Castle Dome, AZ

Heading north on US HWY 95, on our
way to Castle Dome, set back from the road about 1/4 - a farmer honors his wife with a chapel...that seats 12. Really sweet and it is open 24/7.





Forty miles from the Foothills of Yuma one has the opportunity to hang a right and drive northeast to the Castle Dome Mines Museum, albeit the last 10 miles is a graded gravel road. You arrive at the rescued pieces of Castle Dome City, home of Castle Smelting (mine) from 1864 to 1979 when the price of silver plummeted and the mine closed.

When word of the government intention to demolish the Ghost Town and return the land to it's natural state of brush and scrub the owners asked for permission to rescue what buildings were left of the original town and moved what they could to their adjoining 27 acres, creating the current museum. Original contents of some of the buildings also were incorporated into the re-constructed buildings. The remaining scattered buildings and a graveyard now stand as the Ghost Town portion of the museum.

Museum entrance

yes there's a jail



Church with pipe organ

Adams cabin...moved on the back of a trailer from the outer edges of the 'lost' city to the museum land. Mr. Adams was the last miner to live and mine in Castle Dome. Some of his possessions are also inside...this was pretty interesting.



Man tool...a big drill.



Even if you aren't into mines, rocks and tools you will find this museum interesting and informative.
And it's a great drive through the desert

Adios for today.

Hola - darting across the border

HOLA - un día a través de la frontera (a day across the border)

We've been hearing quite a bit from friends and new aquaintances about the many benefits of crossing over into Mexico for services and products that are, ok I'll say it, outrageously overpriced here in the states. Now that we are retired, dental insurance is a luxury item that, well frankly we won't be purchasing once my current policy ends next Fall. With friends having done the research and found competent dentists in Los Algodones we made appointments to get our teeth cleaned...$30/each and it took all of 20 minutes. Latest technology, nicely appointed offices and I am certain that once it was determined that I didn't speak or understand Spanish - I was discussed at lenght (grin)!  So now we can spread the word on the dental office/services we received.

Once we were done, we set out to explore the town and attempt to find the patio restaurant for lunch from our visit 10 years ago with friends to have some lunch. We didn't find that one, but the lunch we did have was just fine. We did find a lovely spa services courtyard, which also have some interesting and unusal metalart animals that, if I'd had a way to travel with them, would have been in the truck.

 

 

The owner took our photo, all the time trying to sell us on getting massages. 

Just across the border - advertising billboards for dentists...and about every 3rd person on the street asks you if you are looking for dental services.

Giant pinatas. This guy (dental barker) was originally to the right of this post and when he saw that I was taking a picture asked me to take his too....and then asked to see it to make sure I had.

I came home with 3 pieces of pottery and yes, one has a face on it...It's a Sun with heat waves and will be put out in the garden once at home. Wish I had taken a photo of it prior to the "wrapping for travel"...live and learn.

Adios, amigos!

Anniversary Day exploring...

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

We walk around our neighborhood pretty much every day and we discovered this sign a few days ago --- (we were driving at the time of the photo) -- today as we strolled by we discovered that to the right of the sign is this beautiful garden with water-pond feature, a small bridge and very possibly Koi, when the owners are in residence...hence the sign now makes sense.

We went to Quartzsite yesterday, about 65 miles north of Yuma. Having heard about it from our snow-bird friends, what better way to spend our wedding anniversary than strolling through a gigantic flea-market. But first we had to stop at The Farm, a unique store out on the edges of Yuma on Hwy 95. This is a seasonal store with "Date" Shakes, a diverse variety of dried fruits and vegetables, seasonal crafts for sale and washing machine tubs turned into fire-pots (see photo below)...those round white objects on the right are washing machine tubs....yours for a mere $75.00 ea.

But we did order our first "date" shake, which was delicious. The taste was reminiscent of home-made ice cream, the dates had been ground up for a smoother texture and I let Mike enjoy the bulk of it given my lactose intolerant body.

 

We had no idea how big the whole flea-market area at Quartzsite was/is - so we only saw a very small section of it - the important section - PIE! WE had a lovely chat with the new owner of Gran'ma's Apple Pie cart...laid off 18 months ago from a university in So Cal, she took a leap and purchased this cart. November was her first month of making pies, 6 days a week. Now, making pies may appear as fun and I thought so for the first few moments...then I discovered that she only makes APPLE pies, just apple pies for now. However, with the hot caramel sauce - DELICIOUS! Stop by and sample...she also sells the whole pie.

