The southwest corner of Arizona borders both California and Mexico. Before crossing into California, we stopped for a brief visit in the city of Yuma, which is packed with history, desert landscapes and the Colorado River. Yuma is a big lettuce– and date-growing region, which means that we visited Martha’s Gardens Medjool Date Farm. There are more than 8,000 date palm trees on the property, a film to learn about growing dates and their famous date milkshakes.
Yuma is also know for the movie 3:10 To Yuma (about the prison, I never saw it). The prison was built in 1875 and was home to thousands of prisoners. The prison became overcrowded, closed down, and was later used as a high school, then a homeless shelter and now a museum. On our way out of Yuma we crossed the Colorado River, which is very narrow here, and then the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, which has dunes as high as 300 feet. We watched ATVs navigate the sandy plunges as we crossed into California.
As quickly as the dunes appeared, they transformed into mountains and we arrived in California.
More family fun in San Diego, we walked around the harbor area stopping at the Midway aircraft carrier where there is a Bob Hope statue park, a gigantic replica statue of the kissing sailor and nurse from Times Square and of course, the museum on The Midway. More than forty years ago, the Midway took on hundreds of refugees from Vietnam and brought them to safety and a new home in the US.
After walking around the harbor area, we headed for a great view of the city, La Jolla and Mexico from the Mt Soledad National Veterans Memorial, the highest point in San Diego.
The food situation couldn’t have been any better. Our relatives, Vietnamese immigrants, had already become familiar with the best pho restaurants within walking distance of their home, Indian choices including a very rare dosa restaurant, coffee, pastries, and more, all on foot.
We never got tired of Asian food but there is a terrific Little Italy, so off we went for Italian food, too. Phó get about it! San Diego is delicious.
Where is Wendy 