It Was a Blast!

Cocopah RV Resort
Yuma, AZ
February 5 - March 5, 2014

Our time in Yuma has come and gone. Time flies when you're having fun...

Our puppies had a great time too! 

I'm really going to miss our walks there...

 

 

I don't know the name of this little guy, but he was very interested in the clanging noise made by the flag on the flagpole.

 

Sure gave me a chuckle...what a way to start the day!

 

And speaking of starting the day...every morning we welcomed the sun rising and the sweet smell of fresh celery from the field behind us...

 

 

...or the clean smell of freshly plowed dirt as we walked to the doggie park.

 

 

 

We were never lacking in something to do or somewhere we wanted to go. Cooper was a real trooper. In fact I nicknamed him Trooper Cooper. He endured dusty rides in Pearl, hikes,

 

 

and being left alone while we enjoyed margaritas and tacos in Algodones AGAIN!!

 

 

Joe and I were more than pleasantly surprised at how scenic Yuma and the surrounding area is. Between the Colorado River, the desert, historical sites, and farm lands, I was never lacking in opportunities to photograph this beautiful land we call our home. 

 

 

 

In addition to all the exploring, we had many nice evenings sharing dinner with Ronnie and Carol. Ronnie can sure cook some lip smacking, fall off the bone yummy ribs!

 

There were no goodbyes this morning...instead, hugs and  "until next time"...

 

"safe travels" and...

 

enjoy!

Picacho...Once a Bustling Boomtown

Cocopah RV Resort
Yuma, AZ
February 27, 2014

The other day when we took the Indian Pass Road, we ended up in Picacho State Recreation Area. After a little research, I found that Picacho had actually been a booming mining town in the 1890s.


The main dirt road thru Picacho...

About 700 men mined ore and the population reached 2,500. When the river was dammed (1938), Picacho was flooded and destroyed.







Picacho SRA offers three signed trails. Our choice for the day was Stamp Mill. It was described as a two mile round trip hike that crosses the park's volcanic slopes and visits the abandoned Picacho's stamp mill.

We enjoyed vistas of Picacho Peak...

 the Colorado River...

 

and exploring an old stamp mill.

Jose Mendivil discovered gold in the surrounding mountains here in the early 1860s. He laid out the townsite, sold claims, and homesteaded a section of land along the Colorado River. He even named the streets after his daughters. During its heyday, the town had three stores, schools, saloons, and was served by steamboats that connected mining towns along the river.

 

Today all that remains is the lower stamp mill constructed in 1877-78 of hand cut native rhyolite stone.

 

 

It's so cool discovering these old historic sites. It sure sparks a curiosity...how did these people live?  Did their saloons have swinging doors and bar fights, how did they escape floods from the river, did the schools have books...

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

enjoy!