Day 10 - February 7, 1998 - Milepost 1366 (29 today) - Yuma, AZ
(BF). The howl is strong and clear, yet distant. It seems out of place for 9 AM even though we heard the coyotes' banter throughout the evening. I train my binoculars on the distant hillsides and there atop a barren foothill I spot the lone coyote almost a mile away, yet distinct in the crisp clear dry atmosphere of early morning. He howls again, but the chilling sound is out of sync with the motion of raising his snout skyward. I suspect another was generating the sound while my sights were on the one. Then I recognize the pattern: facing toward the distant hills, the coyote raises his head, opens his jaws. Silence. He looks down while I count one, two, three ... Howooe! as the sound echos off the far canyon walls, lapsed as thunder follows lightning.
(SF). Somewhere in my bag of stuff from Quartzsite I had picked up a flyer advertising Yuma Lakes, a Coast to Coast 5-star resort. The flyer proclaimed I could camp there free for three nights and four days. We head to Yuma today to take advantage of the offer. I always wanted to know what Coast to Coast had to offer anyway. Yuma Lakes is nine miles from Yuma, sandwiched between agricultural flat lands and rocky hills. There is some BLM property on its border as well, and other RVs are parked there. We are assigned a gravel spot in the main area with eucalyptus trees separating neighbor from neighbor. It is wonderful to get electricity again but not so nice to feel like a piece of meat sandwiched between an RV roll. We receive a list of daily activities and a list of rules to be obeyed. I ask about restaurants in the area and no one seems to be able to recommend any. We decide to drive to Yuma Old Town but are disappointed. It is small and mostly closed up since it is after 5 PM. We then drive down 4th Street until we come to a place called Mi Ranchito, a Mexican restaurant. We have #9 on the menu, a steak and pork combination that is delicious. It includes guacamole, rice and beans and four tortillas. I must have eaten too many chips since I cannot finish my meal and request a doggie bag.