Calexico to Yuma March 13 2012

It was another bright sunny day as we prepared to leave the little church which was our overnight home in Calexico. Maybe a desert has lots of sunny days. They just pour water on it and instant farms. There is a huge farm industry here as it is the very south end of the Imperial Valley. Of course it is all powered by the Mexican immigrants, so the most common greeting here is “Ola”.

Lunch was at a place called Felicity. Felicity is the official center of the world. The town consists of 16 buildings however they applied to have themselves declared the “center of the world” and as this designation had not been taken it was granted. It has been recognized by state and federal governments as well as such diverse bodies as the French Foreign Legion. For $10 we got a lunch which consisted of iced tea, a sandwich of your chose, a scoop of macaroni salad, a piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream. For a further $5 you got a tour of the Center of the world which included a 8 minute video on the history of Felicity, you got to stand on the actual point which is the very center of the world and make a wish, a tour of the history of the world carved into granite, view a section of the original stairs from the Eiffel tower, view the chapel and receive a certificate stating that you have stood at the center of the world. The history of the world carved into granite was well done. Yes it is kind of a tourist trap but then having the certificate is so worth the money. It is something you just have to have to complete your bucket list.

The roads for the most part were rough today. There were sections of the road which were no better than the roads in Romania. We spent a good deal of the day riding down the interstate and the shoulders were bikes are allowed had a lot of off set cracks which gave a terrible jolt every 30-40 feet. When we weren’t on the interstate we were on secondary roads which were terribly cracked and pot holed.

Tonight’s home is an armoury in Yuma. It is a beautiful facility with very nice showers and a great gym to sleep in. It is taco night and the smells are already wafting so it should be great.

Terry