We arrived at the Yuma Proving Grounds and met Teresa (the camp manager) and Nick (the camp host) at the RV Camp office. They gave us a key to the storage facility and assigned us site #90. Just as I hooked up the RV, I found that one of the truck tires was flat and had a large screw in it. Lisa and I took it to the base auto hobby shop where we put the spare on the truck. The plan is to take it to Yuma tomorrow to have it fixed and remounted. Since we had no cold food in the refrigerator in the RV, we went to the bowling alley for dinner and then went back to fully set up the RV.  All systems in the RV are  working well and we are established here at the Yuma Proving Grounds until about Wednesday of next week. 

Saturday, November 2nd - Wayne washed the truck; there is a coin-operated spray carwash about 50 yards from our parked RV. The truck was covered with dust from all of the winds that we experienced in San Felipe. Wayne then drove into Yuma to Discount Tires to have the punctured tire fixed and balance/rotate the front tires. Discount Tire did both jobs with no charge; boy, was I surprised. Wayne then went to the Ford dealer to set up an appointment to have the truck repaired on Monday. We setup and appointment for Monday morning to have the truck fixed. Wayne then went to a local bicycle shop and got a map of the bike paths in the area. After that, Wayne went to Walmart to purchase food to restock our refrigerator. The refrigerator had been reset and by morning was cold and ready for food. Wayne also purchased some salads as had been invited to a fried chicken feed with some of the residents of the RV Park. This is a very social group of people who are here until spring and they meet on a daily basis. We had an excellent meal with our new friends and then did a dance demonstration of cha-cha-cha and salsa. Wayne was even able to teach some of the group the electric slide, the chicken dance and some salsa. We all had a great time. Mac and Debbie Burnie invited us to go to the Mexican town of Algodones on Monday. This town is right on the border about seven miles west of Yuma and just south of the California border. We agreed to go. 

Sunday, November 3rd - This morning, we went into Yuma to ride the tandem bicycle on Yuma’s paved bicycle trails. We went to the park on the northeast side of the town and parked the truck. We then took off on the trails that went through both sides of the park. We then went east along the Colorado River and just below the Yuma Prison State Park site. This was about a six-mile ride and then we were back near where we started. We then headed south on the trail and took a cutoff to the west that went about one mile out and back. We then went south along the main canal route. We rode for about four miles and then went out on a road to the south. After about a mile, the road met another road that was way too busy to ride on so we turned around. We rode back to the truck and stowed the bike. We then decided to eat at Subway and then go explore the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park. 

The Yuma Territorial Prison State Park is worth seeing; I sure wouldn’t want to be sent there as a prisoner. Just over 3,300 people were imprisoned here over the 35-year life of the prison from 1875 until 1910. There were also 29 women imprisoned there and one gave birth while there. There were many escape attempts and many were caught and returned. There were several who got away and were never heard from again; may have passed away in the dry desert. The cells were made of granite rock with steel bars. There were six men to a cell in most cases and they slept on very basic bunk beds with minimal padding. The toilet was a bucket for all six men. If someone disobeyed orders, they could be sent to “The Dark Room.” This was a cell that set way back into the rock and accessed by a tunnel about 20 feet long. They then entered another cell that was lock and inside was a cell sitting in the middle of the room that measured about six feet by eight feet in size. A person going to “The Dark Room” was undressed to their underclothes and placed in the room. The doors were closed and there was no light in the room except for a small vent hole in the ceiling of the cell. There were bats in the room and it was said that guards would occasionally drop scorpions or snakes into the cell through the vent hole. Sometimes more than one person was in the cell and one prisoner stayed in The Dark Room for 109 days in a row. See the photos in the gallery about the prison.

