SOUTHWESTERN STYLE

When you first enter Arizona (at Yuma) from California, the prices drop. Gas is a dollar cheaper. Housing costs leap downwards. A basket of goodies from the supermarket is noticably less than the California counterpart. I can see why seniors cluster here for their winter months.

Yuma itself is not large. And to be honest, on all our travels south to Mexico, we have only stayed here overnight once and that was when we were driving the van. So we made the resolution this time to stop for 2 nights and really have a "look-see".  

It is quite amazing. Stretching out for miles on the eastern end of town are acres and acres of RV Resorts. These have a very different look about them from the usual camp grounds we are used to. These are catering to the long term northern retired cohort. Some residents are permanent. Some are just stopovers like us. These resorts are pretty much duplicates of each other, offering rows upon rows of park models with small shaded areas for sitting out and keeping a pooch. The middle section is usually gravelled and divided into pull through sites for the short term visitor. And in the back is the huge community centre, swimming pool,  bocce court etc. And they all are much the same in layout and size. They do vary in attractiveness, and in the ratio of full to part-time residence.

Out further along highway 8 appear private RV lots, much larger than the spaces allowed in RV Resorts. These are privately owned, not rented, and they generally have a short brick wall around them, and hookups for RVs and maybe a palm tree or two. Some people build casitas on them and sometimes full sized homes. These lots appear to have been developed 20 or more years ago and the landscaping is somewhat haphazard.

I would say that most of these above facilities are well used by the northern escapee from the cold and wet. Again, most of the license plates were from the western states and provinces. I would estimate that western Canadians are at least equal to if not outnumbering the Americans in Yuma.

As we were out taking our cruise through Yuma, we wandered into a new development called El Rancho Encantado laid out to take in the glorious views of the Gila Mountains. These lots are individually owned and pay no fees. The zoning is very generous here towards part-time residents and RV residents. Many of the lots are set up with connections for two RVs and a casita is allowed. On other lots, only one RV connection is provided and a single house is allowed. There is no requirement for building anything and some of the lots had one or two large motor homes on them. What stands out is the southwestern theme for all the housing and landscaping. Very strict control is maintained for this southwestern look. I was strongly attracted to the landscape design as well as the southwestern architecture. Surprisingly, the lots here were only fractonally more expensive than the less attractive ones in older

neighbourhoods.

Below is a bare lot, ready for development. It has services suited for 2 RVs. This makes

it attractive for 2 couples to share. Also, some people rent out the other half of the

lot.

This lot has a small SW style casita, two RVs  and appropriate landscaping.

Outside the development, but with a view of the Gila Mountains.

SW style house and landscaping. The upright plant in the middle is an Ocotillo which

is a favourite of mine.

Another lot with interesting landscape features.

Even though we really enjoyed Palm Springs and Yuma, there are some negative

aspects to spending a winter here for me. My main objection is the weather. The

average high for December and January for both places hovers around 70F and the

desert lows are brisk at 40-45F. This does not provide enough heat for me! Add to that

the damage the extreme dryness does to my skin, I feel like a lizzard after just a few days in

the desert. I don't appear to be a desert person, I acknowledge my heart is set on the warm humidity

of the ocean beaches.

My other objection is cultural. I do not get the same punch from the SW vibe as I do

as soon as I cross the border into Mexico which beckons me with its riotous

colours, wild music, wonderful food, and hospitality. 

So we did a review, and we gave this area positive marks, but not enough to temp us away

from our Huatabampito destination.

Today we are off to our campsite just outside Tucson. We are getting anxious to leave all 

this for Mexico. So who knows how much longer we will be staying in southern Arizona??

Stay tuned!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM YUMA ARIZONA

A Merry Merry Christmas to you all. Please enjoy the Queen's Christmas Message for 2017, courtesy of our fellow Commonwealth country Australia, and the lovely clips of Christmas "down under".  Just click on the image please.

And from Yuma Arizona, best wishes to all our friends and family, as the Queen says, who are the rock to whom we return each Christmas season, even if only through the magic of cyberspace.

JOSHUA TREE

On Saturday we decided to take our cruise up into Joshua Tree National Park. 

We had driven through the lower sections of the park last year and loved it.

So this year we decided to drive back up to the northern entrance and come down

through the park.

The sun rise over the mountain behind the campground was lovely. It gave us a good start

to the day.

Back up to Yucca Valley to the northern entrance.

The park is almost indescribable. We are at an elevation of 4-5,000 feet and the

rock formations are stunning. They are in sections with long valleys in between.

