Wiebe's Wanderings: YUMA, Az

Last Friday we packed up and headed south to Yuma for a weeks stay at Desert Paradise RV Park. Its a nice little park with all the necessities but the main attraction is that it is the winter home of friends Richard and Betty Ducheck. Their summer home is in Gimli however they have been wintering in Yuma for about 13 years. Last time we were here they provided us some tips on things to do and see and also took us on a day trip to Mexico. Little did we know that this time they would also be providing us with Taxi service.

We pulled in after a nice easy drive and checked in. Our site was right across from the campground office and situated on a corner so backing in looked to be an easy task. They provided a guide to direct us which usually makes getting situated in the right spot easier. Not so much this time. This guy had me cranking the steering wheel back and forth and managed to get us to where I had backed the trailer on my first attempt. The 3 blind mice could have been better guides. At one point I started hearing a grinding sound every time I turned the wheel. Then I noticed fluid spattered on the road. Turns out a hose carrying power steering fluid from the Hydrobooster to the Steering Gear Box had sprung a leak. Now I’m not sure if all the cranking back and forth caused the leak or if the hose had a weak spot and it chose this moment to start leaking. In any event an appointment was made with the local Ford dealer on Monday to fix the problem. Turns out they didn’t have the right hose in stock so it would take till Wednesday before our wheels were returned.

When I talked to the Service Dept at Ford the hose that needed to be replaced, which apparently seldom fails, was a $60 part. Unfortunately it was buried deep in the heart of the engine bay and would require 4 hours of shop time to replace it. $700. later I, hopefully, have a truck that will not leak Power Steering Fluid. They actually overcharged me $54. and when I noticed a double charge for the Flush Kit I had to drive back to the dealership to get a refund. Funny, it took them minutes to take my money but giving me a refund for their mistake took almost an hour. So far we have had to replace the A/C Shroud on the trailer, wheel alignment on the trailer, change the truck coolant, oil and fuel filters and now this. Hopefully this is all behind us cause the old Visa is taking a hit.

All is not bad however. The weather has been in the mid to high 20s and of course, sunny. Betty and Richard have been great. Chauffeuring us around and having us over for dinner on Saturday night and then again on Tuesday with 3 other couples who are also visiting Yuma from the great white north. We managed to visit Martha’s Garden, a Date Farm, to have a date shake and purchase a couple boxes of fresh dates. We also made it to the Garden Cafe for lunch on Wednesday which was a favourite of ours from our last trip to Yuma. Our plans for our stay in Yuma were to take it easy as the next leg of our journey promises to be pretty hectic. So far taking it easy has been achieved.

Thursday morning we decided to repack the basement to better accommodate our stuff. In our travels we invariably find items at the various RV Supply stores and outdoor markets that makes one wonder how we have survived without these gadgets. Our stay in Yuma has resulted in the purchase of some unique bungee cords, a laundry basket on wheels, portable electric roaster and a sturdy foldable outdoor table to accommodate the roaster and the barbecue. Now comes the task of once again reorganizing the basement (trailers front storage area) to accommodate all of these treasures. I decided that more large sturdy storage containers were required and I knew exactly where to find them. I had purchased some 27 Gallon containers at Home Depot back in Winnipeg about a year ago and so it was off to HD to see if they still carried them. Success. I purchased 2 more 27 Gallon containers to go along with the one we brought with us plus 2 - 17 Gallon containers. Everything fits with room to spare and it look Oh so organized. To steal a phrase, we are Ship Shape in Bristol Fashion.

Thursday afternoon we took Richard and Betty to Lutes Casino for lunch. Its a rather unique place and in fact its not a casino at all. It is a large restaurant, bar and billiard room and the walls and ceiling are plastered with pictures, antiques and mementos’. We had a great meal and then capped it off with a trip to Sam’s Club for some browsing and then to Freddys for dessert. I had the Vanilla custard with swirls of Peanut Butter. Yummm.

We are off to Betty and Richards tonight for a game of Mexican Train. A game that they reintroduced us to a few nights ago. We had originally learned it from my parents many years ago but haven’t played it in years. Friday morning we are off to Vista, Ca so our scenery will go from irrigated fields of vegetables and a brown and sandy desert to mountains and ocean.

Till then.