SOLO ROADTRIP II: YUMA & SOUTHERN ARIZONA [DAYS 13-15]
i left tombstone to make my way to yuma, but had a few fun sites to see along the way. interestingly, the closer i got to my destination, all the traffic signs were in kilometers and not miles. this made absolutely no sense to me and i even thought maybe i was in mexico. i later learned that highway 19 is the only highway in the US to be completely in kilometers. in the 1960s there was a movement to convert to the metric system to fit in with the rest of the world. highway 19 was the pilot highway, but then the movement lost momentum a few years later as people returned to using miles.
the first stop, which took quite a while, was tumacacori national historic park in southern arizona. it is a bit isolated, very dry, with agricultural areas. unfortunately at this point, i was dealing quite a bit with mosquitoes. i thought that was over for this trip, but i was wrong. it was also very hot. the park consists of land & ruins of an old spanish community. the site tells the story of the original natives, the o'odham, & the jesuit spanish community that was established in 1691.
the mission church
the church doors
ruins of the convent and the mission
i headed back north and stopped at the nearby town of tubac. i have never been to a place like this. a small little new age town that was once an art colony in the middle of the desert with interesting architecture. in town is the tubac presidio state historical park. here you can learn some local history of the presidio, see the spanish ruins, and visit the 1885 territorial schoolhouse.
i take advantage of anytime i can dress up
on site is also the rojas house, which was my favorite. luisa rojas, a local, was born in this house in 1893 & the home stayed in the family for over 100 years. the house museum still has many of her furnishings & personal belongings, mostly mid-century. she lived in the house until the 1980s.
rojas house - 1880s row-house (sonoran style).
i then made my way to tucson, where i would be staying for the night. this would be my second and last hip-camp reservation to sleep out of my car. it was very confusing to get here, but it was an old motel in an industrial area. the motel was still open, but the location also allowed camper/tent reservations. accommodations included a communal kitchen, living room, & pool/bbq area. there were restrooms & showers available. this location was cool as it was quite eccentric & very colorful. it really leaned into the groovy aesthetic & even had mannequins in the pool area. even though i knew there were multiple campers, i never ran into anyone when i went to the communal areas to get ready for bed.
the bbq area at sunset, an absolute ghost town.
my campsite for the night. you park on dirt (this is arizona), but every spot had a grass pad.
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strangely, in the morning there were chickens.
i left pretty early in the morning and thought i would stop at a cracker barrel, but it was crazy busy, so i kept going. i actually really enjoyed yuma. the city is pretty close to the mexican border & is only a bridge away from CA; the colorado river is what splits the two. it was quite warm, to be expected. of a populous area, yuma is the driest, sunniest, least humid area in the country.
i assume this was the purpose of this photo-op.
the quartermaster building
southern pacific railroad passenger coach (1875-1938)
this was an interesting exhibit about the department of interior's bureau that established waterways in southern arizona. i originally wanted to intern for this bureau when i was in DC, but did not get the position.
the other highlight of the trip was the yuma territorial state historical park, which was in business from 1876-1909. strangely enough, the local high school occupied the buildings for a few years after. the school's mascot was the criminals - a little too on the nose. the prison is also supposed to be haunted which added to its appeal.
random story, but when i was here i overheard a young family who were visiting because they were the decedents of a mormon convict who served time here & his story was talked about in the museum. what a weird and cool way to learn history.
the view was beautiful as it was on a hill that overlooked the river.
i then made my way downtown, which had some beautiful building but was absolutely dead (especially for a saturday). i talked to a lady & she said it was still too early for the "snow bird" season as it is still hot. the tourist season is the colder months when retired people from the north stay for the winter.
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the next day, i made my way back home. it was a new drive since i have never driven along the border to san diego & then back to LA. i actually saw a wall dividing the countries. yes i have been to san diego, but i had never seen a border wall. i also had no idea there were sand dunes! i only saw them from a rest area (that was in the center divider - i had never seen that before).
i did stop in a few places to look at antique & thrift stores. first i stopped at a thrift store in alpine & then an antique store (but i cannot remember the city). it was the cutest place & even had a coffee bar when i got coffee & an acai bowl. i really wish i could remember this place.
and that is finally the end of my trip this took a long time to finish, but better late than never. the more time goes on, the more i forget these little details. even though it takes a long time, i actually do go back and read my posts to unlock some forgotten memories. for that, i am grateful i put the time in this. next is posting on my trip from last fall through the pacific northwest. i am sure things will get delayed as i am also planning my first international trip since covid. i am so excited! i am thinking norway, austria, hungary, & southern germany. we shall see.