LoriBarb

It was really hard to leave California. However, we needed to start making our trek northeastwards and we also wanted to be close to an airport with direct flights to Toronto as Barb had a side trip planned. This time it was not a holiday but rather a return to Burlington for some exciting family events. Lilah was turning 1 and Barb was not missing that party! Also Jane was turning 65 and Barb planned a surprise party using Lilah’s birthday as the reason to get Jane to Burlington. It was tricky planning all this while we were in California, however Jim helped a lot as did Vanessa, Michelle, and Thomas finding pictures for Jane’s gift.

We chose the Meridian RV Park for Lori’s sake. While Barb was gone, a park with some decent amenities and in particular a great pool and water aerobic classes was important. Tucked into the mountains with great views was another added bonus.

One of tricky aspect of RV parks is access to internet. Some claim to have WiFi and it’s useless. Here you could use it in the office and pool area, but not at our campsite where we typically needed it. LOL. So we had to arrange for a company to come and set us up. We ended up having a cable running out our window and down the RV to the outside park hookup. Very classy. Anyhow it was important to both of us that we had good connection and especially for Lori to pass the time while Barb was back home. Even wilder was the process of returning the modem. It had to be packaged and hand-delivered back to the company who was only 20 minutes away. When we got there however, we had to park on the side of a very busy road with our 4-ways on as we could not turn in to their narrow and very long driveway. So Lori had to run the package down a fairly long road while Barb stayed in the driver’s seat hoping and praying no one would come and ask her to move.

One of the activities we tried while we stayed at Meridian was chair yoga. We thought it would be easy (which it sort of was) yet we each found some sore muscles the next day suggesting we actually worked out new muscles. Incredible given how active we have been.

We spent a great month in Indio, just outside of Palm Springs. We had a great time swimming, playing pickleball, hiking, biking, and going to “happy hours” with friends. What is so incredible is that our friends from Gravenhurst Ontario, Sue and Paul, had told us they were going to Indio for a few months, and then Lori was talking to her friends, Ken and Susan, and discovered that’s exactly where their place is. So it seemed appropriate that we stay at the same great Rancho Casa Blanca RV Park. It was definitely one of the most expensive we stayed at – $1,700 USD for the month to simply rent a cement site (with water and electricity of course). However, it was truly well worth it given the incredible amenities available (the absolute best yet) and being close to good friends.

It was definitely a sad farewell as we headed off to Arizona, now on our way home for the spring/summer season. Here are some pics from our stay.

Ken & Susan were so kind to lend us their car whenever we needed to do groceries, so we took them out to dinner (with their car!) on one of our last nights to say thank you!

After dinner Ken treated us to some very “cool” ice cream. It was made in front of us and they used liquid nitrogen to turn the cream into ice cream before our eyes. It was amazing!! What an experience

We are going to miss this location, and our friends.

A fabulous day trip to Joshua Tree National Park with good friend Amy D’Aprix and her sister Jean. They were in Palm Springs for a vacation so we made sure we could meet up. What a fun day. Lori and I took an Uber to their villa and then Amy drove us in their rental car to the park, which was about 40 minutes away.

Did you know the Joshua Tree is not actually a tree? Botanists call it Yucca brevifolia, a member of the asparagus family. It is also a succulent. Morman settlers in southern Utah nicknamed it “the Joshua” supposedly because the striking, human-like form was reminiscent of the biblical Joshua reaching up to the sky.

Joshua trees are most commonly found in the Mojave desert. Joshua trees need to undergo a dormant period of cold weather before flowering, but once they flower, they are dependent on one tiny insect for pollination. Yucca moths transfer pollen between flowers to ensure seeds will form. Then they lay their eggs within the pollinated flower. When the larvae hatch, they feed on some of the seeds, while the rest disperse and grow into more Joshua trees.

Because Joshua trees require a cold period to flower, they are vulnerable to climate change. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently reviewing the Joshua tree for listing under the endangered species act.

