We drove to Yuma, Arizona by way of Prescott, Arizona. We took a route around Prescott that was not a truck route. we also descended a significant hill down into Congress, Arizona that was a one-way road (thank goodness) and very narrow. We think that vehicles over 40 feet were restricted, but we were there before we knew that. We made it down but it was an exciting ride.

When we arrived at the Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG), we were directed by the GPS to the wrong entry gate. A security policeman gave us directions to the proper entrance to the family camp. We drove between two large howitzers on the way to the family camp. We also drove past a visitor center/museum that had tanks, personnel carriers, howitzers, and missiles located in front. The family camp is very nice and the people there are quite nice too. We were able to get to our site easily and we had power and water only; we would have to hit the dump side later.  The YPG is a very small, compact installation that has everything that a normal base has.  I changed the oil in the truck at the auto hobby shop, bought food at the commissary, and checked out the base exchange.  The campground is filling up with “snowbirds” who plan to stay at YPG until spring. 

On Saturday, October 26th, we dumped the tanks on the trailer and then moved the RV into storage. We then drove to Yuma to meet Jeff and Cherekee Dickey, so that we could caravan to their home in San Felipe, Mexico. This would be my first shot at driving in Mexico. Before we met with Jeff and Cherekee, we set up an appointment to have our truck checked at the Yuma Ford dealer due to a “check engine light” that indicates a DEF tank heater that is not working properly. Luckily it did not stop us from driving. We fueled up, went to the bank, and then waited for Jeff and Cherekee. We had lunch and then drove to San Felipe by way of Calexico/Mexicali in California. 

The Colorado River flows past the YPG and it is also the location of the All American Canal that takes water to the Coachella Valley and San Diego. There are also many small canals, ponds, swamps, and lakes in the area. There is also BLM land that we could dry-camp on for little cost at all. We also learned more about how camping on BLM land works. We hope to get a slot at the YPG when we return and stay there for another week.