Last Weeks in Yuma, Headed Back Home

 Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, March 14^th, while we were still in Yuma, Arizona for our Winter stay. Monday was a stay at home day. It was really cold and windy today, so we pretty much stayed in all day. Did a few chores, watched some TV and generally relaxed. We had cocktails with the group and then Peggy served dinner to the five of us. She made lasagna, salad and bread and it was excellent. She even threw in a lemon cake for dessert. After we went back to our coach we watched some TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, March 16^th, we left about 11:00 with Peggy and drove to the taco stand for lunch. After lunch we stopped at Fry's for a few things, then headed back to the coach. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the coach and doing a few chores. Wednesday, Happy St. Patrick's Day. Today was a stay at home day. I went over to the clubhouse at 12:30 for the jam session and Jackie and Peggy came over later to watch for a while. Big crowd today, I got to headline for two songs. After the jam session we relaxed for a while, then did cocktail hour with our group. For dinner we and Peggy had a corn beef that I had been cooking all day, along with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. A real Irish dinner. After Peggy left we watched some TV and went to bed. Thursday was also a stay at home day. Did a few chores, played some games and watched some TV. Most of the morning and early afternoon we were dog sitting Belle while Peggy was on a Jeep run. Cocktails with the group at 5:00, then Jackie and I had left over Irish food for dinner. Yum again! After dinner we watched some TV and went to bed.

Friday, March 19^th, Jackie and I went out about 1:00 for a late lunch at a restaurant called Icons here in the Foothills. It is probably the closest thing to an upscale restaurant you can find in the Foothills and we have eaten there several times, although not yet this year. We decided that we were celebrating all the milestone days we missed in February when we were both sick. We missed my birthday and two anniversaries. We had a nice calamari appetizer and Jackie had scallops and shrimp and I had halibut. We had a very nice “dinner” and enjoyed our meal. We also learned that the owners are changing the name of the place to “Zydeco Grill” because they discovered that Icons was already trademarked and if they try to expand and open new stores they will end up in legal trouble. After lunch we did a Walmart run, then went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. We had cocktails with the group, but no dinner due to our late lunch. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday, March 20^th, was a stay at home day. Around 2:00 I went to the clubhouse and set up my gear for karaoke, the last one for this season here in Yuma. We had the same six people we have had the last several times, including our friends Len and Debbie, but we still had a good two hour session. After karaoke I packed up the equipment and we had cocktails on the patio with our group, including Len and Debbie and our good friend Suzie Babcock. Regular readers will remember that Ray and Suzie Babcock were Rvers, full timers for a while, who we met at a rally in 2007 and became great friends with. We did a lot of traveling together over the years. Ray died last February due to heart problems he dealt with for many years. Suzie still lives in Menefee, California, and decided to come visit with us and Peggy for a few days. She is staying at the nearby Best Western hotel. After cocktails we did burgers on the BBQ for everyone, except Len and Debbie who went home after cocktails. It was windy but we managed to get the six of us in our coach and had a great dinner. After everyone left we watched some TV and went to bed.

