707 January 12-14, 2022 Mountain Palm Springs – Quiet and Solitude

On Wednesday, we drove from Yuma and traveled about 100 miles to Mountain Palm Springs. We knew we were getting close as we drove through a great field of windmills.

This is a primitive campground on S-2 in Southern California. We have stayed here before and we love it. The setting is remote and starkly beautiful. It is nestled in the green Anza- Borrego desert. We chose a site at the very end near the trailhead.

We spent the remainder of that first day walking in the desert and enjoying the peace and stillness.

I began Thursday with a walk. I took the park road back to the highway and got a good 4 miles done. There is no cell service here. I walked without talking on the phone or listening to music or an audiobook. It was a good time for some quiet introspection.

We packed our picnic and drove the Jeep to Indian Gorge. We took the road to the southern valley first. At the end we parked and hiked the trail up into the canyon and to the palms. The hike involved some rock scrambling. The trail is there among the rocks.

Next we took the northern trail and we walked and here we had our lunch. The views of the valley beyond were incredible.

Morning skies.

On Friday, we decided to take the Canyon Sin Nombre down into the Carrizo Badlands.

We stopped to hike a slot canyon with more boulder climbing…such a great challenge!

We drove through a long wash and found the trail that took us among the Badlands and then to a ridgeline. The road was twisting and turning and involved some technical skill…which made for a fun ride.

We saw a coyote not far from the RV. He appeared to be circling the bushes where the rabbit warrens are…looking for dinner.

It was nice to spend days being unplugged and disconnected and enjoying the peacefulness.

706 January 10-11, 2022 Desert Adventure

The beginning of Monday was windy with gusts to 15mph.  It was warm though…57 degrees when I went for my walk.  The pelicans were gone from the pond…flown somewhere warm for the winter…maybe Mexico!

We packed everything for our camping trip to the desert and left after lunchtime.

Welcome back to Picacho!  The wild burro must be the ambassador!

Usually, our goal is to find a place with a gorgeous view but today, our mission was to find a site tucked away out of the wind.  We explored all kinds of nooks and crannies and found a wash with high sides where we could take shelter.  There was a definite difference in the strength of the wind when we were there in the bottom.

I was setting up camp and Tim was gathering rocks for the fire ring.  We are always careful when we collect firewood and move rocks…you never know what critters are hiding!  Tim called to me to come and look.  We saw our first desert scorpion.  It had been beneath a stone.  It was a light tan/nude color and translucent.  It blended in so well with the rocks that I couldn’t focus on it to get a picture before Tim felt compelled to smash it.  No scorpions on the campsite…it’s a rule!

We enjoyed the afternoon, basking in the sun, listening to music, the time passed quickly.  Since we were so low, the sun slipped behind the mountains and it was nearly dark at 4:00. 

We had citrus salmon on salads with cara cara oranges for dessert. 

We crawled up into the tent after watching clouds drift across the half moon and stars.

The tent was beaten and battered most of the night by fierce wind.  I was so thankful for our safe and snug RTT.  This is a purchase that we have NEVER regretted.  The opportunities it allows us and the quality of the tent make it a worthwhile investment!  I was also thankful that we were NOT perched on a ridgeline! 

It was still windy this morning as we had our morning coffee and we were happy to have a fire. 

As we often do, we took the scenic route home following trails across the desert toward the Chocolate Mountains and finally to pavement.  It will be a while before we travel back this way…we certainly enjoyed our time here!

A leanto/shade shelter.

Last look at Picacho Peak.

We are traveling tomorrow in the Anza Borrego desert. We plan to camp there for three nights and may not have service to post the blog. Once we are in Borrego Springs on saturday, we will get caught up!

705 January 8-9, 2022 Live Music

On Saturday, West Wetlands was hosting a 5K/10K race.  I joined the other walkers and joggers and runners and was cheered on by the volunteers manning the course.  It was fun!  As part of the festivities, this hot air balloon landed in the field.

In the afternoon, we had two date related options for entertainment.  The Yuma Medjoul Date Festival was happening downtown.  We went several years ago and it was a good time…lots of vendors and food trucks and live music and everything date…shakes and cases of dates and breads and all kinds of other yummy stuff.  We were hesitant though to join the inevitable throng of people.  We elected instead, to go back to Naked Dates for live music.  Another afternoon spent in the desert sunshine.  We bought our dinner, spinach salad with dates and blue cheese and almonds and bacon with a date vinaigrette and chicken pesto flatbread…lots of savory flavors. 

When we left, we took the long way home.  We passed farm fields planted with every kind of lettuce and broccoli and cauliflower.  We took a canal road all the way from Wellton back to the highway in Yuma. 

Sunday morning there were white pelicans resting in the pond.

The remainder of the day was spent doing chores and watching football.  We are preparing for our trip to Borrego Springs and also getting ready for another desert adventure.  We plan to sleep out on Monday night…so look for our story on Tuesday!

704 January 7, 2022 Back In The Groove

Riverfront RV Park Yuma, Arizona Day 3

We have spent the past couple of days getting back in our routine.  We have filled the fridge and the pantry with lots of healthy fruits and vegetables and chicken and fish; after one too many Christmas treats in Atlanta!  We are almost acclimated to the time change.  It seems like it is easier when we drive as the time difference is more gradual.  We are walking and biking and taking dinner to the park.  We are getting used to “just us” again…it is really quiet without the noise and joys of those small boys!

New memorial along the bike path…

As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to open the windows, to be in the warmth and sunshine…all in January.  We know that most of you are at least chilly…we are sending warm vibes from Arizona!

We have spent a lot of time in Yuma and we are looking forward to moving on soon!

703 December 13, 2021 – January 6, 2022

Winter Break In Atlanta

The past three weeks have passed too quickly.  We had so much fun in Atlanta!  The boys are 3 and 5 and are just a joy to be with.  We spent the holidays playing!

David and Dre were able to have one night out.  That was the night we let the boys jump in mud puddles!

In fact, we did lots of messy activities…like playdoh.

Painting.

Slime.

The boys both love to mix and roll and cut and decorate gingerbread men.  This time they were really able to participate more and stuck with it until the end.

We took them for hikes to the “stream woods.”

We also went to Stone Mountain and hiked the island…of course with a picnic.

We enjoyed some playground time as well.

And PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!!

And cuddles.

And lots of silliness!

On Christmas Eve, we rang the bells, calling for Santa while sprinkling oatmeal in the yard for the reindeer.

Kyle bought the boys bongo and conga drums and we had a family music night…our conductor…Oliver of course!

We love being a part of their sweet family and are grateful for the time we got to spend together, creating beautiful memories and traditions.

On January 4^th we flew back to Phoenix and on the 5^th, we drove the Jeep back to Yuma.  We will stay here for the next week and then we will move on to southern California to Borrego Springs. 

We realized during the break that we have surpassed the 700 mark for our blog entries…we still feel so grateful to be able to do this!