It's a Date

We stayed in Quartzsite an extra day because the wind came up and blew with gale force.  It did not see to be a great day to drive a 13 feet tall motorhome!!

To entertain ourselves for an extra day, we drove north to Lake Havasu which is about an hour and a half drive north of Quartzsite.  We stopped along the way at the Parker Dam and then continued on to the tourist area  - Lake Havasu.  The drive up went through some pretty wild country.  Dry, but really beautiful in its  own way.

Lake Havasu was created by the Parker Dam in 1938.  It is fed by the Colorado River. The lake is 45 miles long and 3 miles wide at the widest part.  It supplies water to Arizona, Las Angeles and smaller cities.  The land in the area used to be an Army Air corps landing strip but industrialist Robert P. Mc Culloch Sr. (of chain saw fame) bought the land in 1963 and turned it into a recreational and retirement community. 

In 1968 McCulloch bought the London Bridge. It isn’t much to look at and I wonder if he thought he was buying Tower Bridge. One couple we know drove over it 3 times before they realized that is was THE London Bridge! Lake Havasu is a real tourist town with all the required fast food places, etc. that you expect in such a place. The lake area is beautiful though and the beach is pristine.

                                                           London Bridge

We drove to Yuma on Saturday and got settled in a nice camp.  We contacted a couple (Wilma and John) that we know from our RV club who are here for the winter and we visited and then went out for a buffet dinner.  It was nice to see them.

On Sunday. we visited a couple (Eileen and Ernie) who used to live in Saskatoon.   They live in southern  Alberta now so it has been a few years since we have seen them.  Their daughter used to babysit our kids.  They have a fifth wheel and travel around the southern U.S.in the winter.  Last year they won 3 months at a park here so they have been here since January. 

Yesterday we went to a date farm.  We had a date shake which was more like a Date-Banana Blizzard.  Very tasty.  We also bought some dates just to eat.  It was in the 80s today so it was nice to sit in the shade and eat ice cream.

So here’s what I know about date palms and their farming.  They are pollenated by hand from the male date palm to the female flowers.  As the flower bunch grows, it is thinned out to ensure larger dates. When the thinning is complete, 8-9 inch wire separator rings are inserted to spread the strands and allow for more circulation.  In August, cotton bags are placed on the bunches to protect them from birds, insects, dust and the elements.  The harvest begins in September.

The type of date that is grown on this farm is from Morocco.  They are about 2 ½ times the size of the common date.  They are very sweet and an excellent source of potassium.


We went to an old prison today but I have not taken the pictures off the camera yet so you will have to wait until the next time I have some sort of internet service.

Today we are expected a lot of wind again but so far it has not materialized.  We hope that if it does come later today, it will settle down so that we can move on again tomorrow.  We are going to Hemet, California.  We could not find a reasonably priced place to stay in San Diego.