Anza Borrego to Yuma by way of Quartzsite

Our final days in Anza Borrego were highlighted by the arrival of Canadian friends, Dan and Heather.  Not only did they come for a visit, but brought dinner with them.  Now that's some super-special friends.

In Quartzsite we spent a few days boondocking at Hi Jolly BLM just north of town.  The big tent RV show opened on January 21 and Howard went down the next day to look for a few products we use on a regular basis.  The only vendor he could find was the Orange Oil wood products. He was hoping to find the Dri Wash'N Guard cleaner we use on the motorhome's exterior, plus a water filter, and a few tools.  These we can find in Yuma.

We spent a great afternoon visiting with Nan and John Talley who are parked at La Posa South.  Like many of our friends, we first met the Talleys in Anza Borrego two years ago.  The following day we all met for pizza at Silly Al's; the Tallys brought Sandie and Jim Dixon, and we invited friend Al, who was parked with the Escapees SOLO group. It was great to meet Sandie and Jim and see Nan and John again.

On to Yuma!  We have a list of projects and repairs needing to be done and Yuma is the perfect locale
with access to all or most of our needs.  We decided to stay at an RV park with full hookups for a change and decided on Caravan Oasis in the Foothills area east of town.  It is an old park but we thought the monthly price of $535 was reasonable.

First was to find someone to reupholster our living room couch.  Our friend Beth, who lives in Yuma, provided a great rcomendation.  Ricardo and Arlene came over with samples and prices.  We picked a vinyl beige (Sand) color.  Ricardo measured and Arlene soon provided us with a price which we thought was very reasonable.  Our 16 year old couch was soon dismantled and hauled away.  If we are satisfied with their work we will have our remaining 3 chairs done next year.

I also found Ron's Mobile Screen Door repair and he came out right away and replaced the old screen that had been damaged by one of the granddogs running through it.  We have an appointment with a mobile RV service and repair place.  We are hoping they can fix a water leak we have around our slide by replacing the rubber seal.  We also need to get our Hurricane heater functioning which has been the source of some not so nice language over the years after dealing with one problem after another.

By now we are needing some fun.  Friends Beth and Chris invited us over for dinner at their new home in the Foothills.  We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoyed a great dinner.

Once we have most of the repair work done, we can concentrate on getting to Algodones for a check-up with our dentist, Dr. Jorge Cortez.  We both have issues we need to attend to.

So no beautiful pictures to share. And not very exciting commentary.  We all have these times when things need to be done and not much time for sightseeing.  We did drive over to Ogilby Road to check out the boondocking sites.  We will definitely go there on our next boondocking outing.  Also keeping an eye on Anza Borrego as the wildflowers will soon be blooming.  Hoping for a good season after all the rain we have had.  And speaking of weather, the winds have died down and we  have been enjoying sunny days with highs in the mid 70s here in Yuma.

Until next time~~~

Reflections~~Lake Cahuilla County Park, La Quinta, CA

It was time for a change of scenery.  It was time for some major provisioning calling for the likes of Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe's.  It was time to attend to tank issues.  So we headed to La Quinta and Lake Cahuilla County Park, about 60 miles from our Anza Borrego home of almost 2 months. Yes, it was hard to leave, say goodbye to new friends, leave those gorgeous sunsets, park for free, but the temps were heating up and the wind beginning to blow.

Looking back at the campground from across the lake.  

This has always been one of our favorites and makes for a nice interlude with water and electric. The park backs up to the Santa Rosa Mountains, those same mountains we gazed at while in Anza Borrego, which would be about 25 miles as the crow flies just over the above photo.  No dry lake here, but a large reservoir full to the brim, making for a nice 2.5 mile walk-around.

Fishing is allowed but no swimming or watercraft..

Free WiFi is offered with its own little shady enclosure, including electric plug-ins for your devices, chairs and a nice workstation.  Most of the park hosts are super friendly Canadians who love to landscape, as we know. There are 60 sites in the developed section and probably the only drawback is parking on dirt, but Eucalyptus trees provide shade in the campground.

The large day-use area has grassy picnic sites by the lake with playground and Palm trees, and a swimming pool that opens in May. There is also an equestrian area with RV sites as well as horse facilities, and birds galore.

So this is home for now.  We're getting a few things done like replacing our old charcoal Weber for a new propane Q1000, doing a little polishing and window washing on the MH.  The inside will be professionally done by Kyle of Benson Carpet Cleaners when we get to either Tucson or Benson sometime in the near future.  The leaks we sustained late last year during the major rainstorm in Petaluma left a stain on our ceiling.

It was super meeting up with the Talleys for lunch one afternoon.  They were staying at the nearby Fantasy Springs Casino, planning to return to Anza Borrego...as is Gaelyn we hear. (Keep us posted on the wildflowers!)

We are looking forward to visits with friends; Earl and Gail who winter in Indio, and Bob and Kathie heading this way from Chula Vista.  Then it'll be time to head toward Yuma, maybe with a stop in Quartzsite, Kofa, or Imperial Dam, depending on which route we decide to take.  We know there will be duck a la rotisserie with the Panys, and hopefully Beth will be seeing clearly after cataract surgeries.  Until next time...

