922 March 11, 2023 Watch Your Step

It is so nice and mild.  I was able to sleep with my window open for most of the night.

I began the day with a great walk in the ecological preserve.  I was talking with my mom on the phone as I do most mornings.  I had just hung up and was attempting to start my audiobook.  18 inches in front of me on the trail was this…

I backed away, my adrenaline coursing, my heart pounding.  I didn’t see a rattle.  The 4-foot snake was not in any hurry to move along.  I saw a parallel dirt path and walked as far away as I could, my eyes on the snake.  He stayed still and I was safe.  Later research indicates that he was probably a harmless gopher snake…shew!

What a beautiful day to be flying!

Every time we have stayed here at Mayflower, there has been a pair of nesting great horned owls.  The tree that they nested in last year fell over in a storm this summer.  Owls don’t build their own nests but usually take a nest abandoned by another larger bird or sometimes a squirrels’ nest.  They like to stay in the crotch of a tree.  There was a ravens’ nest in the large cottonwood tree on the edge of the campground.  The ravens were occupying their nest when the owls decided that they needed it.  Apparently, a battle ensued…the owls won.  The mama owl has been sitting for almost a week.  This morning I caught sight of her tailfeathers.

Today, I spent 1 hour and 23 minutes on the phone with DISH TV to restore our service.  I needed them to send a signal to our box and the only way to get that done was to be patient until I could get help. They have had a serious cybersecurity attack and things are a huge mess!

Later, we took the Jeep to Midland-Vidal Road and drove into the desert…always looking for campsites.

We went to town for a few things.

This evening after dinner, I took another walk.  The owl was situated facing out in her nest.  She knew I was there and eyed me suspiciously.

This is the magnificent cottonwood where the owls live.

There was a vermillion flycatcher in the treetop.

Some pretty sky.

921 March 10, 2023 Along The River

I waited until the rain showers stopped and then went to walk along the Colorado River.  It is such a pretty place to be.  It was easy to walk more than 4 miles.

Tim was walking to the river as I was walking back to the RV.

We packed a few snacks and then took the Jeep to explore. 

We wanted to find an overnight campsite on the water’s edge.  We thought we might go out tonight but it was too windy for tent camping.  We took lots of gravel access roads and got out to look several times.  We have a few promising options.

We drove over the river and into Arizona. 

We went to the town of Parker.  We found a small community park, Pop Harvey Park, where we had figs and raspberries and pecans for a snack. It was fun to watch the children on the playground.

We filled the Jeep with fuel that was $1.50 less than California fuel.  We stopped at Walmart to check for a bike tire but had no luck.  The nearest bike shop is over an hour away.

We got back to the campground after 4pm.  I put together stuff for lettuce wraps and we had our dinner at a picnic table with a beautiful view.

After eating, we walked and watched the sunset.

920 March 9, 2023 Blythe

We left early this morning and traveled 70 miles to Blythe, California.  The weather north of here is just not nice.  So, we plan to stay for a week here and see what happens next.  There are forecasts for 9-12 inches of rain and lots of snow in the Sierras and high wind warnings in the desert.  We are glad to be away from Borrego for that reason and we are very glad that we decided not to head toward the coast.

Today it was 76 degrees and gorgeous here with a weeks’ worth of equally lovely weather forecasted…we shall see!

We are camping at Mayflower Park where we have stayed several times before.  We settled in and I took a walk down by the Colorado River.

Then, through the surrounding neighborhood.

Tim walked along the river and saw a coyote near the lagoon.  Later he tried to ride his bike but he has another flat and no spare inner tube after using the extra to repair his front tire last week.  He took my bike out for a short while.

We relaxed this afternoon.  Tim spent time looking at maps.  I secured a California BLM Campfire Permit after watching the safety video and then passing the quiz with a perfect score.

We watched the sunset while I grilled fish for dinner. 

We are looking forward to being here.

919 March 8, 2023 Chiriaco Summit

I took a last 3 mile walk through Anza Borrego State Park this morning.  We filled our propane tank at the RV park and settled our electric bill for the month. 

