Heading South...Arizona And Beyond!

Leaving the Silver State of Nevada we headed south to Arizona. The weather on a daily basis has been sunny with blue skies, averaging temperatures of 20-23 degrees celsius by mid afternoon. We quickly discovered that many Canadian snowbirds and folks from the northern States make the yearly winter pilgrimage to Arizona looking to escape the cold clutches of Mother Nature. Many people travel in RV's and some come to their winter homes to enjoy all that the state has to offer besides just great weather.

Beautiful Lake Havasu!

One such place is Lake Havasu City! This was our first stop after leaving the Las Vegas area. Just a  2 1/2 hour drive on the I-95 South and there we were; surrounded by tranquil waters, rugged mountains and barren desert. This was truly a playground as everywhere we looked people were boating, fishing, camping and off roading. We were also surprised to learn that Lake Havasu City was home to the original London Bridge that had once spanned the River Thames from 1831 until 1967 at which time the City of London began searching for a potential buyer. The bridge had begun sinking and became overburdened by the traffic flow of London but Lake Havasu City's founder did indeed see the value of having a little piece of Europe in the United States and successfully won the bid that saw each of the 10 276 granite blocks disassembled and reassembled in Lake Havasu City. Today London Bridge, complete with iconic lamp posts, is the second largest tourist draw in Arizona after the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed our hike over from the State Park that we were staying in and visiting the touristy shops that have a very British feel.

Each granite block was numbered before the bridge was disassembled!

The original lamp posts are said to be made from the melted down cannon balls of Napolean's Battle of Waterloo.

Another 2 hours south and we stopped at Quartzsite, Arizona. This quirky little town of approximately 3600 people may very well be the boondocking capital of

the world!!! When we approached the boundaries of the town there were RVs EVERYWHERE! Some were parked in RV parks but most were just pitched in the desert. Though it's really not a very pretty place the population swells from January to March with RV Shows and vendors peddling everything from rocks, gems, and beads to clothing and expired groceries. Many people come and boondock to visit the flea markets and big tent events. One night was enough for us and we decided to move on!

Located in southwestern Arizona is the town of Yuma or as I have heard it said, "the sunniest place on earth", boasting over 4000 hours of sunshine each year. Yuma certainly did not disappoint us on our 2 day visit! It's close proximity to the Mexican border enticed us to do what all the other thousands of Americans do every day; park for $6 in a large lot operated by the Quechan Indian Nation and then walk down the ramp and across the border to Los Algodones, Mexico. Just like that we were in Mexico and in the midst of street vendors and markets selling cheap sunglasses, purses, wallets, clothing and lawn decorations.

A delicious taco salad!

Medical tourism is huge for this small Mexican town and we were constantly harassed by Mexicans offering us cheap dental work, optical supplies and prescription medication. Our conversations with many Americans who do visit for medical reasons tell us that the medical service is good and much much cheaper than what they can get in their home state. We each enjoyed a margarita and some lunch and then decided to get in the lineup to cross back into the United States. I forgot how much I loathe the haggling you must endure when visiting Mexico and so we were happy enough to leave and head back to the camper.

Mexican vendors selling their wares to the line of people crossing back over the border