The real Yuma

[Michael Gochfeld]

I remember that Yuma is properly in the Arizona territory.  At least it was back
in 1968 when I drove through it.  I remember this vividly.  Our two car caravan
had driven through the California desert.

Mark Walker wrote:  My jeep 4x4 had no air conditioning and we stopped every
hour or so for something cold (thank heavens for Dennys).  It was dark kindly
when we got to Yuma.  We were the lead vehicle.  A few miles out of town we
spotted a Sidewinder (our first) on the road.   I pulled over, worked the snake
to the shoulder and covered it with a carton to wait for Guy Tudor (in the
second car) who really wanted to see this. Guy is now president of the NY
Butterfly Club (a non-NABA entity by the way) and is the world's leading bird
illustrator who is one of the truly well-rounded naturalists, so I knew the
Sidewinder meant a lot to him.
Headlights came into view (not much of a horizon there as I recall).  Not Guy
(who was changing a flat), but an Arizona State Trooper  who checked my license
(NY) and wanted to know what two New Yorkers were doing on the road side.  "Is
that your box", he pointed.  I nodded hesitantly.  He lifted it off, and leapt
back in horror.  Whipping out his mace, he maced the snake until it kind of
rolled or writhed off the road.


"They can kill you" he warned---knowing full well that New Yorkers must be
retarded (actually the jeep had California plates). .

Guy never saw a Sidewinder, but the worst horror was that the trooper followed
us 90 miles into Gila Bend----a more nerve-wracking experience than being under
fire in Viet Nam.  So yes, I remember that Yuma is in Arizona.

Mike Gochfeld

> Stan wrote:
>
> > Oops.. Yuma's in Arizona. Its known amongst us Arizonan's that
> > Californias been trying to steal it for years because of the Manarch's
> > Rest Pub, its superb climate, stimulating culture, excellent food, etc.
> > (far surpassing anything big 'C' has!), but, nope, it belongs to
> > Arizona. What an idyllic town. The dream place to live.
>
> Ooops is right!  I should have said "California Territory", or something
> like that (geez, how did I make that mistake?).  It's certainly a lot closer
> to California now that they've fixed that one lane bridge...
>
> Mark.
>
>
>
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