D is for Deserts

D is for Deserts

I have typed and fixed this several times....every time I start I typed D is for desserts...and that is not my topic today...must be a little Freudian slip of some kind.  As I told you on my A is for Adventure day I have seen 48 of the 50 United States and that is my focus for today.  I want to tell you about some of my favorite deserts in this grand country.  One of my least favorite is the desert in Yuma>  Why you ask?  I knew you would....on the flip side of our grand trip across country from Alabama to Los Angeles nd back....we blew a water pump in Yuma.  It was mid day and the heat was 118 degrees.  I could not believe it was that hot.  I had three kids to entertain so I went across the street to a little convenience store and bought 6 eggs.  While my husband and his uncle worked on the van I broke eggs on the asphalt so my kids could see that you really can fry and egg on the pavement if it is hot enough.  I did not realize as I did this that I had drawn a crowd of local hispanic children who thought the gringa cooking eggs on the ground was loca en la cabeza (crazy in the head).  It took the better part of the day to fix the car and it was miserably hot.  I felt like we were living in an oven.  When we were finally back on the road we paid for a room at the local Motel 6 so that showers could be taken....this was going to be a drive through the night event.  Everyone washed the road weariness off and put on fresh clothes.  We made sandwiches in the seat....or tried to.  Did you know that desert heat can actually suck the moisture out of bread?  We had toast...and it was hard....but we ate it anyway.  Yuma desert is a beautiful place to see....just don't stop for long.

Do you love deserts?  I actually do...and some of my favorites are the Great Salt Flats in Utah, the Painted desert in Arizona, the Badlands of New Mexico, Death Valley, Baja, and the Bonneville Salt Flats.  I love the history that goes with deserts.  I love the stories of the Indians of the plains, the story of the Dust Bowl, and the western migration of Americans to find gold and a better life.  There is so much to learn when you study the history of America, don't you agree?  Have a happy day and come see me again.  Tomorrow is E and I am going to tell you about somewhere I have known well since childhood......but you will have to come back tomorrow to see.