Thursday January 27th – Friday February 4th
Getting ready to leave Quartzsite: signed up for FMCA Convention in Tucson in March (many SOLOS are also FMCA members of chapter Singles International). Went to the tire shop and had all new tires put on the Rpod, including a new spare. Then I headed for Yuma. I didn’t have a reservation but hoped to be able to stay at the Escapees RV park in KOFA (stands for “King of Arizona”) south of Yuma. When I got there it was 4:30 or so. They had NO open spaces, and not even any dry camping (boon docking) spaces. January is peak time in Yuma, especially as lots of people flood in from Quartzsite. I called a few other parks I’ve stayed in before, but none had any room. I ended up calling and getting a reservation at a park on the north side of the Colorado River in Winterhaven, CA, Rivers Edge RV Park. It turned out to be a great choice. It was a little pricey so I paid for 3 nights, then ended up adding two more nights.
The second day we were there we did errands in Yuma and went to the West Wetlands Park – a place I used to be able to walk to from an RV park in Yuma on the Colorado River. In fact it’s right across the river from the Rivers Edge RV Park where I was staying. Rivers’ Edge had a hot tub, which I took advantage of every day I was there! The park was huge and had lots of huge shade trees, I believe they are Southern Magnolias. It was about a half mile long and had a dog walk that covered the length of the park. Visited the Wetlands park several times – it’s like an old friend, I’ve walked all the trails for several years. I also had good internet and got caught up with email and other computer stuff.
After 5 nights at Rivers Edge I headed west toward San Diego. Stopped at Holtville Hot Springs. Walked down to the springs but decided to pass – small pools and too many people. Stopped and got an RV spot at Sweetwater Regional Park, about 10 miles from San Diego. Had a site facing west so I could enjoy the sunset and look down over the valley. Ended up spending 4 nights there. Did some errands and shopping in Chula Vista, a really nice town. One day I drove up the Coronado Peninsula, around the harbor and onto the peninsula where Point Loma is. Watched the sun set over the military cemetery on Point Loma. On Friday Feb. 4th I went to Balboa Park. What an amazing place! I visited the San Diego History Museum, more like an art museum – many paintings and murals. Then I drove around to El Prado, the entrance road, and drove thru the main part of the park. Dogs are OK, so we parked and then walked everywhere. Fascinating architecture, gardens, pools, fountains, some vendors. Had a bite to eat. It’s a remarkable park, open to the community, the museum entrance fee was by donation only. We headed back to Sweetwater Rec Area, leaving for Santa Barbara in the morning.
Next installment: Santa Barbara with Karleen Patrick and traveling east to Death Valley.
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