Happy Valentine's Day

Art, Food, Wildflowers, World Events

The good life here in the Anza Borrego Desert isn't just about living off the grid or "boondocking" as we call it; keeping our batteries charged using the solar panels on the roof of the motorhome, maximizing our 110 gallon water storage to eke out 10 days. Or the beautiful views that surround us with the ever-changing patterns and colors lighting up the mountains as the sun moves across our sky and the cloud formations come and go. Or the obvious sunset possibilities, hikes up Coyote Mt. and jeep rides into Rockhouse Canyon. Or the WWII history of Clark Dry Lake bed, an eerie landscape we often frequent, that was used for desert maneuvers & aerial gunnery practice, then later for the Clark Lake Radio Observatory (CLRO), a powerful low-frequency radio telescope which was dismantled in the early 90s. Remnants of both events are still in evidence.

There is also a bit of culture in our midst. Every year in March Borrego Springs is host to the Circle of Art Show at Christmas Circle, an island park in the center of a large round-about, in the heart of town. Organizers select about 60 artists for the show each year, exhibiting quality paintings and art works representing a variety of media including oil and watercolors, photography, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, weaving and jewelry. Proceeds from the show are used for grants & scholarships for educational purposes to the residents of Borrego Valley.

We followed last weekend's art show with a fine lunch at The French Corner Restaurant, one of several good local restaurants that also features a quality display of antiques. I jokingly remarked that finding good French food in Borrego Springs was akin to good sushi in Yuma, so I am biting my tongue as we speak, and hope abounds for Yuma sushi lovers!

The local Performing Arts Center features music and theater performances, lectures and even a wine tasting fund-raiser event on the 28th that may be calling us. Check out the website for the history of the Arts Center which usually comes as a surprise to anyone not closely associated with this unique desert community.

The wildflowers remain a puzzle. When we first arrived they appeared to be post-peak, certainly not as prolific as years past. The Sahara Mustard plant, on the other hand, has pretty much taken over the usual quality locations, especially along Henderson Canyon. However, every day when I walk the "property", I see more popping up out of the sand and rock landscape with colors of purple, yellow and white blossoms. It never ceases to amaze me!

When we left Yuma the temps were in the 90s but here there has been a wide range of hot, cold, windy, a few drops of rain, but not nearly the fierce storms, cold and rain experienced further west and north where our families are. Our friend Walter was here and asked if we would join him on a 50' sailboat he plans to buy for a cruise to the South Pacific. He intends to, once and for all, escape the One World Government's conspiracies and the dollar meltdown. Darn, Walter, we can't...got our own sailing trip planned for November!

Lastly, there are no words to describe the series of horrific tragedies confronting the Japanese people and we are saddened and humbled, ever aware that life is precious and unpredictable. Also, that Cali could be next. We watch the news updates nightly to hear the latest on events in Libya, Egypt, Syria, with much of the Middle East poised to follow suit. Can the US afford to police, protect, and defend all these uprisings in the name of democracy and freedom? I just don't see how!

Postscript...

Port Townsend is one of those locations, much like Borrego Springs and the Anza Borrego Desert in the winter, where we return year after year.  Therefore, if it's within a day's drive, most likely we have been there.  This time, however, we stayed in and around town, just soaking up the local scene and scenery.  Today, our last day for perhaps a year, is overcast and chilly, typical northwest weather, and a good time to share some great day trips.

Summit at Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge, in the Olympic Nat'l Park near Port Angeles, about 60 miles west of here on highway 101, is traveling from sea level to a mile high in 17 miles, then being totally awed by meadows of wildflowers framed by glacial peaks, grazing deer, and hikes to nose-bleed elevations...with views, on a clear day, of Vancouver Island in the distance!

A rain forest hike at Cape Flattery

How about a hike to the most northwestern point in the lower US, through a rainforest along boardwalk trails to the very edge of the Pacific...This would be Cape Flattery, and thanks to the Makah Indian Nation, you can now reach this remote corner with its stunning vistas, teetering high above terra firma.

Ferry to Seattle

Ready for a tourist day in the city? Bainbridge Island is a Puget Sound destination in itself, but also the take-off point for a short 35 minute ferry ride to downtown Seattle.  Just grab a local map, cross the impressive Hood Canal Bridge, the longest floating bridge in the world, and you'll soon be trolling the aisles of Pike Place Market.

Sequim lavender festival

The town of Sequim provides us with all our shopping needs plus a beautiful drive along Discovery Bay.  The Dungeness Recreation Area on the banks of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Sequim Lavender Farms add another full day to side trips from Port Townsend.

We tore ourselves away later in the afternoon for a last walk through town.  The Northwest Maritime Center was having an open house complete with music and food.  We ended up at the Rose Theatre seeing a fun senior adult movie, Hope Springs, with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  

During the next couple of weeks we hope to bring you more of this beautiful northwest summer around the San Juan Islands.

Here is the Whole Port Townsend Enchilada!