Joshua Tree was designated a National Monument in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and accorded National Park status in 1994. Human history stretches back well over 10,000 years. The first group known to inhabit the area was the Pinto Culture, followed by American Indians, including the Serrano, the Chemehuevi, and the Cahuilla. In the 1800s there was mining and cattle driving. In the 1900s homesteaders began filing claims. Everyone left a footprint here and if it wasn’t for Minerva Hoyt, who knows what this place would be like. Minerva Hoyt became a staunch backer of the protection of desert landscapes. Because of her wealth and status she was able to convince authorities that a National Park was the best way to preserve deserts. It was Minerva Hoyt who got the park its National Monument status.

In Joshua Tree Park the topography is outstanding and ever changing. The rock formations are very interesting and the oldest rocks here are 1.4 – 1.7 billion years old. The rocks were formed over 200 million years ago by two tectonic plates. The North American plate collided with the Farallon plate, which sat under the Pacific Ocean. The denser Farallon plate was forced under the North American plate, a geological process called subduction. The jumbles of rock piled about Joshua Tree got their start underground via volcanic machinations. It was the upward pumping of monzogranite, a particular form of molten rock, that eventually gave birth to the landscape that we see today. The pictures below really don’t do the landscape justice.

In the Colorado desert, the landscape was quite different and had smaller plants called Teddy-bear cholla, that were beautiful in the sunshine and there were fields of them!

Let’s get back to the cold and snow shall we? Here are some pics. Just so you know we weren’t lying. In fact at the top of the mountain we saw a guy carrying old wooden snowshoes out to the trails.

At the end of our fun and sometimes very cold day we all went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, Pueblo Viejo Grill in Indio close to Rancho Casa Blanca RV Park. After dinner Amy and Jean drove us back to the RV park and we did a tour of the grounds. They were both impressed with how big the park was and how much there was to do including golf. We then did a quick tour of our RV and this is when Amy met Safiya and their relationship began!

We had the opportunity to take a nice 8km, 2-hour hike in the Badlands with our friend Ken Klink and his dog Midge. It was a 5-minute drive from the Rancho Casa Blanca RV Park where we were staying. We hiked to the top of one of the mountains and had a great view of the Valley.

East Indio Badlands Trail opened in 2020 to the public. It offers a spectacular loop through classic Badland topography, formed by thousands of years of erosion and the San Andreas Fault. We hiked through slot canyons, through the shadows of tectonic uptilts, and along a prominent ridge with 360 views from the Salton Sea to San Gorgonio Mountain.

Badlands means a barren area in which soft rock strata are eroded into varied fantastic forms. There you go – a bit of trivia!

Landing at this gated RV park on Jan. 29th was like a dream. Beautiful wide streets lined with flowers and unique park homes. We located our concrete pad, which was elevated up from the street level. A great view and certainly no chance of a flood. Once settled we explored.

Incredible amount of biking available through the many streets. This afforded us the chance to see the multiple pools. Many smaller ones for dipping and relaxing, some mid size for water sports and then an absolutely huge one for lap swimming and water aerobics which we eventually participated in almost daily.

For golfers there’s an amazing course that runs throughout the property and for the lucky ones their joined back onto some of the course. Lori’s good friends Ken and Sue have such a home at which we enjoyed many a meal and firepit. They were also very generous lending us their car to grocery shop, what a luxury! We also used their home a few times to deliver our coaching sessions until our internet finally got sorted on our own site.

Sue and Paul Kelley, from Gravenhurst ON, were also staying there for the month which is how we first heard about the RV park and then realized Ken and Sue had a home there. So of course we decided to hang out there for a month as well. And what a month it was. There was pickleball, outdoor movie night (interestingly by a homeowner there who set up a large screen for anyone to enjoy), and all kinds of activities and guests. Our favourite was the kitchen demonstration where a famous local kitchen store owner came on site and showed us all her favourite kitchen tools and accessories. Well we certainly both shopped that day!

We enjoy the pools multiple times a day here at Fountain of Youth Spa RV park.  There are so many friendly people here and some we are getting to know well.  Mike is at the pool everyday and talks to everyone! Barb and Mike talked about Salvation Mountain and Slab City, and he shared that they are a must see. Learning that we did not have a car Mike called his wife Linda over into the conversation and within minutes they agreed they would be happy to take us there. They shared they love this famous donut shop that makes the best apple fritters in the world, and we would start the day there for breakfast. And so, it was. Another exciting day trip in the works.

