Yuma, Arizona

Thanks Yuma! I have found that is what we all should be saying, that is if you like a good salad….

Hundreds of years ago Yuma was one of the few places along the Colorado River where a crossing could be made with relative safety. The river, which could be as wide as 15 miles during spring runoff (from the North), narrowed to 400 yards between two granite outcroppings. This made it the gateway to California and Mexico and the point was named “Yuma Crossing” after the Indians native to the area. This crossing was important as far back as 1540 when the first Spanish explorers came North out of Mexico.

Yuma was an access point for seekers of the gold discovered in California and also the hordes of others seeking other forms of fortune in Southern California, the land of milk and honey. It was the home of the Yuma Territorial Prison which, between 1876 and 1909, housed Arizona’s most dangerous and notorious criminals. It residents were infamous enough to have been made the center figures of many books, movies and TV shows. Believe me, during the summer months that prison must have been as close to a sentence in hell as a living man could be given.

Today Yuma is the home of the Yuma Proving Grounds, for the desert testing of military equipment. It is only a few miles from the Imperial Dunes in California, a vast series of sand dunes where people play and where a sequence from Stars Wars was filmed. It is the gateway (via Interstate 8) to Southern California and parts of Mexico.

However, for us veggie lovers, the most important point in Yuma’s history may have occurred in 1912 when the Yuma Siphon was opened. The siphon is an underground U-shaped canal that carries irrigation water under the Colorado River. At the time it was an impossible engineering feat, but they built it anyway. Vertical tunnels on either side of the river go down over 100 feet to bedrock. A horizontal tunnel joins the two through more than 400 yards of bedrock. This is no small canal either, dozens of men worked in the tunnels at the same time.

Now back to the salads. The Yuma valley is fertile (from thousands of years as a flood plane), but dry. The irrigation water coming through the siphon allowed the valley to bloom. One of the primary crops is now lettuce. And there you go, salads for you and me. The lettuce (and several other veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc.) is hand picked and processed primarily by Mexican laborers (be careful George, send ‘em home and we may all have to give up salads).

There are undoubtedly many companies distributing the veggies out of this desert oasis. Foxy is one I recognize as is Fresh Express, with a processing plant only about two miles from where I am staying (so they get to be “featured” with a picture of their plant). By the way, it is too hot to grow veggies in the summer so they switch over to cotton, making use of the land year round.

Here's a cauliflower for you. So, “Thanks Yuma”, and pass the Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette and some of those blue cheese crumbles.

Quartzite, Arizona

Saturday we drove from Mesa, AZ to Quartzite, AZ. Quartzite is near the California border and I-10 runs right through the middle of it. Quartzite is a small little desert town with a population of around 3,400. It was settled in 1856 by Charles Tyson and became a stage stop. A mining boom in 1897 temporarily revitalized the town. It then languished until 1965 when rock hounds held the first rock and gem show. The area has drawn ever increasing winter crowds since that first show.

The winter population begins to swell in December, but is mostly gone by April first. There is no accurate count, but estimates (some official) put the peak at more than a million. Quartzite is surrounded by open desert, generally flat with mountains in the distance in every direction. Mostly public lands, it is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. RVers come from all over to spend a few days, weeks, or even the whole winter. They park their rigs everywhere, spread out over thousands of acres.

Visitors come for many reasons. There are the rock hounds, the desert sportsmen (4-wheelers), and those that just love the desert. Many come for the warm winters and the cheap stay. Winter daytime temps are usually in the 60’s and 70’s. Staying on BLM land ranges from free to less than $200 for the entire winter. The drawback is that there are none of the basics to which most RVers have grown attached (water, electric, and sewer hookups).

The real draw has to be the near circus like atmosphere. It is no longer just a rock and gem show. There are acres and acres of flea markets catering to an RVers every need. There are RV dealers that set up seasonal lots with hundreds of units. There are antique and classic car shows. Food courts abound. All these sales “villages” are temporary (tents and trailers) and is all packed up and gone by April first.

Quartzite is certainly a unique gathering spot for “Snowbirds”. That is what locals call those who flee their home during the winter months in search of a place where the snow doesn’t fall and they can wear t-shirts and shorts.