Yuma Crossing Bike Trail

Yesterday we drove to Gateway Park in downtown Yuma to ride our bikes on the Yuma Crossing Bike Trail. The three mile paved trail runs along the Colorado River and a wetlands area. It is not a loop so we actually rode six miles out and back.

With all the desert around us here in Yuma, it was refreshing to see some fresh water. I didn’t realize there was a wetlands area here. Part of the bike path is between the wetlands and an irrigation canal.

This egret was enjoying a beautiful sunny southern Arizona day.

There were a few ponds along the way. We saw mostly American Coots, but there were also a few ducks swimming around.

The Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge is next to Gateway Park. The bridge is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. At the time of its opening in 1915, the bridge provided the first safe, economical crossing of the river at Yuma, and it was the only vehicle bridge across the Colorado River for 1,200 miles. It was a critical link in joining the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans with a highway. Can you believe it only cost $72,150 to build!

Only one lane of traffic can cross at a time so there are stop lights at each end. There have been several restoration projects over the years, but it is pretty amazing that it is still in operation after 100 years. In fact, the original timber was covered in concrete and remains to this day.

There is a second bridge behind the Ocean to Ocean bridge that I believe is for trains. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see the six foot tall letters with the name of the bridge. Hanging from the center of the bridge was a doll hung by its neck. What’s the matter with people!

We chose to go biking yesterday rather than join the Monday hiking group because my knees have really been bothering me. I did some research online and found that hiking down a steep slope is just about the worst punishment you can give your knees. That’s just what we had done the week before.

I have some arthritis in my knees, but they’ve never really given me much trouble. I thought I could just ignore the pain and keep going, so we played pickle-ball last week, and I went to Aqua Zumba. No wonder my knees weren’t improving. My research said I need to rest and elevate them. So, I’m taking it easy this week. I figured biking wasn’t too hard on them as I wasn’t putting as much pressure on them.

On Sunday Dick and Wanda came over again to watch the Packers play the Seahawks for a spot in the Super Bowl. The Packers were winning all the way through, and it looked like our team was headed to the Super Bowl again. Kevin and Dick were even making plans to go to Phoenix to take in some of the activities the week before the big game.

Unfortunately, our team totally self-destructed in the last five minutes and ended up losing in overtime. That was sure a big disappointment. Oh well, baseball season is just around the corner.

This morning I saw this hot air balloon out the window as I was reading blogs on my computer. We’ve seen quite a few of them in the area since we’ve been here. I saw an ad to ride in one for $250 a person. I believe I’ll continue enjoying them from the ground.

As you can see, the sky is blue. Our weather has been fantastic this past week with highs in the upper 70s and lows around 50. Next week is predicted to be more of the same. I am so grateful to be able to experience winter here in Yuma. I so love my daily dose of sun!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

*Rosetta Translation*

I’m guessing with all the traveling full time RVers do, there are times you may be in need of a translation service.

My family could have used such a service when my mom received some documents from Germany that we needed to fill out and return after my dad passed away. Luckily, our documents had some directions included in English, so we were able to muddle through. But, I’m sure there are times when that’s not the case.

I have come across a company at http://www.rosettatranslation.com that will professionally translate legal, medical, financial and technical documents in all major languages. The list on their website included twenty-four languages.

You never know when such a service might come in handy!

Telegraph Pass Hike

Today we joined the hiking group for a hike known as Telegraph Pass. The day started out cloudy and the tops of the mountains were actually hidden, so we couldn’t see where we were going when we started out.

It took us about two hours to hike about three miles to the top of the mountain ridge. There were two choices once we started climbing. There is a concrete road that is very steep. The road is for workers who service the cell towers up at the top. Most of us chose the second option of a rocky path that had lots of switchbacks to get us to the top. We all chose the road to come back down. It was very steep, but at least there were no lose rocks coming down.

I would call this a strenuous hike because of the elevation. We climbed about 1,150 feet and hiked about five miles round trip in three hours. By the time we got to the top, the sun was shining, and the views were spectacular.

This is the back side and looks into what is known as Dome Valley. You may remember that in mid December we did another hike with the group that went up a different route. We didn’t finish that one because there was no path and we were climbing on loose rocks. If we had finished that hike, we would have gotten to see Dome Valley, so it was nice to be able to finally see it. There are lots of farm fields all around Yuma, and Dome Valley is full of crops.

Here are some of the cell towers at the top. Kevin is resting on the side. Those are some big structures up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s me on the other side. That is the Yuma foothills down below. The city of Yuma is actually way at the back at the horizon.

