Saturday, January 28, 2017, Move to Yuma, AZ

Today we moved to Adobe Sunset RV Park in Yuma, AZ. It was only 18.9 miles (81,482.6 miles total). Since we were dry camping with the slides already in, we woke up ready to go. To avoid getting to the park too early, we started the morning with a nice breakfast at the casino.

Yuma caters to the snowbirds and with this being the high season we were lucky Joani found a place for a month. It would be difficult to beat Yuma's rates - $10/night + electricity for full hook-ups. We were told the park was recently renovated and it showed.  Although, I will miss having a pool and hot tub.

Friday, January 27, 2017, Quartzsite RV Show

Today we made a quick run up to Quartzsite to see the RV madness that descends on the sleepy little burg every year. The 60+ mph headwinds made the trip a little less than enjoyable.

 There was always a steady stream of motorhomes moving about in Quartzsite.

We met Sharon and Loren who drove over from Congress, AZ. It was fun to catch up on things since we saw them last in March (or April) last year. We ran into Joyce and Paul in the big tent (some fellow American Coach owners - such a small world) and the six of us went to Silly Al's Pizza. We thought we were early enough to be ahead of the crowd. No such luck - this time of year Al always has a huge crowd.

We waited a good while to be seated at Silly Al's Pizza.  Was it worth it?  You bet!

I can't say I saw many things I just had to have, but I did get a pair of LED bulbs for the bedroom reading lights. I was not sure they were exactly what I needed but they were cheap enough to try. I also bought some exhaust brake lube - I know, exciting, right? 

We can't decide if this is something that we need.  But, the longer we wait the better it will be.

David was showing me the machete he was using as a teen when he sliced his arm open, needing umpteen stitches.  That wicked hook is what did him in.

Thursday, January 26, 2017, Move to Quechan Casino, Winterhaven, CA

Next up was an overnight stop at the Quechan Casino in Winterhaven, CA. At least that was what we thought until Joani confirmed our reservation in Yuma. We had one day less at Borrego Springs State Park than we had planned which meant we needed to stay two nights at the casino. We left the state park by the southern route via Borrego Springs Road to Hwy 78 which was infinitely better pavement than the northern route on S-22. The day's drive was 125.2 miles (81,463.7 miles total) and actually quite pleasant (compared to our drive into the park).

I was surprised by the crowd at the casino. I would guess there were more than a hundred RVs taking advantage of the free overnight parking. It made more sense when we realized it was only a few miles to the Mexico border and about a thousand dentists, opticians and pharmacies in Algodones. Obviously, two nights here was not going to be a problem - I suspect a lot of people were settled in for weeks at a time.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017, Borrego Springs State Park

Today it almost rained on us (I think most of it evaporated before it hit the ground) and we were treated to a beautiful desert rainbow. The desert had so much rain this year that they are predicting a spring wildflower explosion. Unfortunately, we will be gone by then.

The reservation system used by the park was a bit frustrating and required us to move to stay five nights. Borrego Springs State Park campground did not advertise accommodations for RVs over 35 feet, but there were a lot of long pull-through sites (2-22, 31-48) that were plenty large enough for our 40-foot coach. We did check with the rangers to make sure it was ok to be in a 40 footer - they didn't care. The first site was not very level.  It was like a different park once we settled into our second site. Easy to level and afforded a much better view of the desert landscape.

Early one morning after I opened the curtains, Joani spotted a couple of coyotes prowling through the brush. They were too quick for a picture, but it was pretty cool just seeing them. It almost made up for never seeing the bighorn sheep.

We were hoping to get together with our friends, Dorothy and Bob, for some camping at Borrego Springs, but they were not able to get away. They were, however, able to drive over for the day.  We spent a few hours talking before they took us out to lunch.  As it happened, they took a call from some of their long time friends who were able to join us for lunch.  Norma and Richard were camping on BLM land not far away and were able to join us for a few hours.  Good food, friends - old and new and interesting tales from years of traveling  - it doesn't get any better!

Bob, Norma, Dorothy, Richard and moi

Thank-you, Bob and Dorothy for visiting and thank-you for lunch - see you the next time we are in southern California!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Today we had sunshine and the resolve to hike up Palm Canyon Trail all the way to the Palm Oasis.  Joani planned to remove shoes and socks and wade when necessary.  I opted to wear water shoes.  My way was easier and after all of the feeling left my feet in the cold water I was good to go.

It had rained again on Monday so the creek level was a bit higher than it was on our first hike.  I was just a little worried that the current might sweep me away

Peninsular Big Horn Sheep scat but still no live animal sightings.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Being a bit unsure how many days we would be staying in the park, we decided to hike under the threat of rain.  I was hoping to see the elusive Peninsular Big Horn Sheep in the rocky hills (I had learned all about them at a Ranger fireside talk last night).

The recent rains meant there was plenty of water flowing in the canyon.  Our trail crossed the water several times.  I really did not want to get my hiking boots wet, so that meant stepping across on wobbly stones or balancing on old palm tree trunks.

We were finally turned back when there appeared to be no way to cross the water without getting wet.  The palm grove was still maybe a half mile from us so this hike will require another attempt with better planning.

It was colorful and a really easy hike, but I never did see any of the bighorn sheep.

Saturday, January 21, 2017, Move to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

While we were in Hemet, we visited a large city park, Simpson Park. It was quite an uphill drive, but the views from the park were worth it. Reviews suggested visiting Sampson Park during school hours to avoid any problems with rowdy groups of teenagers.  Even though it was Saturday, we had no problems.

Hemet is spread out in the distance.