We drove the short distance to Indio.  It is very pretty here.  It was really nice to see green grass and stores!

We started with supplies at Walmart.  We went to CVS for prescriptions and then went to Sprouts for groceries.  Tim did a masterful job of navigating through the city streets and parking lots.  We are stocked and loaded!

We drove another 30 miles to a Harvest Host site.  The General Patton Museum is in the small berg of Chiriaco Summit.  This was the where Patton assembled the Desert Training Center during WWII.  There was a camp here where soldiers trained for the upcoming battle in North Africa.  It was remote and extremely hot.  Patton wanted to emulate conditions as closely as possible so that the troops would be well prepared.

Patton was a leader and had several principles that he employed. 

A man of strong beliefs and opinions.

Patton fought alongside his men and survived the war.  He was called a hero.  He died just months later in a car accident.

Jeeps were initially manufactured in 1941 during the war and they were wartime field vehicles.

There was a large display of tanks.

Other interesting exhibits. 

The Harvest Host site is actually sponsored by the community.  There is a large space in the desert where people are allowed to come and boondock. 

We had a beautiful sunset this evening.

918 March 7, 2023 Rockhouse Canyon

I had so much laundry to do that I decided to go to the laundromat in lieu of using our machine.  I wanted to get it all done as quickly as I could so that we could still have playtime on our last day.  I tried walking between switching clothes but didn’t get a very good walk done…sometimes multitasking is not effective!

I went back to the grocery to get fresh water.  Tim had gone for a walk along the ridge. I saw movement and pulled over to take a closer look.  I used the zoom on the camera and found him. He was at an elevation of 1,110, 360 feet above the town.

I went to fill the car with gas and saw 10 jumpers floating down to the desert floor.

This afternoon, we took a Jeep ride in Rockhouse Canyon.  The weather was finally perfect.  The scenery still beautiful to us even after all these weeks.

We saw an abandoned stone shack and almost passed by.  We saw a sign on the door that said Peace House and Please Close the Door When You Leave. 

We were intrigued.  We entered and saw this quaint space.  People have left all manner of things as mementoes.  There were snacks and drink bottles and notes and there was a guest book with names.  What a cool little place.  This set the tone for the rest of our day.

A fun surprise in the middle of nowhere!

We turned into the canyon and saw two Marine helicopters coming through.  The second banked to acknowledge our presence.

We continued to enjoy the ride. 

As we drove deeper into the canyon, the wildflowers began to appear…more varieties and colors and beauty as we went.

We have heard of chaparral but never known what it was.  For weeks we have been seeing this orange vine covering other shrubs in the desert.  This is a parasitic plant native to California.

These are the first golden poppies we have seen here.

Such a riot of blooms arranged in gardens and bouquets by nature; it was stunning!

Being here today elicited a deep sense of serenity and contentment. 

We went to Pablitos for a late lunch. It was such a treat to be able to eat outside!

We will miss lots of things about this quirky town; farmers markets, Borrego Bread, Jeep trails, and tent camping trips.  It is time to move on and see what else we can find to get into!

917 March 6, 2023 Up The Hill For Lunch

We both did our morning workouts and then we left for a daytrip to Julian.

We drove up and over the mountains to an elevation of over 4,000 feet.  It was 64 degrees in Borrego Springs and 44 degrees in Julian.  We are really only 17 miles away as the crow flies.  To get to Julian it is 39 miles or 1 hour on twisted roads.  There were snow covered mountains as we traveled.   This is a gorgeous ride. 

We arrived in town and walked down Main Street, browsing in the many very cool stores.  If we had a place to put things, this would be a fun town to actually shop in, but we don’t need things and so we just looked.

We stopped at the California Wolf Center Nature Store.  We had been scheduled to take a tour of the Wolf Sanctuary last Friday and then again today but all the tours have been cancelled for the past two weeks because of the extreme amount of snow that this little town in Southern California had received.  There was just a little dirty snow along the roadside today but the ranch that houses the wolves has a road that is too wet to easily pass.  We were disappointed but decided to take the trip to Julian anyway.

