(Sorta) Chillin’ in Yuma

One good thing about a city that caters to snowbirds – there are lots of RV parts and repair options. Unfortunately, nothing was open when we arrived on Sunday, 3/17, so we had to keep the refrigerator limping along until businesses opened up Monday morning. We opted for a private RV park so we’d have full-hookups and AC for puppy boy.  Blue Sky RV Ranch was a decent park with a nice pool and hot tub, a large laundry room, and best of all, a small off-leash play area for dogs with a wash station for the puppers! I did our laundry on Sunday and on Monday Riley got the spa treatment.  

Dog washing station - I need one of these at home!

Rog hit a nearby RV parts place in the morning and picked up a new Thermistor. He spent the next several hours cussing and sweating getting that installed while I cleaned an inordinate amount of desert dirt and Riley DNA from the inside of the rig. Both efforts were successful! Clean rig, clean puppy and a working fridge – Yeah us!

On Tuesday, we decided to test the fridge on gas. For those of you who haven’t dealt with RV refrigerators, ours is dual fuel – it has two cooling systems and works either on electric or propane, at least it’s supposed to. We left around 9:30am for a trip across the Mexican border to Los Algodones. We’ve read a lot about the town on full-time RVer blogs. It is a mecca for snowbirds who want  less expensive options for dental, vision, and pharmacy services. It has the highest concentration of dentists you’re likely to see anywhere and we were curious.

Welcome to Los Algodones - dental capital of the world! Lol.

There were lots of folks hustling for business, but smart visitors do their homework ahead of time and know who they’ll be seeing. We didn’t need any dental work or glasses, but I did get a prescription filled for about 20% less than the discount pharmacy I normally use and 70% less than retail price. Wow. It was super fast and far less hassle than I usually have filling a prescription on the road. Something to remember for next time! We spent the morning checking out the vendors. One of the gimmicks is to offer buyers a free shot of tequila, so when Rog bought a T-shirt he declined but said I would take it! So here I am taking a 10:30 AM tequila shot (yes, it was excellent tequila too!). I can see how that could put you in a buying mood. Lol. After that we had a nice and much-needed lunch at the El Paridisio courtyard. 

Lots of street vendors, dentists, optical shops, and drug stores.

A happy camper at lunch. 

The only downside was the long line to get back into the US – we waited about 45 min or so and were told it can sometimes take up to 3 hours! It was quick and painless once we made it to customs, but there were only two people checking folks through. Ugh! We've seen a gazillion border patrol agents in their white and green vehicles, agents out running around the desert in four-wheeling quads, temporary check-points set up on highways, and only TWO people clearing folks at the official point of entry with a line over a hundred deep. No I don’t feel safer, I feel annoyed! Less wall, more staff please. 😊

The line stretched far ahead and plenty more behind us too.

Anyhow, when we finally made it home Tuesday afternoon, we were dismayed to find that Murphy wasn't finished with us yet. The refrigerator had climbed over 10 degrees to a not-so-balmy 50+. So the fridge worked fine on electric, but not on gas. At wits end, Rog called a mobile RV repair service that specialized in refrigerators. The earliest he could see us was Thursday morning, the day we were due to leave. Instead of staying longer, we made arrangements to meet him at the local library parking lot.

We switched back to electric and the fridge cooled right down, so we decided to take a day trip to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, 3/20.  Now remember, Kofa is where we had originally planned to go after Clark Dry Lake Bed.  There are tons of awesome boondocking spots all through the refuge… here’s the view we would have had at Kofa instead of being packed in like sardines in Yuma. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.  Sigh.

Would you rather be here .....

... or here. Thanks Murphy.

At Kofa, we took Riley and did the short Palm Canyon hike. California fan palms, the only native palm species in Arizona, are found in the steep ravines along the sides of the canyon. They are remnants of an earlier time when the area was cooler and wetter, now they survive in only a few places where there is sufficient shade and water.

The hike is right up the canyon in the center.

The palms are high up in ravines along the sides.

Palms in the desert.

Handsome boy on the trail.

View across the valley. 

Riley agrees with the palms, he wants more shade and water too! We also enjoyed the display of desert wildflowers and added a few new ones to our list.

Skip the bowl, Riley wants his own water bottle. :)

Ahhhhhh...  resting in the shade.

Rock Daises.

The elusive Ghost Flower on the left and two more I couldn't identify.

This guy has on his fancy pants - he was almost neon blue!

We were going to take a 4WD route out of Kofa but ended up turning around and opting for the graded gravel road. Our Acadia has 4WD, but it’s not exactly “high” clearance. Hmmmmm… no armor on the undercarriage, no cell service if we run into trouble, miles from anywhere, and only a few hours to dusk… Nope.  Or maybe it was the attitude and hairy eyeball this desert jackrabbit gave us. 

