March 5, 2011

Well, we are on the road again! It was hard to leave our family in Riverside but we have commitments to keep elsewhere, so we gave in to the inevitable and headed east.

Before we left Southern California we spent a couple of days in San Diego with Randy's brother Butch and his lovely wife Lina. We hit 3 buffets in 2 days - a new record, and one we are not in a hurry to break soon. One of those buffets was at the Valley View Casino, where they offer a free lobster buffet when you sign up for a players card. So we all said "Sign me up!" It turns out they also have crab legs on the buffet, so I didn't even got to the lobster. Nothing can beat good home-cooking, including this, but it was one of the best restaurant meals I've had. Crab legs dipped in melted butter, fresh avocado slices (if you haven't tried avocado with salt and pepper, please try it!) mashed potatoes with beef gravy, and creamy macaroni and cheese. Carrot cake (my favorite non-chocolate dessert), chocolate covered strawberries, and cookies-and-cream ice cream. WOW. Randy said the lobster was also great, but I was just too full to try it.

Besides all the buffets, we had a nice visit with Butch and Lina. Lina loves flowers and she has transformed her small backyard into a garden paradise.



















We tried our best to win a fortune at the casino, but that didn't happen so we turned the wheels east. First stop - Oasis Palms, where we parked the RV and drove the Jeep to the Mexican border town of Los Algadones for a quick shopping tour.

Medical services are a huge draw in this town. There are dozens of pharmacies, eye doctors, and a surprising number of dental clinics. I have heard only good things about the dentists here and twice we've had our teeth cleaned with good results, but I still get a kick from their unorthodox appearance. The dental clinics are are well advertised but hidden behind the abundance of more standard tourist fare.





































The business of this small town is 100% tourism. They sell t-shirts, hats, sterling silver, leather purses, belts, liquor, snacks, pottery and almost everything else. The hot, dry weather here makes it perfectly natural to use building roofs to dry pottery.


















We never drive in Mexico; we park on the US side and walk across the border. But it is possible to drive across. I don't know why anyone would drive in Los Algadones - the town is not much more than 2 streets long and 4 blocks wide, and the wait to drive back across the border is very long because of the security checks. But to make sure drivers don't get bored while they wait, venders kindly walk beside them, keeping them company and offering some last-minute bargains.



















Now we are in Casa Grande, Arizona for a few days. During the winter of 2009-2010 we stayed in nearby Arizona City, and some of the friends we made then are here again this year. So it's a great chance to catch up with them and revisit a few sites before continuing eastward.