Yuma, AZ Area

I have been spending the last couple of weeks at the Imperial Dam Recreation Area, just north of Yuma, AZ.  I mentioned this area last year in my March blog.  Where I'm camped is called a Long Term Visitor Area, where, for $180 a year you can camp all winter with access to water, dump station, etc.  It's like a small town with mostly Canadians and northern tier states folks spending the winter months in the desert.  Last year I was laying low because I manage to hurt myself, so, this year I set about exploring.  

Just north of here is the Castle Dome Museum.  It's sort of a ghost town.  The area around Castle Dome was a silver and lead mining area. The museum owners have spent the many years going around the desert gathering up buildings and artifacts, then assembling them at the museum.  I'm usually not a fan of these types of tourist attractions, but this one actually interesting since it spanned so many years of history.

Here's my attempt to be artistic.

When I was a kid, my Dad owned a gas station.  He actually had one of these in his garage.  This sure bought back memories for me.  I spent much of my childhood handing tools to my Dad as he worked.  I worked at the station since I was about 13.  My Dad didn't worry about child labor laws.  Today I feel guilty every time I take one of my cars in to a shop.  I'm sure my Dad is rolling in his grave.

Castle Dome

One day rode the motorcycle to Ferguson Lake, a lake formed alongside the Colorado River.  

I sure like this bike.  I've been riding the heck out of it since I bought it over a year ago.  What a machine!

I also got some bicycle riding in.  This ride was to a couple of geocaches out in the desert.

Another reason I like to camp here is that the Colorado River is nearby, providing some great opportunities for kayaking.