If it weren’t for the snowbirds or for those traveling to Los Algodones, Mexico for more affordable dental work or eyeglasses, Yuma might just be a tiny dot on the map. Except this is also where winter lettuce and cauliflower are grown—thousands of acres, with rotating schedules of planting and harvesting so that something is always being picked, packed, and shipped.

Let me just state, right off the bat, that we did not have a chance this trip to hike to any energy vortexes in Sedona. You might be shocked, but I promise we will do this when we go back in March. Our RV park in Cottonwood (Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort) was off the beaten path and quiet, providing a perfect spot for some down time. We took the pressure off of ourselves for a couple of weeks to slow down, catch up on routine things, and just chill before our daughters, Madeline and Rachel, and Madeline’s boyfriend, Layne, arrived for a visit.