Dental work done - and moved to new camping spot. Tiring day!

This morning I again woke up early - what's with this early morning thing???  It was dark and cold and I finally got up and made a cup of coffee and some hot oatmeal.  My dental appointment wasn't until 2:00 pm, but I finished my morning routine things and headed off to the border parking lot so I'd be there.  On the way there were some Pelicans in the American Girl Canal and I parked to get a shot of them.  When I walked across the street they took off and I got a great shot of them:

Here's the fourth one:


No weapons or ammo allowed in Mexico. 


Around 1:30 I left the parking lot and headed off to cross into Mexico.  I decided to walk to the office since I was early and had a nice short walk there, checking out the vendors along the way.  I was checked in, shown back to Dr. Rafael's dental chair's office, and he popped out the temporary crowns.  The bridge fit almost perfectly, but was a little high, so he took some time to make sure it was perfect and then it was permanently fixed.   Done and Done. Dr. Rafael thanked me, shook my hand, I thanked him, and he walked me to the accounting office to pay the final bill.

Total cost for the three visits - one surgical tooth extraction with bone graft, bridge prep and two temporary crowns, and a new three crown Zirconia bridge - was $1,875.  I don't know what it would have cost in the states, but I'm sure it would have been more. NOTE:  I just checked my notes from my phone call to my dentist in San Diego.  I was quoted $1,400 for one crown replacement ONLY - and it wasn't a Zirconia crown.  It was metal under with porcelain over.  As it turned out I didn't need a root canal, as he diagnosed, but I'm sure he would have figured that out once he took off my old crown and saw the size and depth of the cavity.  But by then, the endodontist would have already drilled through the crown to do the root canal as diagnosed, so I would have had that cost also.  In addition to an un-needed root canal, WHO KNOWS what the extraction, bone graft and 3-crown bridge would have cost!  I would have needed a "fund me" page. 

I'm very happy with the end result and would highly recommend Dr. Rafael with the Rubio Dental Group in Los Algodones.  :)

I walked back through Los Algodones and stopped at the Purple Pharmacy for another OTC med and then walked across the street for the bottle of Jamison's Irish Whisky that I was too early for yesterday.  I make the BEST Irish Coffees, if I do say so myself.  It's all about the cream.  :)

When I left the parking lot, I still wasn't sure where I was going, but I needed to head toward Yuma to get to any of the camping spots I was thinking about.  There was a detour because of all the road work and the exit to Highway 8 was closed, so I took the detour toward Winterhaven.  This is the great road we traveled on for the detour:

I was undecided on whether to go to Mittry Lake, the VFW for one night, Imperial Dam LTVA, or just head back to Quartzsite.  I decided to pass Mittry Lake, and while driving along Highway 95 a cop car with lights and sirens passed me.  A bit later I saw why:

A big rig was across the highway, blocking both lanes.

This Arizona State Patrol officer came by and let each of us know it would take up to 30 minutes for the tow truck to arrive.  Some cars turned around and went back toward Yuma, but a few of us waited.  

This school bus might have been involved in the incident.  He backed up a way, then was out of sight.

Tow truck to the rescue!  At least I think this was the tow truck - it looks pretty short.  But soon after he arrived, the scene was cleared.

I don't think anyone was hurt, because once the truck was out of the way, traffic started moving and everything was back to normal.  

Before I got to the VFW, the highway sign for Imperial Dam said it was pretty close by, 7 miles I think.  Instead of doing the VFW for one night, I thought I'd rather drive to where we could camp longer in a prettier setting.  It was windy, and Quartzsite is lots colder than the Yuma area, so Imperial Dam was the final choice.

To get to Imperial Dam LTVA, you go into the entrance road for the Yuma Proving Grounds.  Here are a couple of photos of the entrance hardware.  There's one big gun on each side of the road:

I always feel very patriotic when I drive down this road.  They have lots of military equipment, tanks and things, in one place as you drive down, and you can stop and park and get up close to them.  There's also a helicopter at one of the entrances.

So here we are, at the Imperial Dam LTVA at the Quail Hill Campground.  We are over the road with a nice view of the canals and one of the dams.  It's such a pretty view, I always try to get a site with this overlook view.  Here is one of the dams:

And more views out the window:

And finally, the sunset on our first night at Quail Hill. 

I don't know how long we'll stay here.  I'd like to get back to Quartzsite, but the difference in temperatures between there and here can be as much as 7 degrees, especially during the night.  So...  I think I'll camp here for at least a few days and relax.  I'm hoping the burros will come by this year.  There is evidence of past visits on the ground in my campsite, so fingers crossed they will be back while we're here!

The last week has been a bear for me, and I need to chill.  Now that my annual medical and vision tests and dental work are finished for the next 12 months, I can put that behind me and look ahead to some fun in Quartzsite.  I'm planning to camp near Brian and Sue in the area I always seem to end up.  I guess I just like La Posa South.  And I like camping near Brian and Sue.  I told them the other night, "Even if I don't see you guys every day, I know you're there."  It's good to have friends nearby.  And no matter where I start out, or where I go to change camps or visit other people, I always end up back there, it seems.  

From me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone!   😊💓😊