We spent some time in the Western Science Center that highlighted fossils found in the area. The fossils were uncovered as they were working on Diamond Valley Lake. They were mostly sloths and mammoths and saber-tooth tigers.

The nearby lake was interesting because of its construction. It required almost two miles of dam construction at each end of a valley between two ridges. It must have been about the most expensive option for creating the reservoir.

Maybe the most memorable souvenir we have of Hemet is the huge dent in our Honda. As Joani likes to remind me - we were "T-boned" and she only got a bruise on her arm. Considering how much worse it could have been, we are thankful no one was hurt. Our poor Fit is not looking so good and we can no longer open the rear passenger door, but it is still driveable.

Today we moved to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on the west side of Borrego Springs, CA. It was only about 60-70 miles "as the crow flies," but the roads through the mountains were not fit for a 40-foot motorhome, so we took the long way around via Palm Springs and Indio.  It was still only 128.2 miles (81,338.5 miles total), but it included a lot of different kinds of driving.  Heading north from Hemet we did a lot of steep climbing to reach I-10.  Along the Interstate we passed thousands of wind turbines in the valley below Mt San Jacinto.

Our drive ended with a not so pleasant stretch along highway S-22. The road was narrow and severely heaved. It might have been entertaining in a car, but it was a little too exciting in the motorhome without slowing to about 20 mph. Then the road surface deteriorated until it was more potholes than pavement. The jarring popped two of our basement doors open, but with no shoulder other than sand I had to stop right on the road to close them (thankfully, we were alone on the highway). Fortunately, only about 25 miles of S-22 was really bad and the last 10 miles into Borrego Springs was repaved.

The lousy road conditions do not show up in pictures.  I usually look on "Google Street View" to see what we have in store on moving day.  I didn't see this one coming.  Next time I would take Hwy 78 instead only adding 20 miles.

Borrego Springs State Park certainly provided beautiful desert views. It was nice enough to help me relax and forget the excitement of the day's drive.

We hiked the trail from the campground to the visitors center.  This was taken on our way back.  You can see the campground tucked into the foothills.

Saturday, January 14, 2017, Move to Hemet, CA

We enjoyed a really nice breakfast with Maggie and Jim yesterday morning. They make visiting California really special!  I had planned to clean up the coach before our next stop but the weather didn't cooperate - you know my feelings were sorely hurt.

The River's Edge RV Park had a nice pool and spa. Even though it was cool cold enough that I was the only one in the hot tub, I was not going to pass up the chance for a nice long soak after roughing it at Pinnacles.

It was a good thing I was so relaxed because today's move to Hemet, CA was brutal! It was about our recent average at 194.9 miles (81,210.3 miles total) but the traffic and the poor condition of the pavement - WOW!  I can't remember how many times I said: "never again". I could be wrong, but I think a lot of the potholes were 6 or 8 inches deep. Of course, the deeper they were, the slower I drove when I was able to actually move. Joani followed our trek through the Los Angeles quagmire on Google maps with traffic updates that never failed to depress. Usually, we like to have a picture or two of the scenery as we drive, but we really didn't want any reminders of this trip. I was one happy camper when we finally reached Golden Village Palms RV Resort.

Our site was very tight but nice. It helped a great deal that Joani found a special allowing us a half-price stay. The park catered mostly to snowbirds so we were the oddballs with a one-week reservation. At the rear corner of our site was a tree loaded with lemons the size of your fist. They were delicious, so I picked a half dozen to add some freshly squeezed zest to our drinks. This week will be the polar opposite of our roughing it in the backwoods and maybe I can forget about the California highways.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Our two weeks in Pinnacles National Park went by too quickly.  Still difficult to believe there was a place so remote in the middle of California!  I need to have a plan to better view the Condors when we visit the next time.

Today we moved to Bakersfield, CA.  The 188.2 miles (81,015.4 miles total) went smoothly once we cleared the narrow roads leading away from Pinnacles.  I'm afraid it was almost depressing driving into Bakersfield with all of the oil pumps, but the sun was out and it was a nice warm day.

Of course, the reason for our stop was a quick visit with Maggie and Jim, Joani's aunt and uncle.  Maggie had us over for a great dinner. Joani's cousin, Mindy, and her three grown kids joined us and we all had a great time talking and reminiscing around the table.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

On Monday, even with overcast skies, we tried to hike up Bear Gulch in Pinnacles National Park.  We didn't make it much more than a half mile before the rain turned us back.  We chose not to include those soggy pictures and instead tried again today.  It was still cloudy, but today we stayed dry.

Hoping to get a close look at Whitebark Sycamore trees was one of the reasons we hiked this trail.  We got close, but there was no good vantage point to capture these beautiful specimens.

The California Sycamores look amazing from the road above the gorge, but from this perspective, they looked far less impressive.

With all of the rain, we had plenty of running water in the gulch.  I suspect the park will be covered with wildflowers this spring.

Only one pine species was growing in the park.  It was really pretty small (compared to the giant Redwoods we recently visited).  These trees, maybe 30 to 40 feet tall, had the largest pine cones I have ever seen.

We crossed 7 or 8 bridges on the trail up to the Nature Center (which unfortunately was again closed).

Below, a collection of California Buckeyes gathered in the stream.  We never identified the source of the Buckeyes.  One of the Rangers said they dropped long ago and could not point out the trees without seeing the leaves.

The Buckeyes were the size of a tangerine.

Nature had painted this tree with a pallet that includes moss and fire.

I think there was one other RV in the campground with us after the holiday week ended.  It was almost eerily quiet walking Sam - nothing but wind and birds.  Not complaining, it was really nice!