Sunday, March 21^st, we left the coach about 11:00 and picked up Suzie at the hotel. We then went across the freeway to the Daybreakers restaurant for brunch. Peggy met us there in her own car. Because it was Sunday morning we ended up waiting a half hour to get a table, but the food is really good here. Peggy and I both had liver and onions and Suzie and Jackie both had breakfast. After brunch we and Suzie drove to the Yuma Marketplace to do some shopping. Peggy didn't want to go which is why she drove herself to the restaurant. Suzie had not been to the marketplace in a couple of years and we spent a couple of hours walking around and shopping. They are only open for one more weekend, so this will be our last time there this season. I bought a couple of tee shirts from a friend of ours who has a booth there and Jackie bought a couple of little things. After our shopping we dropped Suzie back off at the hotel and we went home. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Suzie came back to our place about 4:00 and we had cocktails with the group at 5:00. After happy hour the four of us had dinner in our place. Jackie made a Chinese chicken casserole that she has not made in quite a while. It is one of my favorite dishes and it was equally good this time. After dinner Suzie and Peggy left and we watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Monday, March 22^nd, was a stay at home day, at least for me. Jackie, Peggy, Suzie and Debbie all left about 11:30 and drove to their favorite sushi restaurant near the mall in West Yuma. I had lunch at home and did some computer work and maintenance chores while they were gone. They came back about 1:30 and then Suzie and Jackie left again to go shopping at Kohl's. They were done around 4:00. We had cocktails with the group at 5:00, but no formal dinner since they were all full from lunch. After everyone left we watched some TV and went to bed. Tuesday we left the coach about 11:00 and drove to the hotel to pick up Suzie and go to lunch. Peggy had someone over working on her coach, so she couldn't go. We went to Wheezy's Sports Grill here in the Foothills. We have been to Wheezy's several times, but this is the first this season. Their portions are quite generous, so we all left really full. Before we went home we drove to the edge of the Goldwater Military Range, which borders the Foothills area to the South. Suzie sprinkled a small vial of her husband Ray's ashes onto the sand at the entrance to the range. Back when we traveled together and our little band came to Yuma we would often go geocaching on the range. Ray loved to geocache. After this tribute we dropped Suzie off at the hotel and went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the day in the coach. We had cocktails inside at Peggy's because the wind was blowing and it was cold. No one wanted dinner, so about 7:00 or so we were back in our coach watching TV.

Wednesday, March 24^th, we had another stay at home day. Suzie left this morning to go back home. About 12:30 I went over to the clubhouse for the jam session. We had the biggest group yet, including a guy with a big, stand up bass. Got to solo a couple of songs and played along with a bunch. After the jam I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with the computer. We had cocktails with the group at 5:00 and then we and Peggy did some fish on the BBQ for dinner. After Peggy left we watched some TV and went to bed. Thursday we went over to the clubhouse about 11:30 for the burger bash. It was called a burger bash, but this week they didn't have any burgers. The park is starting to shut down for the season and they are trying to clean out the kitchen and use up all the food and left overs they had. It was $3 for all you could eat hot dogs, and left over meats from the owner's party a week ago. Actually had a pretty good meal. After lunch Jackie and I went out to one of the local furniture stores just to check on couches. The sleeper couch in our coach is not real comfortable and Jackie wanted to see what might be available and at what cost. Although Peggy and Vernon bought a couch for their coach here a few years ago, the salesman told us he really only had one couch that we would be able to get in our coach. The problem is the door on the coach. You need to be able to at least partially break down the coach to get it in the small door. The one he had looked a lot like the one we had and was over a thousand dollars, so we decided we could live with what we had. After the furniture store we went to Walmart for some supplies. We took the groceries home, put stuff away quick, and then went out to do some geocaching in the Foothills area, down on the far, southeast corner. We were able to get six new finds with no DNFs in less than an hour. We then went back to the coach and Peggy told us she just got back from shopping at Fry's and that they had really nice T-bone steaks on sale. So, we got back in the car and went to Fry's for steaks. After we got back we put stuff away and relaxed until happy hour. We had our group, but only stayed out for less than an hour because the wind came up and it was too cool. We went back in our coach and Jackie and I had a light dinner on our own, then watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, March 26^th, we left the park with Peggy and drove to a local Foothills restaurant, The Eatery, to have lunch with a small group from our Overland Trailblazers Chapter of FMCA. This is the group we are with every January (except this year, of course) at the FMCA Western Area rally in Indio. We have also gone on several other trips with the group and are planning to go to Moab, Utah this Fall with some members. There were five couples there, and Peggy, and we had a very nice lunch. Some of the group we were lunching with have part time homes here in Yuma and are down here every year. After lunch we went back to the RV park and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had cocktails with the group at 5:00, but no dinner since we all had a big lunch. After everyone left we watched TV and went to bed. Saturday we again left with Peggy about 11:30 and drove to a Mexican restaurant near downtown that had been recommended by one of the group at yesterday's lunch. It was called La Fonda and it was located on the edge of Yuma's old barrio area. It was a big place in an old building, but fairly clean. The menu was pretty limited, especially when compared to Mi Rancho and El Charro, our two favorites. The salsa was watery, but spicy, and the chips were stale. The food was OK, but bland, certainly not the “authentic Mexican” food they advertise. We will not be going back and cannot recommend the place. After lunch we did a Sam's Club run for some supplies, then headed back to the coach where we stayed the rest of the day. We had cocktails with the group, but again no dinner because of the big lunch. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Sunday, March 28^th, we had a stay at home day. I did go out briefly in the morning and took the car to a car wash. It was really starting to look pretty dirty after all the blowing dust and occasional light rain. We had cocktails with the group and then did some steaks on the BBQ. Everyone brought their own meat and I cooked them all. The wind had finally stopped and the temps were in the low 80's, so we were able to eat outside, which was very nice. We sat outside and talked after dinner until about 8:00, after which we watched a little TV and then went to bed. Monday was a stay at home day for me. I did a few chores around the house, including starting to pick up some stuff so as to be ready to travel. We leave Yuma in just over a week. I was also babysitting the dog as Peggy had to take her coach back into the shop to get some front suspension repairs done. Jerry followed her to the shop so she wouldn't be stuck all day there. After Peggy got back to the park she and Jackie went out for lunch and to do some shopping. They didn't get back until around 2:30 or so. We had cocktails with the group, and then after happy hour we and Peggy had some pork chops and rice for dinner. After Peggy left we watched some TV.

