YUMA, SALAD BOWL TO THE US of A

Check this out - the view from our front window this morning when we awoke in "Boomerville", overlooking Mittry Lake, a BLM property northwest of Yuma. Not bad for the desert.

There are two reasons we come to Yuma: Our Boomer friends are here this time each year, and the weather - sunnier and warmer than most other places in the USA. I'm not sure WHAT attracts permanent residents here, but they keep coming... in the few (five) years that we have been coming to Yuma for New Year's, this little burg has grown substantially.

I don't remember the exact figures, but a huge percentage of the fresh greens you find in the supermarket this time of year come from Yuma. The streets north of town are lined with fields of lettuce, light green, dark green, and red. "Fresh Express" signs direct semis to pickup locations alongside the roads.

The south side of town has the citrus orchards, many with "For Sale" signs - too bad! Everywhere else, Yuma sprawls with new growth - homes, RV lots and RV parks. Motorhomes and 5th wheels are as plentiful as SUV's. The new mall - a year or two old now - has filled up, and Verizon blankets the region with 5 bar cell service and broadband access for our aircards - a welcome improvement for us boondockers, who had to hike to a hilltop for phone service just a few years ago.

Barry is knocking on the door... Odel wants to get going... more knocks on the door... time to get going on a geocache adventure. Later, readers!