Did you eat your Vegetables?

Jan 27/17  Sunny 72 high, 50 low

cabbages

red lettuce and green lettuce

We went out into the nearby countryside about 50 miles for a ride and there are fields and fields of beautiful looking fresh veggies.  We saw kale, red lettuce, green lettuce, romaine lettuce, cabbage, brussel sprouts, date palms, oranges, lemons, and onions.  The fields were spotless from weeds.   We did see crews of workers hoeing in the fields. 

date gardens

large diesel powered pumps move irrigation water from the canals to flood the fields

Romaine Lettuce - so thick

After the notorious summer heat here in Yuma, the temperature drops just enough to create the country’s longest growing season.  Yuma County is the winter lettuce capital of the world, supplying a whopping 90% of the nation’s leafy vegetables between November and March.  The crops look beautiful.

Exploring Yuma

Jan 26/17  Weather sunny, 68 high low 48. 
We are happy with our choice of RV parks, although there are probably a hundred to choose from.  Down our street is an RV park and another RV park and our park and then another RV park and so on.  Anyways we are at Las Quintas RV and we have a big long pull thru so we don't have to unhook for the week.  Sorry, only drawback was the wifi was painfully slow and so no uploads to the blog till we get to the next stop. 

Do Terra at Yuma Market; made us think of our daughter she sells in Scotland

the veggie/fruit haul from the market plus 2 vanilla from Mexico

Every weekend the Yuma Market is open and we are on the hunt for Mexican Vanilla and fresh vegetables.  The market is the cleanest one we have been too in our travels and we scored big on what we wanted plus we picked up some new motorcycle sunglasses. 

Billy?  Billy now really was I that long????

On our way there we happened to pass a quilt shop and Billy made the turn in.  See what happens to husbands at quilt shops???  It was worthwhile as I did pick up some much needed material, now that is a big fat lie but there was some pretty cool southwest material that did make its way into our motorcycle.

Lutes Casino

beside us at the bar in Lutes

Stopped at the Harley shop which was a bit of a disappointment so the cure for that was to stop downtown at Lutes Casino.  Why a casino?  We are not sure but we were told it is a funky eclectic place and they have really good burgers.  Both are true.  Lutes is a place where you just keep looking at everything on the walls.  And the Burger was great + a cold beer at the bar.

Stuff everywhere and a lineup out the door tells you it must be worth waiting for

Road to Yuma

Jan 25/17 Weather sunny, 63 and 40 at night.  Great for driving. 
What is in Yuma, Az?  We don't know but we do know lots and lots of snowbirds go there. Over 100,000 snowbirds!!  Weather statistics state it is on average the sunniest and warmest spot in the United States.  

road to Yuma,,,, mostly nothing but mountainous landscapes

From Buckeye, our drive is short about 150 miles south then west to our  RV park in the Foothills of Yuma; Las Quintas RV Resort.  Must be busy, this was the third park I called to find a pull thru spot for the week.  
There are no towns or cities along the way. Nothing.  
What there is out in the middle of nowhere is a massive jail, massive solar panel field and massive cattle factories.  You cannot call these ranches or farms, truly they are 20th century animal factories.  

Arizona State Prison - Lewis Complex

The Lewis Arizona State Prison - is the jail we went by.  It has close to 5,000 inmates who are kept in 8 different units depending on severity.  Did you know in Arizona there are 10 state prisons and 6 privately owned state prisons???  In AZ 48,000 people in jail at a cost of $1 Billion dollars annually.   That is mind boggling.  But not as mind boggling as 1,600,000 in the entire United States in prison.  Highest % of people in prison per population than any other country in the world. And unlike China or North Korea where many are political imprisonments.   Makes you think doesn't it?

1,920 Acres of solar panels

Solana Generating Station

The Solana Generating Station is a 1,920 acre solar power near Gila Bend completed in 2013. When commissioned it was the largest parabolic trough plant in the world and the first U.S. solar plant with molten salt thermal energy storage. 

cattle feedlots - factories?

