Today I was off to Yuma. It was time for the German Festival and I had to pick up a FEDEX parcel and fill up a tank of propane.

The German Fest was to be held on Madison Ave in the old town. Since I came early there was lots of available parking. Pretty soon the first band “Just for Fun” entered stage. Canadian Snowbirds playing for Snowbirds, could it get any better.

Down the Street a row of vendors had set up and were offering food, beer, pop, wine, pastries and souvenirs among other stuff. Even Harleys were on sale today.

Passing the booth of the “Bratwurst Haus” I got real hungry and ordered a “Curry Wurst” and potato salad. Ah… yummy.

 

After an hour the bands changed. Now the Yuma Accordion Band entered stage. This group of enthusiasts have been playing together for 9 years and are joined by Canadian Snowbirds every winter. This year a couple of Wisconsin joined the group for the German Fest. They sure knew how to play German music, and they could even yodle.

  

Speaking of yodling, I must say I am always amazed to see that the North American understanding of German culture results in Lederhosen, blue/white checkered flags and symbols and yodle and umpta-music. What we see of re-enacted German culture is actually BAVARIAN. So it fits the picture that not a single German flag was seen today. I wonder why.  

 

Anyway, regardless of what flag is on the pole, it sure was a very entertaining fest.

Time Zones
Looking at yesterday's blog, I see today's date on top of it. (now it has moved on top of this posting) Time Zones are the reason for it. I worked on it last evening and by that time Blogger had already changed the date. Or has it something to do with the time zone, my computer is set to?  Nope, my laptop is set to Pacific Time. Gotto be at Blogger where that happens. It's just so that most of the days's happenings happen to be at my knowledge by the evening. It's about the same as to say "You shouldn't praise the day before the evening". You've heard that before, right?

Kofa Mountains between Yuma and Quartzsite

Got an email from my brother again. He has had a bad day.
Going down a German Highway there happens to be an accident with a car about 300ft in front of him. That one was about to make a left turn, causing the following vehicle to make a full brake-up. The next was so close that he wanted to avoid to run into the stopped vehicle and turned into the left lane where it came to a frontal collision with an oncoming car. 
They have a speed limit of 50mph there, but most people make it 60mph, so go figure. 
Anyway, brother stops and helps other people dragging the injured out of their smashed cars. Luckily nobody died, but all three persons had severe injuries. A chopper arrives and lots of ambulances and police around.


Brother says 30 minutes later he got the big jitter. I would have too.



And what have we been doing?

Yesterday we had a phone call that my eye-glasses had arrived at the Optometrist in Algodones,Mexico. So this morning we were up early and were heading out on I-8.

Alas, after parking the car for $5.00 at the border it turned out that they had forgotten to put the anti-glare on the glasses. So our trip was done for no good reason. Anyway, we continued to downtown Yuma and had lunch at Steiners European Deli Market where we enjoyed a very rich sandwich with "Leberkäse". God, was that good!

Then off to the Super Fuels Station to get our two propane tanks filled. Of course there was a line-up again, but I stood out with that. 

When going "to town", I have a tendency to stick to whatever I had set out to do, while Bea could easily veer off and use the day for some none-topic shopping, which is fine with me, but only if I'm not involved in that. I guess that's why wifes should have their own day to go do whatever they like. To me shopping is a total waste of time.

Don't shop until you drop!

Thanks for visiting!

OLD YUMA, 
When staying in the Yuma area, it is good advice to go see the old town of Yuma. Even though there are also newer buildings it still bears the flavour of bygone days, 

Some single buildings seem to be from the beginning of last century. 

The center, or "Main Street Plaza" as it is called, resembles a market place with its numerous booths of artistic merchandise. Since we are close to Christmas, a decorated tree has been put up at the entry. Yuma Main Plaza has a relaxed atmosphere which is underlined through a country musician on stage. People are hanging out here, browsing, buying or just sitting around on benches under the shaded store fronts. 


Yuma has indeed a rich history beginning already at the time when several Indian tribes were populating the banks of the Colorado River, these were namely the Quechans, the Cocopahs and the Mohaves. Recording, however, first started in the 16th. century when explorers, adventurers and pioneers were pressing on to reach the American west. At that time the river was broad, untamed and wild rushing towards the Gulf of California. Some places the river bed was 15miles wide and quite impossible  to fort. Because of a geological formation the river narrowed into a 400 yards wide channel at the future town site of Yuma. Until 1950 the tribe of the Quechans were also called the Yumas and as a result the Colorado Fort was called Yuma Crossing. 

Yumas history recordings began on a day in 1540 when the Spanish explorer Hernando de Alarcon arrived at the Colorado River.  From that day and until 1854 Yuma was under the Spanish and Mexican flag. Then, in 1854 and as part of the Gadsden Purchase Yuma became part of the U.S. Territory. 
As a strategic point with an increasing east-west traffic  Fort Yuma was founded in 1849. Being the only viable south western route 60.000 people passed through Yuma from 1849-1850. During this time the town was called Colorado City. In 1870 Yuma had become an integral part of the Wild West and represented a challenge for law and order. Bandits preyed upon the civilized part of the population and in 1876 the Arizona Territorial Prison was built in Yuma. housing the most dangerous and notorious criminals until 1909. It soon became a symbol of frontier justice and still stands as a landmark for Arizona's intolerance of treachery.



Thanks for visiting!

Sunday Morning Blues

Slowly the night went away and light drained into our bedroom.

After sleeping another round I was awake at 6am and just waiting for more signs of a new day.