After walking both sides of the street, we got into the Jeep and drove 3 miles to Jeremy’s On The Hill.  We had lunch here last year and we loved it enough to come back.  We ordered the brussel sprouts…the most incredibly amazing brussel sprouts that we have ever had.  I wish that I could cook them like Jeremy does…Tim wishes so also!  We both had delicious salads as well.

Julian is best known for its apple orchards. 21 varieties of apples are grown here. The Julian Pie Company is a destination. Their fruit pies are famous here in SoCal. We resisted the temptation, leaving town without pie.

We took another squiggly road, an equally beautiful ride, back home.

916 March 4-5, 2023 Full Moon In The Desert

I started with a nice long walk through the desert, to the circle in town and then uphill back to the campground.

We packed the Jeep with coolers and our overnight stuff and drove to Fish Creek Wash.  From there, we chose Lycium Wash. 

We drove to the end and got out to explore.

This narrow passage had large boulders and looked to be a difficult hike. 

We got back to the Jeep and found a campsite. 

As I was rolling a rock out of the way, I found  2 inch scorpion underneath.  I tried to take a picture but I just wasn’t quick enough.  Tim stomped on it.  We were camping and it didn’t feel too safe to sleep with a living scorpion.  Even so, he wasn’t sure if he killed it.  We decided to move our camping spot another few feet. 

Tim turned over another rock and found this speedy centipede.

We had been gathering firewood each time we camped out but here there wasn’t much to be found.  We had a few pieces and we were looking for some deadwood near our campsite.  I had my hands full when the ranger arrived.  She was very nice but she scolded us and asked us to put the wood we collected back where we got it!  She also took exception to our campsite saying that we had driven offroad.  She let us stay though. 

The sun set on our site at about 4pm because of the surrounding mud hills.  The wind picked up and it was hard to keep the flame going on the cookstove.  We were able to move everything and use the Jeep as our wind block…and omelets were served.

The sky turned pretty; pastel.

The moon was almost full and brilliant.  It cast long shadows on the coarse, white sand.  The wind settled and we enjoyed the fire, watching the wood burn.

I was awake first this morning and I had fun starting the morning fire and making the coffee.  It was cold and the fire felt good!  These are usually Tim’s jobs.  I earned my merit badge today!

The sun was more of a promise than a presence.

We took our time packing gear.

We drove to Oyster Wash.  We had thought we might camp here last night but it was a good decision to go out to Lycium Wash because there were lots of other campers here.

We stopped for breakfast and walked around a little. 

Nearly every wash is filled with wildflowers.

I love to see flowers blooming in unexpected places…small miracles.

We got back to the RV and unpacked and then crashed.  We both took rest days.  A hot shower always feels wonderful after desert camping.

915 March 3, 2023 Falling From The Sky

Happy Birthday David!  You make us so proud and we love you!

We started early at the Friday farmer’s market.  Town was very busy this morning.  A beautiful day and the promise of nice weather this weekend and people were out and about!  Fresh berries and greens and one small loaf of banana bread…we resisted the croissants and the sourdough bread.  Our last market before we move on. 

We stopped for some coffee and sat in the sunshine enjoying the warmth.

I walked and talked with Mom and David and logged more than 3 miles.

We packed our bikes and left from Pegleg.  We cycled along Henderson Canyon Road.  There were lots of flower peepers.  This Miata Club was parked and drivers were traipsing among the posies taking pictures.

We biked to Seley Ranch and there was red grapefruit for sale…12 for $6.00!  Tim loaded them into his saddlebags.

We stopped again when we saw parachutes floating in the sky above us.  We watched for a long time as soldiers loaded into the plane.  We watched the plane climb high and then we could see parachutes popping open and drifting down.  It was the coolest thing!

Dust devil.

We biked on and finished just over 12 miles.