Our first morning stop was Donut Avenue in Imperial, California for apple fritters and coffee. And, YES we would vote them as some of the best we have ever tasted. With content bellies, and an important washroom visit, we were ready to tackle the day ahead without facilities.

The Story of Salvation Mountain is quite unique.  Leonard Knight was an artist born in Burlington Vermont in 1931. He was drafted into the army at age 20.  Fortunately, the Korean war ended 10 days after he arrived in Korea. So, he returned to Vermont and went to work painting cars at an auto body dealership.  

After finding faith in the 1970’s he began the creation of a hot air balloon to share Jesus’s messages.  While the balloon never took flight, he evolved his plan and decided to share God’s love via the 28-year creation of Salvation Mountain in the Sonoran Desert.  He did so by building, and rebuilding after storms, this incredible mountain from hay bails and other finds and then set about painting it.  Much of the paint he found in the trash and over time as word got out people began visiting and donating leftover paint. 

While some call his work divine inspiration, others call it just art and others refer to it a lot more cynically. Interestingly, his dream of sharing God’s love did materialize as people come from all over the world to see the mountain. 

In 2011 Leonard was placed in a long-term care facility in El Cajon for dementia.  In 2014 he passed away.  His work lives on however, as a small group of volunteers decided to maintain it in his memory. They organize shifts to keep watch and they contribute their labour to paint. When we were there we learned of the paint donations, and not having any with us, we donated money in the conveniently set up donation box at the foot of the hill.

We count it a blessing that friends from the RV park offered to take us here. Truly an interesting landmark at the entrance to Slab City, California. Now even more interesting is Slab City itself.

Slab City is located on the site of the former Camp Dunlap, A U/S. Marine Corps base used during World War II. After the camp was dismantled in the 1950’s, it wasn’t long before squatters began to occupy the area by using the leftover concrete slabs that once supported the military buildings to build makeshift homes and structures.  Over time, the settlement grew into what is now called Slab City. While many embrace Slab City as a place of total freedom, the reality is more complicated.  The community is largely self-regulated, with little formal oversight. However within this freedom residents must contend with the harsh realities of life on the desert. Emergency services are extremely limited.  

The biggest draw of Slab City is its complete lack of organized modern infrastructure. There is no running water, electricity, sewage or trash collection. The basic services most of us take for granted do not exist here. However, for many residents, this is historic, not a flaw. It is the lack of interest in interacting with traditional society that draws them here. Some residents generate their own electricity with solar panels or wind turbines, while others rely on makeshift solutions for water and waste management.  Although it can be a harsh and unforgiving environment, the common ideology residents have of independence, self reliance, lack of competition and where possible mutual support is what makes it work. Many residents survive through barter or by accepting government aid. The extreme heat in the summer and the isolation with limited emergency services makes it difficult to live year-round, with only about 150 people calling it home during the hotter months.

Children in Slab City primarily receive their education through nearby public school districts, with school buses from adjacent communities picking up the few children living there.  Some residents also opt for homeschooling or independent study methods given their ‘off the grid’ chosen lifestyle.   One of the most fascinating buildings in the city was their library. We were shocked at how many books were there. Older ones and some very current ones. Mainly, all received through donations from residents and the majority from visitors. We met their self-appointed librarian who wanted to bring organization to the library and has worked tirelessly to achieve that. He toured us around and we were blown away at the cataloging and ease of finding the thousands of resources. Clearly if one had the interest and capability of educating their children this was the place to do it.  

What an amazing day and view of the world through others’ eyes.  We marvel at what we are seeing and learning in our travels!

Stop at the Fountain of Youth Spa and RV Resort in Niland, California ….of course!

We travelled all day in the rain from Quartzite. If you were watching the news around Jan 22 you would have seen a lot of flooding in the California area. As we were heading closer to the RV park, the roads did get a “little” dicey having a lot of dips to allow runoff into the Salton Sea, which is really a lake, and deserves its own paragraph (which is below).

Here are some pics of the ride in, which was a tad concerning as the flooding in the valley was quite severe in some areas. But we made it through.

