YUMA~AZ

Tuesday: Yuma is new territory for both of us; Holland has lived in, and worked in Arizona … but has done neither in Yuma. And of course, the Southern portion of the USA is entirely new to me.

We want to spend a significant amount of time in Arizona, so when we had woken and took our time shaking the early morning cobwebs, we started calling the other two RV Resorts we'd chosen to stay at; if there was availability.

The silver bridge is 1-lane, and we were able to pass over safely.

Downtown Yuma-AZ

We hit pay dirt at 'Desert Holiday RV Resort'; so we booked a week's stay :-)

We bought a Money Card here - and thankfully it was accepted by the RV Resort Booking Agent.

On our way to the RV Resort, we passed by a neighborhood canal: I had never seen one before, though I have read about them. The water seemed high, and I said to Holland, "That water looks pretty high -does it ever jump the banks?" Holland said, "No, because it is controlled; it can be decreased in volume … or increased in volume, depending on the need. It comes from the Colorado river."

Yuma neighborhood canal; water from the Colorado River.

Holland says the Colorado River becomes a trickle along the Southren border.

The outlying neighborhoods of Yuma is where the action is.

A Cell Tower designed t blend into it's surroundings - Holland had never seen one before; for once, I had knowledge to share ;-)

We're very close to the Mexico border, here.

We liked what we saw when we arrived at the Resort.

But the space that had been booked for us was too tight to get our loooong Home into; Holland gave it a good try, but it was just too tight every which way - the booked space was pretty close to a decorative brick wall, too ... and it was making me nervous; no matter how good a driver my husband is. The space was just too darned t.i.g.h.t. for us - I wasn't even sure we'd be able to get out slide-outs all the way out, once we managed to squeeze in there. The guy guiding us in, finally said, "I think I can put you in a space that will be easier for you."

And he did.

Just too tight; Holland was good at jockeying the rigs - but it was just too tight. This guy was friendly & helpful. We are thankful.

(((THANK YOU , LORD!)))

So, we finally got set-up; and ran out to grab a Chinese Supper.

And if we like it here, we'll pay for a month's stay so we can get out and about, enjoying Yuma :-)

*Things To Do in Yuma-AZ: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g31418-Activities-Yuma_Arizona.html

**Interesting Things About Yuma-AZ:

1. There are 308 annual days of sunshine in Yuma: the annual sunshine average in Yuma, Arizona is 91 per cent of the possible hours of sunshine. This equals 308 sunny days per year and of 4,055 hours out of 4,456 possible hours of sun in a year.

2. Yuma is the sunniest place in the world: the average July high temperature can hit a 107 - 100+ days with 100 degrees in Yuma.

3. 4th Avenue, Yuma-AZ, is older than Route 66. We are currently parked on 4th Avenue ;-)

4. In the 30’s and 40’s Yuma was the wedding capital of the United States. Arizona did not have a waiting period or any residency requirements for getting married. Many traveled from California including celebrities from Hollywood to Yuma to tie the knot.

5. The Yuma Union High School mascot name is the Criminals. It is the only high school in the US to use the mascot; it is also the only high school in the United States whose mascot is copyrighted.

Full story about how they got their mascot name, here: https://www.yumaunion.org/Page/435

6. 7,500 acres of Medjool dates are grown in Yuma.

7. Yuma is the lettuce capital of the world. It supplies 75% of the lettuce worldwide.

8. Juan Bautista de Anza was the first European to establish an overland route from Mexico, through the Sonoran Desert, to the Pacific coast of California. In 1774, his expedition arrived at the confluence of the Gila and Colorado rivers (present-day Yuma, Arizona).

9. In the 1850’s-1860’s Yuma was one of the most most important crossing into the West and a supply depot for people heading to California

10. From 1860-1901 Yuma followed Victorian principles (some men & women today, are still stuck in this mentality - I've met more than a few at the Oak Point Grange, Longview-WA).

Victorian Life Info, here: https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era

11. Wyatt Earp was a Faro dealer (French gambling card game) in Yuma in 1897.

12. Yuma prison opened in 1876 and had more modern amenities than most homes in Yuma.

13: State Historic Park is a National Landmark.

14: Arizona became a state in 1912 (the last continental state in the United States).

15. It’s a military town. Yuma is the busiest air station in the Marine Corps, MCAS Yuma supports 80 percent of the Corps’ air-to-ground aviation training because of its access to 2.8 million acres of training ranges and superb flying weather: the overhead jets are LOUD, and fly late into the evening.

Learn more here: www.visityuma.com/military.html

16. Yuma is located 10 miles from the Mexico border.