On Monday, November 4th, we took the truck to the Ford dealer in Yuma for our 8:00 am appointment. Our friends, Mac and Debbie Burnie agreed to pick us there at 9:00 am. Since it was a little early to drive to Algodones, we decided to go to the Marine Corp base at the Yuma International Airport. They fly F-18s, Harriers, and Ospreys there. It was fun to watch the planes launch. We also went to the base exchange and drove around to explore the base which I love to do.  It is rally fun for Lisa and I to see the military installations of all branches of the service and to see what they do there. Army bases, air force bases, guard bases, navy bases, marine corp bases and more. The Yuma Marine Corp Air Station is small, but active. We saw F-35s (likely from Nellis or other nearby bases) shoot, Harriers, Ospreys, F-18s, and more. Pretty cool.

After we left the Marine Base at Yuma, we traveled west to the small border town of Algodones, Mexico. Right on the border near the Border Patrol crossing is a large parking lot that is run by the local Indian tribe. They charge $6 to park for the day and this allows you to easily walk to the border crossing and enter Mexico. This town is incredibly well known for providing inexpensive access for American and Canadians to medical services, pharmaceuticals, dental services, eye services (exams and inexpensive glasses, and more. You could also get a haircut cheaply and there was also access to all sorts of Mexican curios and novelties. We walked the sidewalks past literally hundreds of small shops offering services that cost five times less than in the states. You can also bring one bottle of liqueur "across the line" per person. Many residents of Yuma go to Algodones to procure their supply of booze. We also had lunch in a very nice plaza and a keyboardist played music for the diners. Lisa and I were able to dance to one song that had a salsa beat. We were the only dancers and we received a considerable round of applause when we were done. Pretty neat. It took us about one hour of standing in line at the border to return to the states which was well above the normal time that it takes. They only had two of the normal four agents checking people through. Mac and Debbie then drove us to the Ford dealer in Yuma were told that our truck to not be finished on this day and that we would have to come pick it up on Tuesday. We were "allowed" to rent a "loaner" car for $30 a day. We were given a small Ford to use until our truck was done. We went to Dairy Queen for some good ice cream to soothe our wounds. We then drove back to the Yuma Proving Ground and our RV.

Tuesday, November 5th - We did not want to put any extra miles on the Ford rental car, so we decided to stay in the local YPG area. Lisa had to work, so I went for a 28 mile bike ride. The roads right around the base are great for riding; smooth surfaces and little traffic. After I finished my ride, I worked on this blog to catch up with the loading of photos and videos. Our Wi-Fi in the RV was poor, but we could go to the community room and use a better system. We also washed clothes which is always a nuisance, but a necessity. We were scheduled to pickup the truck at 3:00 pm, but we decided to get to the Ford dealer at 4:00 so as not to have to wait. The truck was ready just after 6:00; yuk! Ford had to replace the tank heater in our DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) tank for $1250 dollars. They then replaced the front brakes for another $450. Luckily, Ford replaced the two rear axle seals under warranty due to a recall on these seals by Ford. Still hurts to lay out a couple grand every other month to keep the F-350 running. After we picked up the truck, . We drove back to the Proving Ground checking out the truck systems and hoping that it would work well.

Wednesday, November 6th - We decided to stay for an extra day at the Proving Ground so that we could check out the truck some more. Lisa had to work in the morning, so I went for a 43 mile ride to Martinez Lake. Martinez Lake is located on the north side of the Proving Ground and on the Colorado River. On the drive there, I rode past a place where the Army was conducting parachute troop jumps failry sequentially. It was fun to wave to the jumpers as they descended to Earth. There is a small (very small) community at Lake Martinez and also a Marine Corp RV Park with about 20 sites. After Lisa got off work, we decided to take a drive to Martinez Lake so that Lisa could see the area and we could also test the truck some more before we left for Tucson. We drove to the lake and then on to the MCAS RV Park. They were super nice there and invited us to come stay with then. We told them that we would be heading for Tucson the next day, but maybe another time. Lisa and I have been amazed by the number RV that we have seen either just out in the desert or in RV parks along the road. Yuma must have at least ten large RV parks and they are all full. Lots of people there for the winter.

Tomorrow - Wednesday, November 7th - We leave for Tucson, Arizona.