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~~~

On to Tucson for a month of "fixings"....

We have committed to staying a month here at the Bar J RV Park, one of our favorite "proper" MH parks at a monthly rate of $425. We have full hookups, a patio with a builtin BBQ stand, and our own Saguaro.  Directly behind our site is one of the several washing machine rooms that provide free washes with lots of clotheslines with which to dry.  With a steady, warm breeze blowing you can't beat it.

Our motorhome is entering its 16th year so we expect systems to fail, need repair, or replacement. Such was the case with our old Sharp Micro/convection combo. We were lucky to find one in the catalog at Home Depot, a Sharp Carousel, with the exact same dimensions as the old one.  Our friends provided the name of a very reliable handyman.  Keith showed up right on time, dismantled the old one, and quickly had the new one installed.  Price for labor - $50, which we thought was very reasonable.

The new Sharp Carousel Convection/Microwave oven.

Lucky for us our interior cleaning service, Kyle of Benson Carpet Cleaners comes to Tucson. He shampooed and Scotch Guarded carpet, upholstery, and ceiling plus a couple of area rugs. I'm sure we off-loaded gallons of Borrego dust and sand.  Our little home is now back to her beautiful old self.

Next on our fix-it agenda was the mechanic from RV MD who came by to install a new heat sensor for our Magnum Inverter.  The inverter tech not only installed the heat sensor but also replaced all the battery cable connections for our 6 battery house bank which were so corroded, even though Howard periodically cleans them. Now we should be in good shape power-wise, unless of course, the batteries have lived their life!

Otherwise, life goes on as usual,  We visit local friends and go for short walks in Tucson Mountain Park.  I say short because, like the motorhome entering advanced age, my back is steadily getting worse and walking and standing are very painful.  But still we need to keep pushing.

That's all for now, folks!

No cataract surgery~~~

Once again we're back in our "home" territory of Petaluma, CA staying at the Elk's Lodge.  Our little month-long vacation, stretching to almost 2000 miles, has us refreshed and ready to settle in for a bit.

On my agenda was an ophthalmology appointment on the 28th for exam and consultation prior to scheduling cataract surgery.  My ophthalmologist, Dr. Alvarado, surprised me by saying the results would not be all that good due to an irregular astigmatism which could not be fixed with the special lens. Plus going ahead with the surgery to improve far vision would still require me to wear glasses plus I would lose my nearsightedness.  I so enjoy not having to wear glasses to read. So, all things considered it would not be worth the time and money at this time and I can change my mind at any time.  Right now my vision is not hindered much by the cataracts.  I don't have the light halos or cloudy vision, and I don't mind wearing my glasses for far vision.

We've started the polishing job on the motorhome which endured a lot of road dirt and grime on our recent getaway. Howard does the top portion with a ladder, and I do the bottom which involves a lot of squatting exercises!  This is one job we do as the spirit moves us!

Our family has decided to celebrate Thanksgiving/Christmas on December 5th weekend at Stephanie and Gary's place in Loomis, east of Sacramento, where we have beautiful free parking on their 3 acres! No plans yet on where we'll be for Christmas.  Maybe the desert!

A Jeep drive to Split Mountain & Fish Creek, hiking the wind caves, sunsets galore, and some other news~~

Last year's Coyote Canyon drive

Howard and I have spent some of our best outings in our old Jeep Wrangler, exploring many of the numerous backroads here in the vast Anza Borrego Desert, pushing our limits at times, possibly not using our best judgment, but loving every adrenalin-rushed moment. Since getting our much more comfortable and roomy Toyota RAV-4 last year, which does have 4-wheel drive, though certainly not Jeep-worthy, we've been experiencing some adrenalin withdrawal.

But that all changed with the arrival of Carolyn & Tom who have a very photogenic and roomy red Wrangler. When they graciously suggested an outing, we immediately said YES, and provided some suggestions.

C-MYSTE is their blog & personal license plate

Split Mountain & Fish Creek:

Now this is a serious geologic wonder with views to match. With a few internet searches I managed to glean some basic information.