Tuesday, March 30^th, we had a stay at home day. I spent a couple of hours cleaning up our outside stuff, decorations, lights, etc., getting ready for our departure. We don't leave for a week, but in two days we have someone coming to wash and wax the coach, so I needed to get everything removed except stuff we might need, like chairs and the BBQ. We had cocktails with the group at 5:00 and then we all had dinner in our coach with a big pot of clam chowder that Jackie made. We ate inside because the wind was blowing again. After dinner we watched some TV and then went to bed. Wednesday was mostly a stay at home day for me. Peggy and Jackie left about 11:00 to go to Walmart to get haircuts. I went over the clubhouse about 12:30 for the jam session, the last for this season. Sometime while I was at the jam Pat and Linda Kight arrived in the park and were parked right behind Peggy. Pat's wife Tammie died about a year ago. She and Peggy were lifelong friends, but she also grew very fond of Pat. Pat remarried three or four months after Tammie passed to a woman named Linda. This would be the first time Jackie and I met Linda. I knew they had arrived because I saw Pat come into the clubhouse and sit in the audience. Shortly after, Jackie and Peggy came back and also sat in on the jam. We had fewer players than in past sessions, only about 11, so we got to do a few more songs. The jam was over around 3:00 and I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. We had cocktails with our usual group and included Pat and Linda. We discussed dinner options and decided that we would go about 6:30 to the taco stand. We have never been there outside of lunch time. Jerry and Debbie had previous plans, so it was just us, Peggy and the Kights. We had a very nice dinner and because we were there at dusk it was nice and cool. After dinner we went back home, watched some TV and went to bed.

