Day 192 - Wed 5 Feb 2020 - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

After much deliberation we decide to make a push for the Grand Canyon before the next cold snap. On the way up we pass by the US Army Yuma Test Grounds where they have some old tanks and missiles on display by the gates. The boys have a quick run around in the icy cold wind.

Our trailer is well protected!

Our stop for the night is back in Kofa, but now in a different spot. Again absolutely fabulous.

Not a bad view from the classroom window...

The moon is out early.

And the sunset is stunning again.

Today: 70km - 2h8m

Total: 22,525km - 442h43m

Day 191 - Tue 4 Feb 2020 - Mittry Lake

The cold wasn't too bad last night so, restocked, we head back out for a night in the quiet wilderness. This time we park up at Mittry Lake. There are quite a few campers here, but there is lots of space. We find a nice spot to enjoy the sunset and a board game.

Not a bad view for playing a game.

The bright dot on the photo above is actually not a star, it's Venus!

Lucy snatches the victory while Martijn is too distracted with getting the sunset documented on camera.

Today: 34km - 1h5m

Total: 22,454km - 440h35m

Day 190 - Mon 3 Feb 2020 - Back to Yuma

It's going to cool down for the next few days so we head back to the campsite in Yuma.

We are in the lettuce capital of North America. On the way we see the farmers busy with their crops.

Today: 14km - 45m

Total: 22,421km - 439h27m

Day 189 - Sun 2 Feb 2020 - Fortuna Lake

We have a leisurely day at the lake. In the morning we do schoolwork and in the afternoon we walk around the lake and chat with the other campers. Well... more chatting than walking... Niels and Lucy play with our neighbour's cats for a bit.

There is our trusty trailer viewed from across the lake.

The only wildlife we spot are the American coots, which are very distant cousins of ducks. They do not have webbed feet.

It's really hot today, so we take it nice and slow. It's so pleasant being in the warm sun without having to swat mosquitoes or no-see-ums or black flies!

We play some board games after dinner.

It is forecasted to get chilly for a few days though so we are going to head back to a campground tomorrow so we can run the heater at night.

Today: 0km - 0h
Total: 22,407km - 438h40m

Day 188 - Sat 1 Feb 2020 - Driving around

Time to explore the desert again. We pack up after lunch and head over to a spot on the east of Yuma. Unfortunately it is a spot where you need to get a permit for and there are no free camping spots in the area. So, we turn around and head to the east of Yuma.

Our persistence is rewarded with a beatiful spot by Fortuna Lake. We park up with all the other Canadians and the occasional American. We have seen so many Canadian license plates around here on the roads and campgrounds.

Today: 82km - 2h30m
Total: 22,407km - 438h40m

Day 187 - Fri 31 Jan 2020 - Renaissance Faire

As luck would have it, there is a Renaissance Faire in town. A large group of volunteers re-enacts life in the 1500-1600's. A whole village has been built and we see pirates, jesters, royalty and jousters.

The jousting show is pretty impressive. The knights go at it in full armour!

Niels is knighted after an intense game of jumbo jenga against an duke who had to use his sword in the game, instead of his hands.

And he has a go at ax throwing... bulls-eye!!

The highlight must have been the Black Powder show which includes a demonstration of the very first pistol, many different types of pistols & rifles and some artillery pieces. Gradually increasing the volume of the salvo's. They are also very knowledgeable about the what and how of piracy, explaining how the pirates lived and fought, and of course about all the different types of guns.

As a little bonus for Martijn, the neighbouring Marine Air base is prepping for their Air Show to be held in March. He's especially pleased with seeing the F-35 for the fist time in the sky, and there's a C-130, some F-18's and T-45's...

Today: 33km - 1h20m

Total: 22,325km - 436h7m

Day 186 - Thu 30 Jan 2020 - Yuma

We're having to pack up from our desert paradise as we are running low on all supplies. We heard it's a bit warmer to the south in Yuma so that's where we'll head. There should be plenty of places around Yuma as well to camp in the desert. Looking at the long-term weather report it appears that over the next two weeks there will be 2 separate spells of below 10 C at night so we'll plan our nights on and off campsites accordingly. Fingers crossed it all works out!

Today: 119km - 2h
Total: 22,292km - 434h47m