In the Wellton area the JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding company have a capacity of 120,000 cattle.   That is a factory!!!!!    The company has a total of 980,000 cattle in the USA, in 6 states and another 75,000 head of cattle in Alberta, Canada. 

The analogy of today's drive is that when you think you are in the middle of no where - look around.  What do you see?  What is going on?  What is that?  What are they doing?  Why?  You just never know.  That's what we love about moving around.

West of Phoenix

Jan 24/17. After a successful stop at Chucks we decided to head a short distance west of Phoenix to Buckeye.  A lucky omen as our good friends are Buckeyes!  The town was named after a fellow who developed the nearby canal , called Buckeye canal.  He used the moniker of  his home state of Ohio.  

This park, Leaf Verde RV Resort, is quite nice and for many reasons we will come back in the future.   The area is near Indians and Reds baseball spring training and the NASCAR track.   The park has so many activities it takes 2 pages, one morning and one afternoon.  Gives you lots of choices to get involved.  There is a shuttle to the airport, on site warehousing, huge long level pull thrus.  Everyone is very friendly.  Elevation is 1100 feet which would be a good spot to be around our time to fly back at Christmas, no worries about frost.  Monthly Price was reasonable too, we will keep this place in mind for another year. 

Love the Plate on this Big Rig - 1FNTRK

Now that is some transportation

RV park has a beautiful mountain surrounding 

RV and Speed. Really?

Jan 24/17  Weather  - sunny but cool-ish.  60 high, night 35.  Winter storms seemed to have passed and the forecast is warming up.
Hooking up and moving on from Val Vista RV Resort in Casa Grande was so easy, everyone around us was very helpful pushing the trailer out and getting us connected.  Long time in one spot for us, since Nov 13. 

up ahead is the old GMC on a hoist, us lined up for service

this Vette is in cause it had no reverse

We have an appointment in Phoenix to work on our Banks Power System.  Basically this is an add on to boost our performance and horsepower on the engine.  You could say we have our engine "chipped up".  That is where RV and Speed come together!    It makes such a difference; without it Billy thinks our coach has no umph!!!   Since Little Rock, Arkansas our unit has been disabled since it malfunctioned.  Billy called Banks help line and they suggested Chuck's RV and Speed; he has been in the business for 50 years and that is the place we need to go to.  It turns out that Chuck's is "excellent".  They did some trouble shooting and determined no fix is needed AND they have our Banks system back up and running.  For now they suggest we drive it and use it and let them know down the road if any glitches happen; we have to return back this way in a month so we can always come back.  Happens we were the minority vehicle there.

 One other motorhome was up on a hoist - an old GMC classic that the owner has invested over $250,000 to date and much more funding to come to finish it.  Chuck's had all kinds of old muscle cars being worked on.  The shop was spotless.  They invited us to walk around and take a look.   Very impressive, and they have a Dyno too.

this one sounds good - quite a rumble

cool

and another one and look behind it - 4 corvettes on the racks

Winter in the Desert

San Tan Mountains

Weather - last 10 days (Jan 11/17 to Jan 21/17)  sunny, cool, cloudy, rain?  yes rain..... in fact it reminds us of Scotland.  We have had all 4 seasons in 1 day.    Mostly it is jeans and sweatshirt weather.  We had 1 day at 69 and most have been around 60.  We are glad the nights are not too bad at 45 +.   We have never spent time in Arizona in January.  Apparently this is considered their winter weather and often January is not a warm month; and they get storms from Southern California every few days; we didn't know that.  We actually had one day it showered all day.  To us this was "amazing".   We have never seen it rain in the Desert.   So we haven't done too much riding since we returned from home.

nice riding into San Tan Valley

 The warm day we did throw on our leather jackets and ride up to San Tan Valley, just east of Phoenix.   Friends we made in Maui in 2010 have stayed in touch and we spent the afternoon sitting in the sun at a an outdoor bar/grill.

