Best Friends and Algadonis

Some friendships last forever, through ups and downs, agreements and disagreements, time together and time apart.  My friendship with Shari is such a thing.  We began our friendship in 1975 in high school.  Oh the experiences we had in those years!  After college and beginning our families, we reconnected in the 1980's and our children played together.  Time and distance separated us in the 90's and 2000's but since we've retired, we have been able to visit with each other more regularly.  Shari and Casey, her husband, have visited us in Petersburg and we have been able to visit with them during our travels.  In the beginning we visited their homes in Martinez and Stockton California and more recently in Agnew, Washington.  They recently bought a park model next to their parents in the Pioneer RV park in Wellton, Arizona, just outside of Yuma.  We spent time with them during our visit to Arizona in the past two years.  Relationships with friends never change but they do change with friends' parents.  Pat and Charlie have gone from being parents to good friends.  

R-L Pat and Charlie Roesel, Shari and Casey Bley, Sally Roesel then me and Doug

Chuck was cut out of the picture, but he is also a very close friend of mine and of Doug's.   He was Doug's best man when we were married 31 years ago.   Chuck and Sally live in Sitka, AK so we get to see them more often.  They happened to have a family vacation scheduled in Wellton, while we were in the area, so we tagged along.

We had some incredible visits, walks, and dinners while we visited.  We also went to Algadones, Mexico.  Doug and I have never been to this border town, but Shari and her family go often to get dental work done.  During this visit, Pat and Charlie ordered new glasses.  We visited the pharmacy and many outdoor shops.

You need your passport, but not to go to Algadones, only to get back in the US.  The line to get back into the US is long.  We stood in line for 1 hour and 45 minutes but our companions have stood in much longer lines through the years.

Algadones is not a large city with only one long main street.  If you need to get your eyes, ears or teeth fixed, this is the place for you.  You can purchase these services for about half of what you would pay in the US.  You can also purchase medications in the Pharmacies for a fraction of the price you pay in the US.  Chuck is an MD and still purchases his meds here because his insurance won't pay for one of them and the copay for the others is higher than purchasing them in Algadones. You will not find narcotics in the pharmacies. 

Here is a sign we won't see in our country.

This visit was a highlight of our trip.  It's fun to go to a place with someone who really knows their way around.  Our visit with the Roesel/Bley family is always a highlight of our trip.

Cocopah

Cocopah is the name of the Indian Tribe that has lived along the Colorado River for centuries.  The reservation is located about 13 miles south of Yuma on the river, which is where this golf resort and casino are located.  This year, we stayed in the Cocopah RV Resort, which is close to the Cocopah Casino where the Yuma Territorial Marathon and Half Marathon is held.  

This park has an 18 hole golf course

 an olympic sized pool 

and a 2.5 acre dog park.

Doug had a wild hair and wanted to paddle the river.  He looked at his map app and found a place he thought he could put in and make it back to the rv park.  I dropped Doug off at the boat ramp in the West Wetlands Park and he paddled down the Colorado River to our RV Park.  It took about 45 minutes going with the current.

Yuma is a hotbed for broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce.  Everywhere you go there are fields in different stages of growth from newly planted to just harvested.  These fields surround the RV Park.

This is a shot of conveyer belts ready to process the vegetables.  Harvesting is hard work.  The people bend down and pick the vegetables and stand up and throw them on to the conveyer belt to be checked and boxed.  These workers don't need an aerobics class. They start very early in the morning.  

The Yuma Territorial Marathon and Half Marathon started at 7:00am and 7:20am respectively.  The start was at the Cocopah Casino Complex.  It is always fun to be part of a marathon event.  The atmosphere is palpable with nervous energy.  This race had about 50 people running the marathon and about 250 running the half. 

The winners bouquets

Miss Broccoli, the mascot.  The finishers food table had standard fare, bananas, rolls, nut bars and it also had broccoli and Ranch Dressing.

The finish!