trip through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  So, there is no question the importance of the route from San Diego east to Dallas and beyond.  I still have yet to see a train heading west so am not sure how those engines make it back there.

On our way out of town we passed by a fruit and vegetable stand.  As it is carved into one corner of a field it is very reminiscent of the fruit and veggy stands you used to see all along Highway 8 across the Niagara Penninsula.  Those stands still exist to some degree but most have been consolidated into larger, more commercial stands.  In the US we rarely ever see any of these stands at all.  There was one place in Florida we used to visit all the time when we were in Stuart but that was the only one.

This one we stopped at was very well stocked and for the most part everything in there was local.  We bought some Pomelo’s as we had never tried those before.  Like a cross between an orange and grapefruit.  Other vegetables were fresh and well priced.  We will make a point of stopping there when we pass that area next time on our way back from our highly anticipated Mexico day trip.