The Arrival

After a cold night, (-3C) we woke up around 6am in this beautiful rest area along the I-10.

Being a bit lazy, we weren't ready to roll out on the highway before 7:30. The drive towards Yuma,AZ was uneventful. Beautiful blue sky and bright sun was what we had been longing for.

Tucson

After well one hour we reached Tucson.

Pima Airplane Park

Traffic wasn't bad, probably because many people were still enjoying a Thanksgiving breakfast with family. The desert out here is almost lush green. 

Brittle Bush is blooming along the road shoulders.

At Gila Bend it was time for lunch. The local Shell Station also features a dump station, and although the holding tanks were far from being full, we emptied them right there. 

Now, I want to also say a warning to those who happen to drop in at this station for gas. 

Don't!!

Arizona gas prices have always been higher than in Texas, but this station orients its pricing after fuel prices in California. Today they were asking 4.79/gal. which is at least $1.40 above the price we paid in the Tucson area. Even as Shell in Gila Bend was the most expensive locally, other stations also charged way above $4.00/gal. We knew this when we got there, so we didn't have to fill up again. So, if you don't like to overpay for gas, just don't go there!

Cotton field along I-10

Yuma agriculture

After lunch we had about 2.5hrs driving left to reach Holtville. But we also wanted to stop by a Walmart in Yuma for some supplies. The latter proved to be dumb idea.

The foothills Walmart does not feature a huge parking lot and today was the day when absolutely no parking space was available. Not even for a single car! We just moved the rig along the building marveling about people being so incredibly in need of something that they would spend hours in a Walmart.

Before getting out of Arizona and entering California we wanted to fill up with fuel. Our App "Gas Buddy" recommended Loves Travel Stop with a gas price of $3.69/gal. 

When we got there we became witness of something I can only describe as pandemonium. Never in my life have I seen such a chaotic gas station. With our 32ft trailer and an overall length of 56ft, I could just barely make it off the road to get a place in line to a pump. People were losing patience everywhere, and I heard a lot of choice words. Mind you, people do behave strange when they eye a chance to save 5 bucks at a gas station. 

After getting what we came for, I was wondering how to maneuver the rig out of this melee. Then I discovered an opening towards the truck parking behind the station. I quickly passed across and over to that space and slipped through without a scratch. We then left the station in between the semis.

Less than an hour later we reached the Holtville Hot Springs LTVA, where we had spent quite a number of winters before. 

We said a brief hello to the host and found our old space still being available.

We felt a huge relief, and I swear I saw a big smile on Dixie's face. She immediately inspected the places where she had spent the previous     winter behind the   bushes.

We had barely finished setting up camp when the first neighbour came over for a chat. Gerald had escaped the bitter cold prairie of Saskatchewan and we had to catch up with one another for a while. 

It does get dark early here, and so it was time for supper, which Bea had prepared while I had been outside chatting with Gerald. 

Tonight, we will enjoy a super quiet night and we know that we will have a blue sky and a sunny day again tomorrow.