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.