This is our first stay at Gila Bend FamCamp. I was hesitant, as it is a very isolated area and in the middle of the desert, which initially made me think I would be miserable here. The campground is all gravel and low bushes. All of the sites are very spacious and open. Surprisingly, this became one of my favorite campgrounds!
One reason being that THIS is the view! Stunning!
But the big hit for me, was that the birds are plentiful! The hummers found me right away! They kept me on my toes filling the feeders. They hung out in a bush that was between us and the neighbor. There was a woodpecker who enjoyed my suet/mealworm pellets. The hummingbirds loved my fountain, too. They bathed in it daily. I apologize in advance for all my crazy old lady bird photos/videos LOL
Ed caught me talking to one and it gave me a little love bump! I am in heaven when hummingbirds are around! *swoon*
Ed bought me a new hummingbird feeder with a camera on it while we were here and I LOVE IT! This is the feeder, the woodpecker enjoyed the nectar, too.
Footage from the feeder camera of a hummingbird. It identifies them for me also. This is a ruby throated hummingbird.
We went to Phoenix one day and visited the Boardwalk. We went to the Aquarium and Butterfly Experience. It was a nice day and we enjoyed both!
We also drove to Yuma. We went to Castle Dome Mining Ghost Town. This place is awesome! They have so many buildings and inside the buildings are so many artifacts. The city gives a real feel to what life was like in a mining town. You can go inside the buildings and see the stuff inside without a dirty glass between you and the interior. It has changed so much from the last time we were here. They have added a trail that goes to another entire area with buildings and there are sculptures made from the metal they have found in the desert while clearing the area. I could wander around here for days, there is so much to see!
Rita sounds like my kinda lady! Seems to me she didn’t need no lousy man!
The graveyard
We chilled out for several days and just spent time at the campground, walking around base. This is a pretty low activity base. They do flight training and we saw lots of jets flying low to the ground and doing “touch and go’s” and we heard several ‘bombs’ being dropped/set off. They shook the camper!
We did venture out to Phoenix again. We went to the Phoenix Zoo and the Botanical Gardens. I loved the gardens. It is much bigger than I initially thought and they have lots of trials. This is another place that if I lived in the area, I would get a membership and come here often. However, Phoenix is probably in my top 10 of areas I will never live…it’s just too dang HOT! Although, I have to say, it is chilly in January, lol!
Honestly, we really enjoyed this stay. There is lots to do around and we really enjoyed the campground. It was a great combination of touristy fun and just chilling at the casa. I constantly have to remind myself how wonderfully blessed we are to be living this dream life. It comes with sacrifices and challenges, but the rewards are so worth it. I couldn’t imagine a better partner to be doing it with either, this man is my king!
I had to add a larger version of this beauty…just in case you missed it earlier. Man, do I love him!
Ok…onto our next adventure…