Thursday, April 1^st, and I forbid April Fools jokes!! About noon the company came over to wash and wax the coach. They were several hours earlier than they had scheduled, but that was OK. They were done by 1:00 so Jackie and I drove to the mall to do some shopping. Didn't end up with much, each of us got a shirt. After shopping we headed back to the coach and stayed in the rest of the day. We had cocktails with the group at happy hour and then did burgers and wieners on the BBQ. After everyone ate we sat out in the nice cool, calm evening and chatted until about 8:00. We then went in to watch some TV and headed off to bed. Friday we did our laundry here at the park. We got an early start and were done by noon. We went out shortly after noon to have lunch at El Charro, another of our favorites. After lunch we did a quick stop at Fry's, then headed back to the coach where we spent the rest of the day relaxing. We had happy hour with our group. Pat and Linda had left this morning to continue their travels, so it was just the usual group. Since we had such a big lunch we didn't do any dinner, just watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, April 3^rd, we had Peggy's cleaning lady come over to the coach and do a deep cleaning. She oiled all the cabinets and did a pretty good cleaning job. I took care of some minor repairs for Peggy, and also took all of our window screens out so Jackie could wash them. We now have a nice, clean coach, inside and out. After the cleaning lady left the three of us drove to the Love's Truck Stop to have chicken livers. Many of the Love's locations have a Chester's Chicken franchise inside of them, and they have surprisingly good chicken livers. We had a great lunch and I also stopped at Arby's to pick up some sandwiches for the freezer. The Arby's roast beef sandwiches do very well in the freezer and make great lunches. We went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day relaxing. We had yesterday's Mexican leftovers for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, April 4^th, Happy Easter. Today was a stay at home day. We relaxed for most of the day, watched a movie on TV and just rested. We had cocktails with the group at happy hour, inside our coach since it was still quite warm outside. For dinner we also ate inside. I did lamb chops on the BBQ for Jackie and Peggy and a nice big T-bone for me. Jerry and Debbie cooked a pork roast on their own BBQ and brought it over for dinner. It was a very nice get together and probably the last time we will all eat together since we are leaving in two days. After everyone left we watched TV and went to bed. Monday, our last full day in Yuma. We had a stay at home day, doing a few chores getting ready to travel tomorrow, and relaxing. We got some KFC for dinner and after Peggy went home we watched some TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, April 6^th, a travel day, our first in almost four months. We left Yuma about 9:30 and started North to Parker, Arizona, about 110 miles. Peggy is traveling along with us and making all the same stops. She is also going to Pahrump to spend another month with us. We arrived at the Blue Water RV Park, which is part of the Colorado River Indian Tribe's operations and is located next door to their casino. We got in around 1:30, after a fuel stop, got hooked up for our one night stay, and just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. This is not a cheap park, $40 a night, and it is a dump. It is right on the river, with a beach (currently closed for Covid) and a boat launch, but the sites are very narrow and poorly maintained. There is dog poop all over the place and it certainly not a premium park unless you are coming to recreate on the river. Wednesday was another travel day. We got out about 9:00 or so and continued north 110 miles to a wide spot in the road called, CalNevAri, Nevada. It is about 10 miles north of the State line on U.S. 95, probably 20 miles South of Searchlight. It is a casino, gas station, small store and a large RV park. This park is still $25 a night, plus tax, and has pull through spots, 50 amp, water and sewer. It is also much better maintained than the one in Parker. We got the basics done and settled in for the evening. I did have to spend an hour messing with the car. For some reason the battery went dead and I had to jump it from the coach to get it to respond enough to put the charger on it. My jumper cables were JUST long enough to reach the terminals in the car and the battery compartment in the back of the coach. After a couple hours of charging everything was fine again. This happened last year when we were towing too. I suspect it has something to do with the auxiliary braking system. We are planning to get a new system anyway, so we won't use the old one any more. I made a pot of chili for the three of us. We had a nice dinner then went to bed early because we want to get an early start tomorrow to beat the heat.

Thursday, April 8^th, our last travel day for a while. We continued North towards Las Vegas, and then on to Pahrump, a total trip of about 120 miles. We got on the road at 8:00, made a fuel stop in Vegas, then headed over the hill to Pahrump, arriving at the Escapees RV Park about 11:30. We got settled into our spot and began to set up. We are going to be here for at least three months. Peggy couldn't get a spot near us, but did get a nice full hookup site near the entrance to the park. The lot next to us is a rental and we believe the people now in it are leaving in a few days. If they do, Peggy will move over to this spot. I spent some time getting things set up, then we just relaxed for the rest of the night. We did some scampi for the three of us for dinner and went to bed early because we were bushed from the early start and the drive.

Now that we are back home in Pahrump, it is time to close out this episode and get it published. Until the next time, remember that friends pick us up when we fall down, and if they can’t pick us up, they lie down and listen for a while. See ya soon.