Now some info about the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is not a sea at all. The Salton is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water at the southern end of the state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault. Over millions of years, the Colorado River had flowed in this Valley and deposited alluvium (soil) creating fertile farmland, building up the terrain, and constantly moving its main course. For thousands of years the river alternately flowed into the valley or diverted around it, creating a salt lake. The Salton Sea was formed from this inflow of water from the Colorado River in 1905. The lake is 24 km wide and 56 km long and has a surface area of 824 km. In the 50s and 60s the area became a resort destination, and communities grew with hotels and vacation homes. In the 70s, scientists issued warnings that the lake would continue to shrink and become more inhabitable to wildlife. In the 1980s, contamination from farm runoff promoted the outbreak and spread of wildlife diseases. Massive die-offs of the avian population occurred, especially after the loss of several species of fish on which they depend. Salinity rose so high that large fish kills occurred, often blighting the beaches of the sea with their carcasses. Tourism was drastically reduced. After 1999, the lake began to shrink and the lake bed became exposed, which sent clouds of toxic dust into nearby communities. In 2018, local agencies declared an emergency and, along with the state, funded and developed the Salton Sea Management Program. In 2020, Palm Springs Life magazine summarized the ecological situation as “Salton Sea derives its fame as the biggest environmental disaster in California history”. Back in the day all the Hollywood stars came to this location, now….it’s a bit of a ghost town.

And now more about where we are staying. The Fountain of Youth Spa has been here since 1966. The pools and hot tubs are all naturally heated with 133 degrees of mineral water. They are then cooled down depending on the pool and hot tub. There is one hot tub called the Lobster Pot, which is heated to around 106, although one day people said it was too hot for anyone to go in. The pools are glorious and sit at around 85-90 degrees. FABULOUS!

There is no shortage of things to do here. Yesterday we were out from 9am to 6pm enjoying the amenities, including biking around the mountains.

One other thing we did yesterday was shop at the Veggie Guy Market. A truck comes into the park and sells almost everything you would want. We came out feeling like we could be really healthy while we were here! We have to say you really don’t need a car for grocery shopping as there was a restaurant on site as well.

We made some friends at Fountain of Youth Spa (FOY as the locals call it). K&E from Washington were parked right beside us. Very friendly and on day 2 took us into Bombay Beach for lunch at a local pub. Now remember, Bombay Beach was hopping in the 50s and 60s, but is really a very depressed little village now. We weren’t sure what to think, but we really wanted to see the Salton Sea and the surrounding area. The State is really trying to clean up the Sea and they are using hay bales to create compost to allow for fertile soil. Not sure how this is going to work, but we’ll see. We were shocked at the state of the little town/village. In fact some places looked uninhabitable. There were interesting art works everywhere, in peoples’ yards and on the beach. The most surprising though, was the pub we went to eat at. Outside looked VERY tired and worn down, then you open the door and “WOW” – nothing like what we were expecting. The food was also VERY good, a welcome surprise.

OK, weird title we know, but warranted, a little. We were told by a few people what a great stay Quartzite is ESPECIALLY when the famous RV show is on!! The town has under 3,000 people living there, but apparently during this one week each year 750,000 – 1 million people show up. SO WHY WOULDN’T ONE CHECK IT OUT!?

Now what we will say is that this area is famous for boondockers. If you recall from much earlier posts, boondocking is when you are off the grid, not hooked up to anything and just running off your own generator and own water supply. In this area anyone can park their RV/Camper anywhere they want for up to 2 weeks at no charge. So why wouldn’t you pop on over and try this out? We decided to stay one night and were challenged to find a spot; however eventually managed to make a reservation at a RV park called La Mirage fairly close to the fairgrounds which seemed perfect. Well, for starters, the place was WAY too expensive for what was provided, but of course it was during the “show” and everything was inflated. Note – La Mirage is French for the mirage – literally meaning an optical illusion. Well isn’t that the truth!

So how was the show??? We both agreed that it was a real let down. We have been to better shows in Toronto frankly. What we did find fascinating was the amount of RVers and all the boondocking for miles around this town. It really is a lifestyle. I wonder if they filmed Nomad here with Frances McDormand? They sure could/should have.

What did we buy? Well some dips, one of which we’ve already made. Some chocolate, because that is what one buys at a RV show. Some Christmas gifts, which won’t be named, as our families read this. And of course lunch consisting of a gourmet grill cheese sandwich.