This evening, we packed our dinner and drove to Font’s Point to watch the sunset.  On our way, we saw a couple standing by the road, their vehicle stuck in the soft sand on the shoulder.  We stopped and Tim got out the tow strap and pulled the car out.

On our way again!

View of the Badlands.

We ate dinner while the sun slipped away with little fanfare.

As we drove back to the campground, we saw another couple standing along the road, waving their arms.  We stopped and we could see an Expedition with its rear tires buried in deep soft sand.  Tim got out the tow strap for a second time and pulled the car out.  Two saves in one evening.

Tim was talking today with a guy who works here in the resort. He told Tim that the winds in Borrego Springs last Tuesday were measured at 102mph. One of the RV’s here had a window blowout. It is actually really surprising that there wasn’t more damage.

We just never know what the day will bring!

914 March 2, 2023 Middle Willows At Coyote Creek

When we settled for bed last night, the wind was roaring. There had been gusts to 60mph all day. We kept the slideouts pulled in to protect the covers. At almost midnight, it was suddenly quiet and we slept.

This morning it was sunny and already warming and there was NO WIND!!

There were three snowplows headed up the mountain…but no snow here!

I took an almost 5-mile walk through the park to the trailhead. There were lots of songbirds flitting about and I saw several hummingbirds.

The ocotillo are turning green and blooming after recent rains.

There were mama bighorns and some lambs on the steep and rocky hillside.

Tim took a good hike up on the ridge.

This afternoon, we took a Jeep ride to Coyote Canyon.

More pretty flowers.

We saw a Marine helicopter overhead and watched as it practiced flying low and then up and over the mountains.

Snow covered peaks.

We took the rough road until it became too littered with rocks to be easily passable.

Tim parked the Jeep and we hiked to Middle Willows along the Coyote Creek.

What a lovely day. We were so grateful for the brilliant sunshine. We headed back as evening came.

We were happy and hungry by the time we got back to the RV. We walked to the resort restaurant and ordered burgers with sweet potato fries. They were such a treat and delicious!

913 March 1, 2023 Box Canyon Road In Mecca

It rained all night.  It was raining this morning but the sun was also in and out.  We did have a beautiful rainbow. 

There was a brief pause in the showers and I tried to get out and walk.  The wind was blowing at about 17mph.  Walking into the wind was miserable.  I headed into town with the wind at my back.  I didn’t get very far before I had to make a call for help.  For the second time in two days, Tim rescued me!

There is a new sculpture in front of the tennis club.

There is a wind advisory until 10pm tonight and the forecast is for continued rain.  I thought that we would spend this whole nasty day in the RV.  Tim looked at the weather in Mecca.  We decided to take a ride to Box Canyon. 

The road was wet and there were puddles in the desert.

We drove away from winter and toward sunshine and blue skies.

Box Canyon Road sits right along the San Andreas Fault.  The geology here is very interesting. 

We got out and walked but our first attempt ended with this chute.

We drove a short distance further and tried again.  We walked for a long time in this canyon. 

There are wildflowers blooming here that we haven’t seen in Borrego and some cactus we haven’t seen before as well.

There was graffiti and lots of people had etched things into the soft rock.  There was lots of trash too.  I don’t care if people come out and shoot at stuff but they could clean up after themselves.  I cannot tell you how much this angers me.  It enrages me that some people have this complete disregard for the environment.  I just don’t get it!

We saw an opportunity for a Jeep ride and stopped at the kiosk to take a picture of the map. 

We took Little Box Canyon Trail to Mecca Copia Trail through the Colorado Desert and all the way to the Salton Sea at North Shore.

As we headed back to Borrego Springs, we were assaulted by gusty winds and in the distance, we could see dense black clouds, blowing dust, and rain bands.  It was eerie and otherworldly. The temperature dropped to 40 degrees and the “rain” was making splats on the windshield…ugh…back to winter. 

We ran from the Jeep into the Red Ocotillo where we ate a late lunch/early dinner. 

We are now in the RV, bundled in blankets and with the furnace blasting.  This is not the weather we expected here in the Southern California Desert!