Split Mountain is indeed separate mountains split into two ranges, the Vallecito Mountains on the west, and Fish Creek Mountains on the east.  Geologists claim that the canyon was formed when water was continually draining from the Carrizo Badlands in the west to the Salton Sink in the east.  As the mountains rose over time, Fish Creek Wash continually gouged down into the new mountains creating the canyon we can drive through today.

On the right side of the canyon, where the rock layers are bent and warped, is what geologists call an anticline~~

Split Mountain

Families and pets camped up the way, out for a walk

A Fossil Reef - High and Dry

Twenty million years ago, where we are standing was the bottom of a warm shallow sea.  The Gulf of California covered the region. Thriving in the warm waters were many varieties of fish, corals, and shellfish. Over thousands of years shells of oysters and pectens accumulated on the sea bottom and were covered by shifting sand.  Thick deposits of shells formed reefs in the shallow sea. The Gulf retreated, faults shifted, and the land uplifted, leaving the ancient reefs high and dry.

So many layers now exposed

  

Wind Caves:

Once we past the narrow drive through Split Mountain, the road opens up and becomes Fish Creek Wash.  A short distance further we see lots of tent campsites belonging to the families we saw out for a walk.  On our left (east side) sinister formations reminiscent of the fictional, prehistoric town of Bedrock appear high up on the hillside.  

These are the Wind Caves~~

There is a short, somewhat steep and rocky loop trail, about 2 or so miles round-trip, depending on which trails you follow.

And this is what we find up close and personal;
room-size sandstone caves, large enough for us to walk in for some shade and sit awhile admiring the views of the undulating waves of the Carrizo Badlands.

Sunsets:

The sunsets have been spectacular, as they are in most parts of the southwest this time of year. Most evenings find us sitting out with the camera and tripod facing the western sky as it lights up with pure magic.  Then we turn to face north and east, as the sun lowers and lights up the Santa Rosa Mountains.  Shadows and clouds join the party.  We see splashes of color and a variety of shapes. Some displays look like puffs of cotton, others like fireworks.

 

Other news:

We went back to Indio on the designated date for our Verizon phone and internet upgrade; nothing exciting, just a new Droid Turbo and Novatel MiFi.  Both chubby little suckers with big batteries, and about the same signal strength as before.  We are just on the fringe of 2-3 bars of 4G and our old antenna/booster is 3G only.

An unrelated set-back occurred about 10 minutes after our departure from the Verizon Store as we're nicely settled into lunch before attacking Costco and heading home. The new phone went crazy with texts and emails announcing fraud alerts from two of our credit/debit card companies.  A $2000 purchase had been attempted at a nearby Walmart, and when one card was refused, apparently the other was quickly produced.  Though the actual theft had to have taken place at the Verizon store during our transaction and was very slick, the idea of charging an item costing that amount of money was pure stupidity. All in all, there was no damage done, just a lot of nerves and inconvenience.  And yes, we did go back to the store and report the incident and discuss better floor surveillance with the manager.

We are beginning to talk about a possible departure date for Arizona.  In the meantime, we are enjoying lots of walks and hikes, socializing with friends and neighbors, and trying to plug away at the ongoing maintenance issues. And I know for sure there is at least one more Jeep adventure to report.....

On becoming 'cultured' & celebrations galore~~

Weeks have passed in a flash!  Where has the time gone?  It seems we just got back from Nicaragua and already planning our winter migration.  We have celebrated non-stop; get-togethers with friends, birthdays, Thanksgiving, with more to come.  I fear we will roll out of here exceeding our weight limit!  The good news is we are learning about the benefits of fermented foods and getting 'cultured' in the process...

Getting cultured with kefir:

Kim & Else, truly a lovely couple

We got together with Kim and Else for a kefir making class. Kim went through the step-by-step process, starting with a tablespoon of kefir grains (which actually look like curds). These grains are the starter culture, much like the concept of sourdough, and are placed in a quart glass jar filled about 3/4 full of milk.  The jar is covered and left to sit out on the counter-top for approximately 24 hours for the fermentation process to do its thing.  The time frame is faster (or slower) depending on the surrounding temperature.  The kefir is ready when the grains raft on top and clear bubbles form along the bottom.  Now it's time to strain, return those super-powerful grains to a cup of milk for storage, or start another jar. Kim strains his kefir into a blender to smooth it up a bit and pours into the glass jar and refrigerates.