OK, getting the heck out of Dodge on this stop and we are off to the Fountain of Youth Spa and RV Resort. California here we come!!!!

We landed at a KOA resort in Tucson Arizona, which turned out to be quite fabulous. It had several heated pools, hot tubs, pickleball courts, and enough streets that we could bike. The best part though was the fruit trees on the property which were all ripe and open for picking.

Orange, grapefruit (including ruby red), lemons, and meyer lemons were all over the place. So off we went picking!! We have to say the lemons are outstanding as well as the grapefruit which we can’t get enough of. We juiced over 30 grapefruits and collected another 30+ to take with us. We also froze over a dozen lemons for future use.

We also met some fabulous ladies from Newfoundland. Kathy & Joanne Coleman (yes part of the Coleman grocery family) were as friendly as one would expect from our east coast neighbours. We had the opportunity to have a little happy hour with them before heading out to an authentic Mexican restaurant. Now, before you think ‘authentic’, really? I will put your mind at ease, this was as authentic as you can get. When walking in we immediately met the 98-year-old lady who opened this restaurant MANY years ago and it is now being run by her son and grandson, even though she is there overseeing things. She was AMAZING, having been married 3 times. The last husband, who we met, was a native Indian and you can see some of the Indian flare in the menu, like the Mexican Taco (which was delish!).

We had great fun with margaritas, food, and lots of laughter. We hope one day we will meet up with Kathy & Joanne again, either down south somewhere or in Newfoundland. One never knows.

Some pics of the 4 of us as well as the two of us with the owner.

We should have stayed in Bandera! Traveling in the winter no matter where you go apparently can be dicey. I’m sure everyone is aware of the cold fronts currently affecting the U.S. and Canada. You would think being down south would get us away from all that &^%%^$ !

Well…..nope.

Here is what we had to drive through to get to Fort Stockton.

We hit not just freezing weather, but mist that was freezing on our windshield. We also didn’t have the proper windshield wiper fluid for sub zero temps, because frankly, why would we?

Stopping at every gas station and rest stop we limped to Fort Stockton, each time stopping to wait until the defroster cleared the windshield. What a process and what a pain in the ass. Now one might ask why didn’t you purchase windshield washer fluid……..well the gas stations were all sold out, that’s why.

We finally got into somewhat warmer weather during the day, but not at night. In Fort Stockton it dropped below zero to minus 4 and then with the wind chill who knows! And of course we were staying at Hilltop RV Park. HillTOP. Yup. Right at the top of a very tall hill. Well mountain really. And yes, the next morning we discovered we had not just frozen pipes, but a burst pipe. So now….no water.

Off to Las Cruces New Mexico where we had already planned an overnight stay. We drove the 4 hours without incident as the storm had moved on. We arrived at our RV park called Hacienda late afternoon and noticed an RV dealer just down the road. Barb called just before they were closing for the day and we were lucky to get an early morning appointment for the following day. Given our lack of water and the cooler temperatures, we spent the time in the hot tub and then took hot showers in the RV’s clubhouse. Went back to the RV for supper and had a good sleep knowing we were getting into the repair shop in the morning. How fortunate to be so close to a dealer.

We spent most of the morning at Holiday World RV Dealer. They had hot coffee and a decent area for us to sit in and wait. Luckily we only cracked a few connectors so the water was only in our outside water closet and not in the RV itself. This is great news as the water pipes run under the master bed and then split under the floor going into the washroom and the kitchen. So, if the freezing had gone deeper into the unit the repairs would have been much more complicated, definitely way more expensive, and probably necessitating a hotel stay. So, all in all, not a massive issue. It was about $600 USD, mainly because the connectors are in a very small tight area up against the wall of the water closet, making for an extremely challenging small area to work in which made the labour long. Good news. We are doing all the right things, we just hit some really bad weather and from now on we will also travel with winter windshield fluid. There’s much controversy on whether small heaters can be used in the RV water closet or not. Our best bet would have been to put our small down filled jackets around the pipes to keep the windchill away. Ah good old hindsight!

Now off to Tucson Arizona where we are expecting warmer weather!