San Luis Rio Colorado City

I did not bring my passport because I had no intention of stepping into Mexico. Yuma is very close to the border (about an hour's drive) so I drove to San Luis Rio Colorado which is on the Mexican border to take some photos.

Parking in a lot for visitors, I walked toward the gate to get photos but the problem was that the sun was right in my face so I went a little farther.

Now I ask you, where on this sign does it say you are in Mexico?

 This is where the cars pass under and is considered Mexico. I got close enough to take some photos and turned around heading back the way I came when a guard stopped me and said that I was already in Mexico and that if I wanted to return to the US that I had to walk past the gate, walk two blocks west and enter the US customs building.

 This was next to the building where you enter the US.

After explaining to the guard that I just wanted to take some photos and did not realize that I had past the line of no return (there was absolutely no sign saying, you are in Mexico) I was able to get back to US soil with just my drivers license but boy did I get the third degree.

On the American side, there was a small park with these unusual trees.  I wonder if these trees are trimmed in this shape.  Does anyone know?

Linking to: Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Weekend Reflections in Arizona

Yuma's gigantic mall had a variety of places to eat like most malls in the United States.  Lunched at Mimi's Cafe where they always serve hot fresh muffins with your meal. My chicken cranberry nut salad was fresh and crunchy along with a mouth watering blueberry muffin.

This unusually shaped building is in Tucson.

Linking to: weekend reflections
and Skywatch Friday

I wanted to leave you with a thought I found in AARP magazine:

"Almost half of the people over 40 believe that they look younger than they are. This says something important about older Americans: We have terrible eyesight."  by Dave Barry

Quartzite to Yuma, Arizona

Connecting to Monday Mellow Yellows

In my journey through Arizona, I stopped at Quartzite where an enormous gem, RV and food fair was being held.  I can't say that I was very impressed except that I have never seen so many RV cities in my lifetime surrounding Quartzite.

The signs that stood right out as I was heading south to Yuma was "Watch out for Burros" and "Do not Enter When Flooded".

The most common sign in Arizona.

I ran across a blog called Travel With E which has a wonderful group of photos of the wild burros and stories about them.  Check it out!

After reading this blog, I wish I had taken a some time to stop at Oatman, AZ.

Every few miles was another RV city and huge Canadian RV settlements flying their flag; they apparently spend their winters in Arizona. I did not take one photo in Quartzite but roamed among the vendors for about two hours.

 This was taken in Old Town Yuma. There were acres and acres of green crops growing just before I reached Yuma.  It made me think of the green crops in Monterey valley, California. I was really tempted to stop and buy fresh figs from a farm but I was seriously low on petrol so I missed out.

Down the block, they have a well used old time dance hall here. I attended a dance on Saturday night with western type ballroom dance music and most in attendance were senior couples. There was one couple who were both in their 90's who could barely walk  but they were out there dancing their hearts out.

Close to the Colorado River in Yuma. Across the river is California.

I stayed in Yuma two nights and decided to heard toward Tucson;
too many sirens in Yuma.

Mellow Yellow on Route 66

Connecting to Monday Mellow Yellows
and Blue Monday

On my trip south, I made a quick stop in Vegas to buy a lunch to go and flowers for my father's grave.  

Drove on a new road (it was new to me since I had not been in that area for more than 12 years) next to Lake Mead, what a view!

And at Kingman, AZ

I had no idea that Route 66 was in Northern Arizona until I just ran into it.  What fun for me, I remember the old TV series about Route 66 and the song.  "Get your kicks on route 66." Anyone else remember those day?

On my way home, I also ate at a Cafe in Flagstaff, AZ which claimed to have been open when Route 66 was popular - I believe it, it was a very old place and only took cash.

Let me see now, I've been to LA, Kingman and Flagstaff, St. Louis and Chicago.  Looks like I need to visit New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.  I have been to Kansas and swore I would never drive through that windy flat boring state.

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

My favorite place in my town is Mt. Timpanogos Temple.  I love to go to the temple, do ordinance work there and worship there. For extra peace and quiet, I go to the temple and pray.

This Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple was named after Mt. Timpanogos peak, standing at 11,750 feet and is the 2nd highest mountain in Utah's Wasatch mountain range. Early residents were the Timpanogots Ute tribe. 

 On top of every LSD temple stands a gold statue of Angel Moroni blowing his horn, facing east from which Jesus Christ will return.

 This side view of the temple shows stained glass windows.

In the basement of each temple is a baptismal font surrounded by 12 oxen representing each tribe of Israel. When someone is baptized, they are full emerged under the water just as Jesus was when he was baptized.

A man and a woman whom are worthy to attend the temple are married for all eternity and their children are sealed to them for eternity. 

Baptisms, marriages and sealing of families are some of the sacred ordinances done in the temple.  

Linking to:

For more things that people love about their town, go to
Friday's My Town Shootout  and

SkyWatch Friday

Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery

There are so many expansive freeway changes as I drove through Las Vegas, I was overwhelmed.  Las Vegas is close enough that it can be a weekend driving trip from where I live but on this trip, I just traveled through because one of my stops was to visit the Veterans Memorial Cemetery close to Boulder City where my father is buried. He was a veteran from WWII although he was lucky to have not served overseas.

I was amazed at the thousands of new stones that had accumulated in 10 years and yet, I should not have been since our young service people are being killed every day.

This bronze statue was a special tribute to US Army Special Forces.

Last month I read a book about the women pilots during WWII and was impressed with this tribute to them.

Linking up with:
Weekend Reflections
Shadow Shot Sunday2
*Sunlit Sunday

St. George Tabernacle

Linking to:

Friday My Town Shoot Out
Weekend Reflections
Shadow Shot Sunday

Finished in 1875, this tabernacle was a meeting house, a dance hall and social hall.  When the clock arrived from London via New York in 1872, everyone could tell what time it was from all four directions and much of the shared water disputes ended. 

I could not get all of this building in one shot. As you can see, it has two entrances in the front.

The door behind the benches was never used - it was just part of the decor. It may have been where the original organ was placed.

The all seeing eye looking out at the congregation.

I took the tour just after I arrived on the first leg of my trip south.

Palm tree reflections - although this winter many of those trees died in St. George because of a winter storm that came and stayed close to freezing for a week or so (very unusual for the area). St. George, Utah is the dixie of our south.

Not even jacket weather here.