Saturday, November 27, 2010
This is where we will spend the winter. We have been to this RV park many times before and we like it because of all the activities as well as friends who live nearby. We will stay a week, then fly to Florida where we will begin a Caribbean cruise with our children. This is to celebrate our 40th anniversary (1 1/2 years later). The cruise will be from December 3 - 13. Then we will fly home to Brantford for 3 weeks for Christmas. We return to Phoenix on December 30.
Up Country
After a day at the beach, we decided we needed to see what was up in the mountains - the San Bernadinos. So we headed north from Riverside and took the Waterman Canyon Road as it climbed from an elevation of 1200' and wound its way around and up the canyon finally topping out at 7200'. When we left, it was a partly cloudy day and the temperature was in the 60s. We could see clouds ahead obscuring the tops of the hills. We stopped several times to see the mega city of Los Angeles spread out at our feet.
The higher we went the more it became foggy - an icy fog that rimed the trees and make the branches and needles a work of art. There were piles of snow at the roadsides because of a snowfall 5 days before. A stop at Lake Arrowhead Village and a short drive around a neighborhood, showed us that this was indeed an enclave of the rich - lovely chalets clinging to hillsides and driveways dotted with Mercedes and Lexus SUVs.
We continued the "Rim of the World" drive and the ice fog dissipated and the skies became crystal clear which made the contrast with the ice coated trees starkly beautiful. The next stop was Big Bear Lake - a playground of middle-class folk. Downhome kind of cottages and a nice village complete with McDonalds! There are several ski runs nearby which were just opening because of the recent snowfall.
About noon, we made our way back down to the valley and spent the next few hours driving the RV toward Arizona. We got to Quartzsite by nightfall and stayed on some free land near the expressway as we boondocked for the night. As some of you may know, Quartzsite has a year round population of about 2500 - it is a dry desert place with not much to offer BUT it is a warm and a free place to spend the winter for LOTS of RVers. In January, they say that there is close to 250,000 people dry camping in the desert on BLM (Burearu of Land Management) land!! Just pull up to cactus you like and set up your solar panels and wind generator. There are lots of hills and back country to explore in your jeep. We have met people there on a past visit who had found gold bits up in the hills. Tomorrow, we will get to our winter destination - Mesa, Arizona.
The higher we went the more it became foggy - an icy fog that rimed the trees and make the branches and needles a work of art. There were piles of snow at the roadsides because of a snowfall 5 days before. A stop at Lake Arrowhead Village and a short drive around a neighborhood, showed us that this was indeed an enclave of the rich - lovely chalets clinging to hillsides and driveways dotted with Mercedes and Lexus SUVs.
We continued the "Rim of the World" drive and the ice fog dissipated and the skies became crystal clear which made the contrast with the ice coated trees starkly beautiful. The next stop was Big Bear Lake - a playground of middle-class folk. Downhome kind of cottages and a nice village complete with McDonalds! There are several ski runs nearby which were just opening because of the recent snowfall.
About noon, we made our way back down to the valley and spent the next few hours driving the RV toward Arizona. We got to Quartzsite by nightfall and stayed on some free land near the expressway as we boondocked for the night. As some of you may know, Quartzsite has a year round population of about 2500 - it is a dry desert place with not much to offer BUT it is a warm and a free place to spend the winter for LOTS of RVers. In January, they say that there is close to 250,000 people dry camping in the desert on BLM (Burearu of Land Management) land!! Just pull up to cactus you like and set up your solar panels and wind generator. There are lots of hills and back country to explore in your jeep. We have met people there on a past visit who had found gold bits up in the hills. Tomorrow, we will get to our winter destination - Mesa, Arizona.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Ocean to Ocean
Though we had not originally planned to go all the way to the west coast, because we are quite close here in Riverside, California, we spent the day on Los Angeles. Sixty miles is close enough to make a day trip and the expressways were not too busy after we had a hearty breakfast at the IHOP (and it was enough to fill us up for the day and only an apple mid afternoon was required to keep us going)
First stop was the Santa Monica Pier. This is the end of Route 66 - that legendary American Road. There is an amusement area with roller coaster and other rides on the pier and a fishing and viewing area at the end. The waves were small so we saw no surfers here. We got out toes wet in the Pacific Ocean remembering that just 2 months ago - September 23 -we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia and doing the same thing in the Atlantic Ocean! And all those miles with a month at home in Brantford, too.
