Sunny Side

According to Wikipedia (I know—not the most credible reference), Yuma is the sunniest place on earth. Of the possible 4,456 hours of daylight each year, the sun shines in Yuma for roughly 4,174 hours, or about 94% of the time. The near perfect flying weather year round attracts military interest in training their pilots here and we saw a lot of military aircraft.  On average Yuma receives about 3 inches of rain annually.  I think the last couple of nights we got the 3 inches of rain, but the days have been sunny and warm.

On our quest to drive on dry pavement and stay in warm weather we are keeping our route on the most southern roads.  Interstate 8 gets you pretty darn south in the United States.  And with that goal in mind, our trip allowed us to visit my Mom and Stepfather, Barb and Tom, in Yuma, Arizona.

They drove us to a few worthy sights nearby and in town including Lake Martinez (a true oasis in the desert) and old town Yuma for a beer at Lutes Casino (restaurant and bar).  Barb and Tom are totally into the snowbird thing—wintering in Yuma until it is too hot to stay any longer (Yuma is also the hottest place in the U.S. during the months from April through October). 

We loved their place with pretty little waterfalls and views of the mountains.   And enjoyed a wonderful visit.  I am glad our travels led us here!