We finally got back to the truck feeling proud of our efforts, but also quite tired. Those five towers way up there is where we were.

I soaked my sore muscles in the hot tub this afternoon. That sure felt good.

We’ve been at The Palms RV Resort now for almost two weeks. Our opinion is that while it is a very nice park, it is not our cup of tea. All of the lots are for sale in this park. There are about 450 sites, but only 150 have been sold. Some sites have houses built on them, some have RV pads with sheds or casitas and others are just RV pads.

We were walking around one day and a few of the houses were having an open house. We did some investigating and this is what we found out. A basic unimproved lot is $79,900. We saw a nice 1,200 sq. ft. 2 bedroom, 2 bath furnished house that was selling for $289,900. The taxes on that house are about $2,500 a year; taxes on just a lot are around $1,500 a year. HOA fees for everyone are $160 a month. The common areas and pools are very nice, however we don’t see the value here. We’d rather rent and have the option of moving around.

Here’s our site. The site to the right of us is empty, so that is nice.

Here are some of the houses that are for sale just down the street from us.

There has been construction going on at these sites since we’ve been here, usually starting early in the morning. Since there are still so many lots not sold, I’m guessing there will be construction noise happening in this park for many years to come. Kevin has not been happy about the early morning noise.

Yesterday our friends Dick and Wanda came over to watch the Green Bay Packers defeat the Dallas Cowboys. That sure made everyone happy. They’re coming again next Sunday to watch the Packers play the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. That’s going to be a tough game.

We’ve been keeping busy playing pickle-ball and golfing with our friends Bernie and Cathy at Fortuna De Oro. We sure are enjoying the sunshine, although it rained most of the day yesterday. That’s rare, but good for the plants, I guess. Maybe we’ll see some blooming cactus in a while.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Happy New Year

We want to wish all of our family and friends a very Happy New Year. Our wish for you is health, happiness and peace in the coming year!

It’s hard to believe another year has come to a close. 2014 was another enjoyable year in our full time RV lifestyle. We started the year in Texas and then made our way to New Orleans where our boys joined us for a cruise. It was a very memorable and fun trip.

We spent the rest of the winter exploring the Gulf Coast areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. As luck would have it, the winter was one of the coldest in much of the country, and that included the Gulf Shores. Even though it wasn’t as warm as we would have liked, we enjoyed exploring many new places.

In April we returned to Wisconsin to once again camp host at Derge Park. An added bonus to returning to Wisconsin this year was that we picked up our new Pinnacle fifth wheel. We sure do love our new home.

We had a fun summer and before we knew it, it was time to head south again. Due to some changes in Amazon policies, we decided to not work there this year. Instead we headed to Yuma, Arizona in October where we have been staying at Fortuna De Oro RV Resort. We’ve really enjoyed our stay here and definitely plan to come back.

When we thought we would be working at Amazon, we made plans to drive to Nebraska for Cathryn’s graduation and then continue to Wisconsin for Christmas. We still made that trip, only our starting point was Yuma, Arizona instead of Kansas. It ended up being over 4,000 miles of driving. Wow, that was a long trip! Next time we’re going to fly if we’re that far away again.

The trip was totally worth it though. As I reflect on the past year, my best memories are of those spent with family. I love seeing new places and the freedom of our full time lifestyle to explore, but spending time with family makes me very happy.

Today we are moving to The Palms RV Resort about ten miles down the road. This will definitely be the shortest move we’ve made so far. We booked the reservation last April when they were offering a buy one month, get one free deal for first time visitors. It’s supposed to be a very nice place, but we kind of wish we were just staying at Fortuna De Oro.

Our friends Dick and Wanda are also arriving in Yuma today for two months, so I’m sure we’ll be having some fun with them.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to all of you! We wish you a blessed holiday season and new year.

We’re enjoying time with our kids and my mom. We visited Kevin’s sister and niece on Monday, and are also visiting with some friends while we’re in town.

Today we attended the Christmas Eve service at the church I grew up in, and we were members at while our kids were growing up. It was nice to worship in a familiar setting again. It felt like coming home.

Tomorrow we’re going to see the Hobbit movie and then having dinner at my mom’s with our kids and my brother and his wife.

We’ve had another wonderful year as full time RVers and enjoyed making new friends as we travel to new destinations.  Kevin and I sure appreciate the freedom this lifestyle has given us. We continue to value our time together exploring and enjoying so many beautiful places.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Congrats to Dr. Cathryn Breutzmann

We are so proud of our daughter-in-law who graduated with honors on Friday from Creighton University with a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy.