From the Pier, we drove a few miles of the Pacific Coastal Highway to Malibu and then the winding Malibu Canyon Road to the top of the ridge and Mulholland Dr east through Beverly Hills and down to the Sunset Strip. Quite and interesting day.
PS Derek - we saw the Hollywood sign and got a picture of it for you.
First stop was the Santa Monica Pier. This is the end of Route 66 - that legendary American Road. There is an amusement area with roller coaster and other rides on the pier and a fishing and viewing area at the end. The waves were small so we saw no surfers here. We got out toes wet in the Pacific Ocean remembering that just 2 months ago - September 23 -we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia and doing the same thing in the Atlantic Ocean! And all those miles with a month at home in Brantford, too.
From the Pier, we drove a few miles of the Pacific Coastal Highway to Malibu and then the winding Malibu Canyon Road to the top of the ridge and Mulholland Dr east through Beverly Hills and down to the Sunset Strip. Quite and interesting day.
PS Derek - we saw the Hollywood sign and got a picture of it for you.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
On Saturday morning, we drove into Palm Desert and went to the Street Fair on the campus of the College of the Desert. In their large parking lot was set up dozens of tents with everything to sell from original art work to jewelry, shoes, clothing, sunglasses, and everything in between. It was much like the market at St Jacobs but more upscale. After all, the Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage area is a fairly well-to-do community with lots of golf courses and Lexus and Mercedes sports cars. There were food vendors and fresh produce - we bought some lovely strawberries and fresh Medjool dates - grown in the Indio area and really huge and yummy!
In the afternoon, we went to the Living Desert - a combination botanical garden and zoo. They had a butterfly and hummingbird garden that was lovely. The gardens were desert-type from around the world with animals interspersed throughout. Near the end was a wonderful model train setup - very extensive and well done!
In the afternoon, we went to the Living Desert - a combination botanical garden and zoo. They had a butterfly and hummingbird garden that was lovely. The gardens were desert-type from around the world with animals interspersed throughout. Near the end was a wonderful model train setup - very extensive and well done!
The Botanical Gardens/Zoo had the most wonderful model train set up! Covering quite and extensive area and a volunteer in a shed manning the switches, several trains made their way around sets that were fantastic! There was the Grand Canyon, complete with Colorado River rapids, dams, bridges and canyon overlooks - even the Bright Angel Trail with mules. There were towns from the 60s, wild west towns with saloons, hobo camps under the bridge, a wrecked train at the base of a high trestle and trains, trains, trains - criss-crossing each other and chugging and tooting as they went. It was terrific!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Today, we learned a bit more about geology in this area of Desert Hot Springs. The Coachella Valley lies east/west from a gap in the San Bernadino Mountains with Los Angeles to the west on the coast. Winds funnel through this pass and there are hundreds of windmills strategically placed to take advantage of this wind. Geologic fault lines are abundant under the surface and our RV park lies right along several of them including the San Andreas. When I asked some of the long term residents (in the pool where many spend the afternoons bobbing on foam "noodles" chatting and visiting) if they had experienced an earthquake, they all said "yes, frequently". And they are all waiting for "the big one."
One of the nice things about fault lines is that underground aquifers leak water - some come as hot springs - this RV park has nine hot pools with mineral water that is said to be good for arthritis and other ailments - and some come as oasises in the desert. We hiked today to the Palm Oasis - Hundreds of fan palms hug the oasis pool. Their dead fronds fall to the side of the trunk forming thick "skirts" that make a good hiding place for birds, lizards and other animals. We even saw cougar prints at the water's edge. A beautiful and peaceful place!
One of the nice things about fault lines is that underground aquifers leak water - some come as hot springs - this RV park has nine hot pools with mineral water that is said to be good for arthritis and other ailments - and some come as oasises in the desert. We hiked today to the Palm Oasis - Hundreds of fan palms hug the oasis pool. Their dead fronds fall to the side of the trunk forming thick "skirts" that make a good hiding place for birds, lizards and other animals. We even saw cougar prints at the water's edge. A beautiful and peaceful place!
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