He sat right in the middle of the road and stared us down.
Scary bunny!

Thursday morning we met Martin, our RV repair guy, at the library as scheduled. I took advantage of the library’s wifi to work on the blog while Rog learned more about our temperamental refrigerator.  Martin was able to check things, like the gas pressure and control board, that Rog couldn’t. He cleaned it and generally gave everything a thorough check-up. Bottom line. All the parts were working. He said it could just be a weak cooling unit, but there wasn’t anything broken. Rog had been searching the RV forums for ideas and read about one person with a similar problem that moved the thermistor (that sensor we just replaced) to a lower (warmer) position in the fridge. Martin thought it was worth a try. In about two minutes Rog had it zip-tied to a lower shelf. Our next stop is Organ Pipe National Monument with no hookups. Fingers crossed this works, or we’ll be buying lots of ice!

Palm Oasis, Rock Art and More!

On Tuesday, 3/12, we got back from our awesome wildflower tour and sculpture safari to find our good friend, Bob Wells, had arrived in camp. If you recall we met up with Brother Bob last year in Bishop, CA. Bob was Rog’s partner when he was a paramedic for Tacoma Fire Department. A kindred spirit, Bob also takes off for long trips in his truck camper. We love it when our paths cross and we get to spend time together on the road. It is great fun to swap tips and tricks and when the guys get to telling tales from their years together on the fire department it is both hilarious and *ahem* educational. Nope, we won’t be sharing those stories, you’ll have to grab a beer and join us around the campfire.

 We have a neighbor!  Welcome Brother Bob!

On Wednesday, we took Riley for a walk to a nearby abandoned compound. From the looks of things, a couple survivalist type families tried to make a go of it. Without a source of water, it seems doomed to failure. We adopted a look, but don’t touch approach. There were several outdoor rooms including a full bar, and a couple metal containers converted into living space. A couple of photos in the windows showed a bunch of guys in military gear with assault rifles with the following handwritten admonition: “Please, we beg of you with tears in our eyes, respect our right to private property. Beware of ‘big brother’ filming your every step but fear ‘little brother’ who will haunt you and invade your private property on a dark and cold night and know from that night forward your life will never be the same again. PLEASE leave now and don’t encourage us to do what we love most in life, hunting men.”   It was very interesting and more than a little creepy. I could hear the Deliverance banjos playing faintly in the background, ok, maybe that was just my imagination. 😊

Rog and Riley on a desert stroll. 

Interesting remnants of a survivalist homestead.

Our Palm Canyon hike in Anza-Borrego State Park on Thursday had none of the previous day’s melodrama. The hike was a relatively easy 3 miles round-trip, but Riley had to stay back in the RV. Unfortunately, California state parks seem to be adopting the National Park policy of no dogs on the trails.

Sigh. Doesn't seem fair to our four-legged family members. 

We were hoping to spot some of the resident bighorn sheep but struck out. Just warm sun and the unusual treat of listening to running water and froggies croaking in the desert. We did see some different wildflowers and a couple cute lizards.

Rog and Bob on the trail.

The Palm Oasis.

A busy stream provides water.

Between the warm sun, burbling stream, and croaking frogs our lunch break nearly turned into nap time.

Swaths of color.

More wildflowers.

Hello!

On Friday, 3/15, we hit the local Farmer’s Market in Christmas Circle Park. It was dog friendly, so Riley was his charming self. The park is the center of a huge traffic circle and it is lovely – lush green grass, tall trees, restrooms, water fountains, lots of picnic tables, and a covered area. It was also the location for the annual Circle of Art Show which we also visited.

Friday Farmers Market in  the lovely Christmas Circle Park.

Loved the succulents for sale.                                Riley being his charming self.

The Circle of Art Show is an annual event. 

One of my favorite hikes was in search of a giant rock snake. Rog had read about some desert rock art not far from where we were camped. You can see the snake on Google Earth so we had a rough idea where to look. It was a fun hike and we found the snake and lots more besides! 

We ended up on a bluff above the rock snake.

Impressive and the only kind of snake I'm happy to find in the desert!

We also found a coyote howling at the moon, Darwin's fish and an eagle.

Folks have been busy, here's a lizard, flowers, and cupid's heart.

While we did a lot during our week here, we also spent a fair amount of time just kicking back, relaxing, and reading. We gave up putting out the patio mat since Riley insisted on laying in the cool dirt. After a week here, it’s going to take some work to scrape all the dirt, dog hair, and drool from the inside of the RV. 