We arrived in Lincoln on Wednesday night after two long, but uneventful, days on the road from Yuma. On Thursday evening we attended senior project presentations by the Occupational Therapy Doctorate candidates. There were about 54 people in her class, but we only watched three of the presentations.

Cathryn’s topic was “What is the effectiveness of Dinavision training for improving performance in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in clients who experienced a stroke?”. I may be a bit biased, but I thought she did an excellent job. She was very professional, yet engaging with the audience. By earning a doctorate rather than just a master’s degree, she can teach if she wants to. After seeing her in action, I think she would make an awesome professor.

On Friday we attended her commencement ceremony. Doctoral graduates are hooded during the ceremony, which means a type of sash is placed over their heads to hang down the back of their gown. Here she is being hooded. The gold cords around her neck designate she was in the honor society and in the top 15% of the class.

Then she received the diploma. I’m sure she was ecstatic at this point. Her program was  3.5 years of rigorous studies and field work and internships. She has one more step in the process. In about a month she will be taking her boards exam to get her license to practice. She has begun the job search process. Korey is very happy with his job in Nebraska, so she is hoping to find a position in Lincoln or Omaha for at least a few years so Korey can spend a few more years at his workplace.

We’re all proud of Cathryn!!

After the ceremony we went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown Omaha with Cathryn’s parents and sister and one of Cathryn’s good friends and her family. We had a great time. Then back home for a little more family time before we left early Saturday morning to continue our trek north.

We arrived at Eric’s house in Wisconsin late Saturday afternoon. We went out for dinner at a Mexican place near his house and watched a movie when we got back.

Today is all about football. I made one of Eric and Kevin’s favorite snacks, taco dip, for during the Packer game. For dinner I’m making lasagna, another favorite. We’re staying with Eric until Tuesday evening. Then we move over to my mom’s until the end of the week where Korey and Cathryn will join us for Christmas. I’m loving my family time!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Mountain Climbing

We met up with the hiking group again this morning for a five mile hike that was advertised as being moderate except for a short stretch at the end where we would have to scramble over rocks to get to the top of a summit.

If these seniors that are ten to fifteen years older than us can do it, so can we. NOT!! I wasn’t even sure if Kevin was going to go as he’s been battling a cold since last Wednesday. But, he said okay so off we went.

The first few miles were through washes scrambling over rocks and walking in deep gravel. There were really no trails anywhere on this hike. Just picking our way through the rocks. Then we got to the end where we were going to climb up a steep cliff to Power Line Pass. There was no trail, just carefully trying to find your way up the rocks.

We made it a little more than half way up. A few people didn’t try at all, and I don’t blame them. It was quite steep. The higher we got, the more concerned I was about how was I going to get back down. I finally decided it just was not worth the danger involved.

Just as we stopped and were resting before we turned around, a man slipped on a loose rock a short ways above us and fell about ten feet before grabbing a big boulder. He was quite banged up on his arms and legs, but luckily nothing worse. That clinched it; we were going back.

Here’s where we came from. Some people were already heading back. It went around to the left and was quite a bit further down.

Here’s where we were trying to go. It just kept getting steeper.

As I look at the pictures, it doesn’t look that bad. Trust me, it was no fun! We made it back down and waited for the those who kept going. We had 25 people on this hike and 12 of them went to the top. I think some of them were part mountain goat :)  I would not call this hiking as much as mountain or rock climbing.

Here we are happy that we made it back down enjoying our trail mix.

From this point we still had a few miles climbing over rocks in the wash to get back to the truck.

We saw this cool natural arch up at the top of one of the cliffs. It’s so nice to have a camera that can zoom in as it was quite a ways up.

It ended up that the hike was longer than five miles. Our leaders hand held GPS said it was just over six miles, but two other people with cell phones said their apps said it was closer to eight miles. So, we hiked between six and eight miles, and it took six hours. I felt bad for Kevin. He was not feeling 100%, and he was dragging.

Luckily, tomorrow we will be sitting in the truck for about fourteen hours as we begin our trek north for family events. Our sore muscles will have a chance to rest.

On Wednesday evening we will arrive in Lincoln, Nebraska. We’re staying with Korey and Cathryn for three nights so we can attend Cathryn’s graduation events. She is graduating from Creighton University in Omaha with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. We’re so proud of her.

On Saturday we will leave Nebraska and drive on to Wisconsin for Christmas with the family. Korey and Cathryn will join us on the 23rd for a few days. Lots of wonderful family time coming up!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!