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.