Riley is a shade connoisseur and has abandoned us in favor of Uncle Bob. :) 

Our plan had been to head next to Cibola and then Kofa National Wildlife Refuges. Unfortunately, Murphy had other plans. Our refrigerator in the RV has always been temperamental but it decided to totally quit working. Arrgh! Rog did some detective work and found he could get it to work by disconnecting the thermistor, the sensor that is supposed to regulate how often and how long it runs. So, it was either totally on (which means it would keep chilling until everything was frozen) or totally off (obviously not good in the desert). Sigh, change of plans. We opted to shoot for Yuma, AZ where there is a huge snowbird population so lots of RV repair places. Fingers crossed we can get it fixed quickly and get back to having fun without worrying if the milk is spoiling or the steaks are thawing. 😊  

A Sculpture Safari

The second part of Tuesday’s drive was to see the “Sky Art”, large metal sculptures scattered around Borrego Springs. I was totally unprepared for just how much fun we had searching for the various sculptures spread out along a maze of dirt roads. The artist had some fun too, many of the sculptures were installed as vignettes that tell a story. From family groupings of big horn sheep, to prehistoric herd beasts being attacked by sabertooth cats, to driving underneath the huge jaws and claws of a ferocious fighting Carnotaurus and Allosaurus. It really was like a sculpture safari! I wish I could share them all but you’re only going to see a (relatively) small sampling.

Now entering Jurassic Park. Lol.

Rog's view from the driver's seat. 

Just too much fun!

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. lol.

First a little background. The artist is Ricardo Breceda and his story is as fascinating as his sculptures. Originally a school teacher in Mexico he moved to California for better wages. He worked first in the restaurant business and then in construction. He was injured in a fall and was selling exotic leather boots when he traded a pair for a welding machine. In 2001, his seven-year-old daughter, a fan of the Jurassic Park movies, asked him to make her a T-Rex for her birthday. He learned from a friend how to make giant metal sculptures and began construction on the dinosaur at his home along Interstate 215. A driver stopped and asked to buy it and he began making and selling the large metal sculptures. (And yes, his daughter got her T-Rex!)

T-Rex started it all!

Meanwhile, Dennis Avery (think heir of the Avery label fortune) had purchased several parcels of land around Borrego Springs. He called the areas Galleta Meadows and left them open for public recreational use. Avery was also passionate about the ancient history of the area and helped fund a book, Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert, about the history of Plio-Pleistocene life in the area seven million years ago.  

Galleta Meadows is now home to over 130 amazing sculptures!

One day in 2007, Avery stopped by Ricardo Breceda’s “Jurassic Park” and asked about the sculptures. Ricardo told him he could make anything if he had a photo, Avery pulled out a copy of Fossil Treasures and showed him an artist rendering of an elephant-like gomphothere. He was so thrilled with Breceda’s first sculpture he immediately commissioned two more to make a family. The sculptures were installed on his Galleta Meadows property in 2008 and that was the beginning of the Sky Art project.  Since then thousands of people from around the world have enjoyed visiting the 131 sculptures now scattered around Borrego Springs.

Gomphotheres - ancestors to the modern elephant.
Fossilized remains were found in the area.

The sculptures are found tucked among a maze of dirt tracks on both the north and south sides of town. Some are close to the main road, others require some effort to find. There are three themes – Fossil Treasures which depict prehistoric animals whose fossil remains have been found in the area, History and Nature, which include people and animals from the area, and Whim & Fantasy – dinosaurs and creatures that never lived here but are just plain fun!

Let’s start with my absolute favorite, the Serpent.  Obviously part of the Whim & Fantasy series, the Serpent is 350 feet long with the head of a Chinese Dragon, the body of a sea serpent, and the tail of a rattlesnake. It undulates under road and is just feaking incredible. I wanted to bring him home, but Rog reminded me that he is longer than our property!

Can I bring him home, pleeeeeeese??

So awesome!!

The detail is astounding.

Here are some sculptures from the Fossil Treasures series. I loved how many of the smaller ones were tucked among bushes like an Easter egg hunt, while the larger ones are just jaw dropping amazing.

Camelops

More Camelops, a llama, and Rog petting a Harlan Ground Sloth with its baby on board.

A peccary family.

Sabertooth cat.

Merriam's Tapir

Shasta Ground Sloth

Extinct horses issue a challenge.

Baby and momma Mammoth.

Sabertooth attack!

The Nature and History theme feature the local Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, historical figures including a prospector and the padre, and a 1946 Willys Jeep which was the first civilian jeep to explore the area. It also honors a local jeep club, the Herd of Turtles, who were enthusiastic supporters of the sculptures.   

  

Peninsular Bighorn Sheep

Two rams duke it out. 

The Padre and his dog.

Scorpion and Grasshopper

Early miner and his mule.

The famous 1946 Willy Jeep. 

And finally, a few more from Whim and Fantasy…

Velociraptor guards her nest of eggs.
You can see the fighting dinos in the distance.

Posing in front of my Christmas wish (hint, hint). Lol.

We plan on staying here a week. Hope you enjoyed the wildflowers and sculptures as much as we did. We have several more hikes and activities planned so you’ll probably see at least one more post from Borrego Springs!