We are going to go back, probably next week...I'll take my camera and provide an update on Quartzsite's unusual mix of shops under tents.

There is more than just sagebrush and sand out here in the desert...the occasional old sagaro stands guard on the highway like a sentinel. An arm like this = 50 years of weathering the elements. Isn't it grand?

Hummingbird outside our RV

Praying Mantis on the screen door. (Magnified as he was very, very small).

I love that nature loves us enough to visit. Ciao!

Bits and pieces of Oldtown Yuma, AZ

Friday-December 10, 2010

we discovered this sign on our morning walk this morning...made me laugh. (lots of 'beware of dog' signs, so this was noteworthy)

We tried to visit the Quartermaster Park (1800's supply depot
for Utah, New Mexico and Arizona forts) - but they were
preparing it for a Christmas Village and therefore was closed
to visitors today...it's been added back into the "to-do" list.







 
 
 
 
 
Sadly, (like So. Dak) we women apparently need visual aids....
this inside the Quartermaster Park restroom stall.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So instead, we toured Oldtown Yuma and it's odd collection of shops and art galleries



Roosters are outside



Miss Piggy model....

Hens indoors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Everyone needs a 'barbwire' corset....$45.00 and this beauty is all yours

Owner of this '39 Chevelle was 75 and had owned it for 60 years...and yes it runs.



This chair was for sale - $100...yep, I decided that - while pretty - not $100 pretty....so it's still holding down the cement outside the store.

While we were out playing today - Lola doing what Lola does best....

Ciao! 

Bits and Pieces out our windows

December 2010

Here is what one finds when you grab your camera and take a million pictures and then sort through them days later....only to find treasures!

A golf course at the Salton Sea...doesn't it just scream "come play here"?

This guy was driving backwards and crossed 4 lanes of divided CA Hwy 86....and lived to deliver these crates!

mattress anyone? his pickup is just to the right of the photo....

Humanity living in every imaginable type of housing known to man....Senator Wash (BLM Land) outside Yuma, AZ

Visiting with Jerri - our model vagabond friend - learning from those who have gone before us....

and our crib in the foothills of YUMA below....and we have the use of a washer/clothesline. We are in heaven.

by the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful Salton Sea....

             November 30, 2010....Salton Sea and Dos Palmos Oasis....

Our drive around the north end of the Salton Sea today was a surprise and very informative.  Did you know that it is 33 mi long, 47mi deep and 14 mi wide? That it supports 400 different varieties of birds in their migratory flight patterns? It is part of the Salton Sea Recreation Area, but currently has only one boat ramp at the Salton Sea Campground...that will change by the summer of 2011.

We accidently discovered a museum simply by deciding to turn onto a road that appeared to have access to the lakeshore. The North Shore Yacht and BeachClub – recently restored the main building and surrounding  public grounds and the foundation will be dredging the harbor and restoring the small marina and boat ramp in front of the building.  Back in the heydays of the 50’s and 60’s this place rocked with Hollywood stars, many who kept boats at the marina. Frank Sinatra had a house on the lake, which is now under water due to the 70’s flooding.

SaltonSeaMuseum.org

And then we drove down the street to Dos Palmos Oasis.... in the middle of the desert - the museum volunteer turned us onto this as a side trip about 2 miles from the museum down a gravel road. The State of CA maintains this small park and camping area. No off road vehicles are allowed, a 1/4 mi loop - easy stroll to the oasis.  We discovered that palm trees have underpants, road runners, lizards and egrets use the area and a restroom facility was available in the parking area.

Palm trees have "underwear"... this is what a partially-trimmed palm tree looks like on the left                      ....totally untrimmed on the right.

Until we saw these trees at the oasis we had no idea that the ones we were familiar with, were trimmed.

everyone into the pool - bottoms up!!!!

we are moving onto Yuma, however we will return to the Salton Sea area of CA to see those sights we missed this time. Thank you Oasis Palms RV Park for a great Thanksgiving dinner and for making our stay with you so enjoyable.

Adios...

Christine & Mike