Crossing the Line

This morning started like every other one here along the American Girl Wash. I did my daily inspection tour of the desert as the sun came up, and then it was back to Dogpound Anywhere (DPA) for a bit of breakfast. About mid morning our neighbours from up the wash a piece came down and we slid in behind them. They led us down to the parking lot north of Los Algodones, BC, that's Baja California, a little Mexican border town just south of the extreme SE end of California and just across the river from Yuma, Arizona. We have been across the border here a few times in the past, but never with such a big gang, in total we numbered 8 folks, Deb and Ryley, Tom and Deb, and Kim and Ken, all Canadians hiding out from winter here in the Southwest, except for Tom and Deb who call the Upper Peninsula of Michigan home, so they are damn near Canadians.

We didn't have anything special in mind, just a little trip for lunch and a few drinks. Oh yah, and a chance to see about augmenting our drug stockpile, prescription drugs, but just like last time I had a look, most of them are cheaper in Canada than down here in Mexico. We did pick up few Z-paks of antibiotics just because, but other than a cool shawl that Brenda bought and a couple pounds of shrimp we just carried lunch and a few drinks back across the border. The line at the border was pretty quick, so that was a bonus as well.

Left to right, Ken, Kim, Deb, Ryley, Brenda, Deb, and Tom at our last cantina of the day. Once we got across the border Brenda and I ran into Winterhaven to the local pot store to pick up a few things that seem to give her a little relief from the trials and tribulations of CRPS. Then it was back out along the American Girl where we rejoined the whole group for Happy Hour up at their spot a half mile or so farther up the wash from our location. I have been shooting some hummingbirds here the last few days so I will throw a couple of shots in of these little critters.

Trip to Town

I might have to call these shots looking back at the rig in the morning, the view looking in my window, playing on Lorne at A Place called Away's view from his window. Well I would but I probably can't depend on having a great backdrop like here along the American Girl every day so it is going to be a limited time offering.

After my walkabout, we decided we needed to run to town, Brenda had some shopping to do, not very successful I gather, and then we needed to stop by a Cannabis dispensary. She is having a lot of pain with her knee (CRPS) and hoping to find something that might relieve it a little bit. The place we stopped in Yuma needed ID and Brenda had forgotten hers and I know absolutely nothing about the whole wonderful world of Cannabis and without ID they don't allow you in the store, so she decided we needed to head back home without anything. Once we got here we realized there was a store in Winterhaven, on the California side of the river, so we grabbed her ID and headed back into that place. Apparently, they had an entirely different process there than across the River in Arizona, and she was happy with what she found. I will reserve my happy to see if it works.

This is the view on the way back to the rig in the morning.

California Dreaming

We headed out of Gila Bend a few days back and made for the California line. After getting through the traffic congestion at the Fruit Police stop on the border we made our way out to Grays Well Road and exited the freeway for a moment then headed back east to Ogilby Road. The overpass at Ogilby Road is having some work done so it is closed so there is no exit from the westbound lanes. We found us a quiet little spot north up that road about 4 odd miles and got set up for a stay here.

Blue and I took a spin looking for some folks that Ivan had told us were in the neighbourhood and met Skip and Jean and then Wandering Willy and had a visit with those good folks.

The next day our friends Mike and Shaunna Lewis and their horses/mule and well-trained mutts joined us here.

We headed south of the border to Los Algodones to order some glasses for Brenda and I and a new sign for Mike and Shaunna. Along the way, we managed to find a lunch and a Margarita and a Cerveso or two. Our glasses wouldn't be ready till the next day so we decided to pop back down the next day to have lunch and a few more Margarita's as well as make another run into Walmart for some necessary supplies.

Camp dogs

Back Yard

Lewis's sign

Algodones is always a great place to visit, the people are friendly, and so accommodating and very enterprising, it is nice to see, although the culture is a little different than north of the border. Good food, good music, and apparently good Margaritas.

Back in camp we enjoyed chewing the fat around the campfire both morning and night and were sad to see Lewis's pull out to start their journey north to the northern ranges this morning. Happy Anniversary you two.

Beginning the long journey home

Sunrises and sunsets in Arizona are spectacular and change so quickly, these two were taken with moments of each other this morning.

They are both panorama's made up of 3-5 separate shots but the colours are pretty much straight out of the camera. And this last one was taken just a short while later. Later in the afternoon Ivan himself came by for a little chin wag.