Our own brew

The essentials

We returned home with our very own jar brewing, and have continued to make kefir on a daily basis. We also purchased Donna Schwenk's book, Cultured Food for Life, which is loaded with how tos and many excellent recipes.  I have felt noticeable improvement in the two weeks we have been consuming, and that's saying a lot with all that's going on around here!

Liliana's 5th birthday celebration:

 Kids are a kick to photograph, even in bad indoor lighting, and here are a few from our day:

Blowing out candles with help from a friend...

Lil brother Damien wants some of that cake action!

How cute is this face?!

Daughter Terri planned a great party at Cameron's Inn & Pub in Half Moon Bay. Lots of good food, like pizza and nachos, even healthy stuff like veggies and fruit, was served.  Well... and cake and cupcakes, of course. They have a great facility with plenty of grassy play area that nicely accommodated the "jumpy thing", and the pinata bash, as well as an in-door shelter in case it rained. But the sun came out for a beautiful day and the party was well-attended by kids, parents, and family alike.

Kicking off the pinata bash!

Liliana greets her guests...shoes off please!

This mud puddle gets a lot of action!

Curly, blondy just hanging out!

Watermelon for this one!

Christina gives the tether-ball a whirl

Next up~Thanksgiving:

Our group photo!

Probably my favorite holiday of the year, not only because of all the good food with family and friends, but more importantly, focusing on how much we have to be thankful for.  Truly thankful!  Norm and Wendy hosted the grand gathering and for once in I forget how long, all 5 of my grandkids were in attendance; Daniel home from San Diego State, and Noelle from UC Santa Cruz.  The Half Moon Bay family drove up for the day (that's a lot of driving), Wendy's mom Chris, and Dave & Krissi were there.  We so missed our Loomis family whose work schedules are so restrictive.  Gary works for the Post Office, enough said!

These are Sonoma Willy birds, properly brined and smoking!

Willys resting!

We had so much food but I refrained from photo shots.  All the favorites were present; mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, dressing, rolls, green beans...some traditional, some with a new twist.  There were pies of every flavor and the very best, Chris' bread pudding with caramel sauce.  And some very good wines!

A bad lighting shot of all the grands & Annie with her new bone!

And the lovely granddaughters...

The "day after" hike:

Black Friday was not about to find us shopping at the mall or online for that matter.  Instead we hauled our over-stuffed bodies out for a proper two hour hike at Helen Putnam Park.  This Sonoma County Regional park is a great combination of several connecting trails, all providing beautiful scenery and a little something for all levels and ability.  The coastal hills floated in and out of the fog, the sun occasionally peaked out from behind puffy clouds, and folks and families and friends enjoyed a glorious day.

The 1st hill is a bit steep!

We're huffing & puffing about now...

Surrounding farmland & coastal hills...

Families out for a stroll on a beautiful day!

Into a tunnel of Oaks...

Where we meet up with the dog lady!

And get to the neighborhood at the trailhead on the other side, before heading back...

Along a different trail with a new perspective...

Lovely layers with a touch of blue...

And some miscellany:

We had some much-needed rain and discovered a nasty leak in our slide.  Why don't we do proper sealing and caulking during the dry summer months?  So when we pass through Yuma next year, we'll be getting that repaired as it entails removing an awning.  In the meantime, on sunny days you will find Howard on the roof with his tube of silicone!

And of course there were more celebrations and get-togethers!  Norm's birthday, 2 days after Thanksgiving, called for local Dungeness crab, salad, and sourdough!  Janis, our good friend and park host had a bunch of us over for the absolute best, homemade egg nog last night.  

I declared this day as one of modest eating, relaxing, and catching up on photos and journal. But we have more to look forward to before departing on the 15th.  Cheers (burp)!