walking into San Tan Flats Bar and Grill

San Tan Flats Bar and Grill - lots of country music

We had a roadrunner who kept us company the whole time - guess he was looking for some scraps.  He was very bold; sitting right up beside our picnic table just checking out our food!

our little Road Runner

When a Deal is not really a Deal

Dec 13/16 to Jan 11/17  Christmas Trip Home
Weather in Ontario was not that bad.  When we first got home it was snowy but that quickly went away and for a couple weeks was mild enough to walk outside each day with a winter jacket.  The second week into January did get a cold and windy spell.  All in all not that bad.
We thoroughly enjoyed staying in Rondeau at Bye the Bay B & B.  This is a 3 story log cabin home.  We had the top floor to ourselves, and the 2nd floor and the 1st floor.  The owners were gracious enough to let us stay the month while they were in Florida.  How nice people truly are when you tell them your situation.  (We want to come home to see our 90 year old mom for Christmas).  Inside the rooms are all wood too. 

our suite

Weather in Arizona was mostly in the low 60's and down to 33 at night.  This is the neighbours report when we returned back to Casa Grande.  Apparently there were a few cloudy and rainy days too.   So a touch of winter in the desert as well.  Good news is that it was never freezing as we did not winterize our coach before heading home.   We could not find an indoor warehouse in Arizona to store it so we left it hooked up on our site.   The park is gated and secure especially since we have two little dogs next door that literally go crazy everytime we walk outside!!!  Watch dogs........   what can we say. 

Frontier airlines

So the Deal was the flight from Phoenix to Detroit non-stop on Frontier Airlines.  $122 usf inclusive of all taxes.   We could only take a bag small enough to fit under our seat.  No bags, no seat selection.  Really that is an incredibly cheap price for a flight of 4 + hours.   Check out the tail on each plane, they have a different animal painted on them.  We had a Husky going home and a Killer Whale coming back.  The kids flying can also get the collectors card for the animal when they board.  Other than that it is a no frills flight.  Oh yes you do get a free glass of water.  Ha ha.  Bring your own peanuts!

Westin Detroit Airport Hotel

Remember going home is a process.   We had a shuttle from the RV Park to Sky Harbour Airport in Phoenix.  Then the airline ticket.  Then we took Detroit Limo Service from Detroit Metro to Windsor since we didn't get in till almost 1 am.  (Time change of 2 hours).  A night at the Holiday Inn Suites in Windsor.  Next morning our son who lives in Windsor picked us up and took us to the farm.  Then we use the car left at the farm for the month.  Going back is a reverse process.  We take the car to the farm and put it away.  Then my brother gave us a ride to Chatham Bloomfield stop to get picked up by Robert Q shuttle.  The shuttle took us to Detroit Metro Westin Airport Hotel.  Next morning we had a 7 am flight back to Phoenix and then the same shuttle picked us up and took us back to the RV park.  Here is the total cost for that month travel excursion $2500 Canadian funds.  Sounds crazy when you look at the cost but there is no cost that can replace having your Mom at 90 years old.

Wildlife in Rondeau

Jan 2/2017 looked out our B &B window this morning and what did we see?

4 deer sauntering along

The Great White North

Dec 13/2016. Weather  in Ontario - cold, snowy, freezing.   Oh oh.
Most of the time what Americans think of Us being in Canada is not true.  We don't have snowshoes,,,,,,,,,  
Here is our new view for the next month.  Love the wagons lined up in the field.
We are in a beautiful B&B which we will share in the future.
Home for the Holidays, cherishing family and friends.
Merry Christmas to all.

Rondeau Bay

Nightly Habits

Dec 12/16  Weather  really nice today 74, low 44
We have grown into a couple of nightly habits here in Val Vista RV Park.  When the sun goes down it will cool right off so we either have a fire or hot tub night.  The hot tub and heated pool are empty every night.....Where is every body?   Most nights we head up to partake in both.  A dip in the hot tub then a swim in the pool.  Then maybe back in the hot tub. 