Finally I got up, made coffee and went out with Molly. A fresh air with a tinge of smell from the Creosote Bushes greeted me.

Back in the bus I started the breakfast-making routine, two eggs, two slices of raisin-bread, cheese and jam.

Bea emerged from the rear and joined me in the kitchen department.

There was a layer of clouds in the east blocking the sun from breaking through, but it didn't take very long and the clouds were gone.

Weather forecast says 71F for today and mostly sunny. Here we go!

At 12:30pm we will be driving over to the Pioneer Museum at El Centro to enjoy some music there. Later we will be at the Golden Corral and having supper with our neighbour.

I have been pouring over the map at Microsoft's Streets and Trips this morning to look for possible excursion trips we haven't done during the past years. When looking up the Palm Springs area I came across the Mt.San Jacinto State Park. That area sure looks very promising with a totally different type of landscape then down here. So I made a strong mental note of planning a trip up there soon.

This map shows the part of the trip from I-8 at Winterhaven to Picacho State Recreation Area and over to the Ogilby Rd.

The nice picnic area at the Colorado River

While I was doing that I remembered a nice OFF-ROAD trip I did with a neighbour last year. This guy has a Jeep Wrangler which is capable of going nearly everywhere. We took a trip up the road from Yuma to the Picacho State Recreation area. The trail leads up into the mountains and basically ends at the Colorado River where we enjoyed the very nice picnic-area. Then we went up the Indian Pass Road which after climbing up on a plateau finally intersects the Ogilby Rd (SR34). From there we went up to Hwy 78 turning west through the Imperial Sand Dunes.

Indian Pass Road 

The best part of that trip was probably the Indian Pass Road which offers fantastic views down into a deep Canyon then following a wash along a rocky and rough trail.

Drive through a Canyon

Arrived!

Yep, that's right!

I-8 towards Yuma

Up early enough to see the sunrise behind us and dashing off towards Yuma,AZ, Arrived at Yuma at 8.30am MST, fill up with diesel and propane. The pit stop took 30 minutes and then back onto I-8. 


The California agriculture check point at Pilot Knob was still there and this time the officer came on board to check our fridge. With nothing there which interested him, we were released into the Golden (bankrupt) State and had one more check point to pass at Gordon Wells, this time it was the U.S. border patrol, who apparantly did not want to talk to us oldtimers and just waved us on.

The reason why we`do not spend our winters in an RV-Park

Finally we could see the Geothermal power plants east of the Hot Springs LTVA and from there it was only minutes to our final, final destination.

Last exit for us to turn into the Hot Springs LTVA

Friends greeted us at the entry and when we arrived at "our" site. All was well and we could set up and take a rest.


The only other thing I did, was doing a run into Holtville, pay my bill for the P.O.Box, get potetoes, wash the road grime off the Jeep and take out some money to pay our BLM-fees. 


Now we have just shut down and enjoying ourselves.


That's what all of us should do from time to time.


Amen


If you come here again tomorrow, I have another "fine" story for you. I promise!

June 13


Going to Prison...
was and is certainly not very desirable for anyone. We, however, went to prison, when staying in Yuma, Arizona. But all the inmates had been moved out long, long ago.


The Yuma Territorial Prison is administered as an Arizona State Park today. And it's well worth a visit.

Archway to the prison cells

About the Park

On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma and were locked into the new cells they had built themselves. At Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park walk through the actual strap iron cells and solitary chamber of Arizona Territory’s first prison. Now a museum, the building houses photographs and colorful exhibits of those who once “involuntarily” stayed there and the prison life they had to endure. A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within the walls during the prison’s 33 years of operation.

The old Prison Cells

Despite an infamous reputation, written evidence indicates that the prison was humanely administered, and was a model institution for its time. The only punishments were the dark cells for inmates who broke prison regulations, and the ball and chain for those who tried to escape. Come experience this fascinating slice of Arizona history. The park offers a museum with exhibits, a gift shop, video presentation, picnic area, and restrooms.

Newer Prison Cells

Prison Life

A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within these walls during the prison's thirty-three years of operation. Their crimes ranged from murder to polygamy, with grand larceny being the most common.

A majority served only portions of their sentences due to the ease with which paroles and pardons were obtained. One hundred eleven persons died while serving their sentences, most from tuberculosis, which was common throughout the territory. Of the many prisoners who attempted escape, twenty-six were successful, but only two were from within the prison confines. No executions took place at the prison because capital punishment was administered by the county government.


Written evidence indicates that the prison was humanely administered, and was a model institution for its time. The only punishments were the dark cells for inmates who broke prison regulations, and the ball and chain for those who tried to escape. During their free time, prisoners hand-crafted many items. Those items were sold at public bazaars held at the prison on Sundays after church services. Prisoners also had regular medical attention, and access to a good hospital.

Schooling was available for convicts, and many learned to read and write in prison. The prison housed one of the first "public" libraries in the territory, and the fee charged to visitors for a tour of the institution was used to purchase books. One of the early electrical generating plants in the West furnished power for lights and ran a ventilation system in the cellblock.


By 1907, the prison was severely overcrowded, and there was no room on Prison Hill for expansion. The convicts constructed a new facility in Florence, Arizona. The last prisoner left Yuma on September 15, 1909.


The Yuma Union High School occupied the buildings from 1910 to 1914. Empty cells provided free lodging for hobos riding the freights in the 1920s, and sheltered many homeless families during the Depression. Townspeople considered the complex a source for free building materials. This, plus fires, weathering, and railroad construction, destroyed the prison walls and all buildings except the cells, main gate and guard tower;but these provide a glimpse of convict life a century ago.