Most nights we just dangle our legs and feet in the hot tub

Pool feels really good when the air is cold

And on the nights we don't go to the hot tub and pool we sit around the fire pit at the happy hour circle.  No stinky smoke smell as you just turn the propane off when you are finished with your fire :)

Hot Chocolate with Baileys and Whip Cream

Run to Chandler

Dec 9/16  Weather is sunny about mid 70's for the next week, night low of 50.  This is my perfect weather.  Not too hot, not too cold.  Could be this way everyday of the year.

Chandler Harley Davidson

We had to make a run to the Harley Davidson shop in Chandler for a new part on the motorcycle.  Right now the shifter rod is being held on by duct tape.  Made it to the shop and half hour later we had a new chrome shifter.

Cafe Zupas

Down the street we found a new lunch spot called Cafe Zupas, which was soup, sandwiches, salads.  It was excellent.  Never been to one before but will definitely come again.  They have very fresh local ingredients.

Gila River Indian Reservation

skeleton of cholla cactus

Our ride back to the RV park in Casa Grande was through the Gila River Indian Reservation.   Views of the mountain ranges in the distance and cactus amongst the land are so different from home.  One of the most unusual things are the skeletons of cacti, they are so strange looking.    The cemetery on the reservation is always full of flowers and memorabilia.... Bright white crosses adorn the dirt grave sites.   

cemetery in Gila River Reservation

Superior - Ghost Mining Town

Dec 5/16  Weather sunny 68, low 43
Arizona is filled with old ghost mining towns.  Today we drove over to Queen Valley to see our friend Ruth.  From her place we popped up to Superior which is in a beautiful setting to see the Apache Leap Cliffs.

driving into Superior

Smelter has been closed for 30 years

 After 71 years of mining due to high costs of mining and low copper prices the mines closed.  In those years they mined copper, zinc, silver and gold.   Thousands of jobs lost and once again the town falls into disrepair.  Empty buildings, falling down housing.  Rumors to start mining again surface if the corporation can swap lands that might be sacred and protected.  So far agreements have not been reached.  The protected land is so beautiful and the corporations want to do block mining which leaves huge wholes in the ground when finished. You can understand why it is opposed by local groups.

Porters Cafe

Every old mining town has an eatery where the locals gather.  Memorabilia adorn the ceiling and walls.  No doubt one of the best cheeseburgers you can find anywhere in Arizona is here. 

Canadian Wall

Post election news

Shortly after the new president

of the USA was elected, several

Americans have been seen sneaking

into Canada.

Canada's Prime Minister,

Justin Trudeau, has made

the decision to build a wall.

Canadians building a wall.

The Little Dirt Road

Dec 4/16  weather - sunny 68.

Dwarf Car Museum looks a bit dilapidated from the outside

One of his dwarf cars

Maricopa is a snowbird town about half an hour away from Casa Grande.  Mostly we know it from hearing about Canadians who have purchased snowbird properties when the housing crunch hit the USA.  We went cruising to Maricopa and found an obscure attraction the "Dwarf Car Museum".   The fellow builds retro cars on a small scale.  Sounds pretty cool and unique,,,, it is in the middle of nowhere..... and down a sandy dirt road.  We went by the place; turned around stopped out front and Billy did not take the motorcycle down the dirt road.  Ok.  If you know him you understand, he does not do dirt roads.

Raceway Bar and Grill

So our next stop was at another obscure looking place that lots of motorcycles were sitting at the "Raceway Bar & Grill".   Apparently even the American Pickers have stopped here.  It has a paved driveway so we are ok!!  Old signs and paraphernalia inside and outside with a sunny spot on the patio to have a Corona and Pizza.   Funny story.   Billy talks to a fellow biker while we are having our pizza - about the Dwarf Car Museum that we did not go into and this guy says "it's so cool" and he proceeds to show Billy pictures of the dwarf cars on his phone.   Smiling I tell him ..."Sometimes you just have to brave the little dirt road."