The Joshua trees seem to love the higher elevations, the Cholla "Teddy Bear" cactus

are found separately on the next lower floor of the park. The rock formations that criss-cross

around and through the valleys are twisted and cracked and rounded by ancient winds.

I'll have a bit more to say about them in a moment. 

The various campgrounds are laid out in these rock formations, each one tucked in behind and

around and under the rock. Very few of them are capable of space for large campers, most of the

campers here use pup tents or small VW vans or other similar living space.

These campgrounds and their rock formations are heaven for rock climbers. The couple

below saw us winding through the rock and gave us a cheery wave.

The diversity of rock formations is infinite.

I thought that Dear Readers might like to see how these rock formations were

created. The rock appeared to be sandstone which is easily carved by wind and rain.

But the truth is the opposite. These massive rock outcroppings are solid granite and 

were fractured into shape by earthquakes and then the granite blocks were 

subsequently weathered into the rounded shape by mineral rich groundwater underground.

Further wind action over vast periods of time exposed the exotic rock formations.

In the photo below, you can see the event in process. There is exposed and weathered

rock to the right. The rounded hills to the left are covering a yet-to-be exposed section

of rock similar to the one you can see. An evolving process taking millions of years.

We turned off the main park road and took a long winding paved track out to 

the lookout. It is on the rim of the park overlooking the Coachella Valley, Palm Springs

and the Salton Sea. We are standing on the rim at 5,000 feet elevation overlooking the 

southern end of the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea at 235 odd feet below sea level. 

The blue haze is formed by moisture in the air and polution.

Looking straight across the valley, the camera does not do justice to the vastness

below. The slightly darker low rise, snaking across the valley below is the San 

Andreas fault line. The guide at the lookout cheerily told us that the fault produces

a steady stream of earthquakes. "There were two last night" he said. "One was 2.3

and the other was 3.1". We looked down at this snaking ridge with a shudder.

Across the valley, the tallest peak on the right side, just to the left side of the viewers 

(Rick is there on the far right) is over 10,000 feet high. It seems miniaturized by the scale

of the valley itself.

We loved our time in the park, and probably will return on our way home. There is

something absolutely magnetic about seeing the vastness of space and time compressed

into this landscape. It is a humbling experience.

As I write this it is now Christmas Eve, and I wish to all of you our love and hopes

for a joyous and peaceful Chistmas. May we take a moment to consider the riches of

our life and give thanks for sharing it together,

xxx Barbara, Rick and Flossie 

TO SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE Part 2

As soon as we leave Lucerne Valley heading down again towards Palm Springs, we enter the Yucca forests. I loooove Yucca trees. Not just "fond of" but deep profound looooove.  What can I say about them? Take a look. Decide for yourselves.

Entering down the steep grade into Yucca Valley.

Leaving Yucca Valley down another steep grade down onto the lowest valley floor at Palm Springs.

You have not entered the Twilight zone. As one enters the outskirts of Palm Springs, this is a narrow neck between two valleys and it is a natural wind tunnel. It surely looks like something from outer space!  Rick likes the first photo best.  My favourite is #2 but #3 is a close second.

The desert floor surrounding Palm Springs is a natural oasis consisting of various forms of agriculture including date palm orchards. Below is a field planted with a winter crop of some sort. 

After we pass into the outskirts of Palm Springs proper, we are on the road to the campground. On one side is rough ground and rock. On the other side is essential Palm Springs, beautiful landscaping with desert flora of all types, curving sidewalks, various types of palms artfully arranged. And of course in behind is the stunning mountain backdrop.

At the end of the road above, is the entrance to Cahuila State Park, sitting on its own little lake, backed up against the mountains. It is dusk as we arrive and the campground is very quiet and with loads of room. Tomorrow will bring a little tour of something or other, but all we want to do now is set ourselves up and topple into bed.

Niteynite.

Barbara Rick and Flossie 

TO SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE Part One

Part One:

Thursday dawned clear and crisp. Frost on the windshield and 37F. Brrrr. We got off early to ger ourselves on the chosen route to Palm Springs, via Barstow. This means a trek eastward up from the Imperial Valley and over the low range of mountains.

At 9AM, we cross the valley floor heading east.

As we rise up, I look back at the valley floor.

It's a short hop over the mountains to Barstow where we fill up at a gas station. There are wind cautions

posted all along the freeway. We are feeling lucky to have a fifth wheel instead of

a trailer, as we watch the poor fellow ahead of us weaving from side to side, buffeted by

very strong wind gusts.

While filling up, we note the palms and flags being bent sideways.

From Barstow we see that a side trip to Joshua Tree is not going to happen this

day as the wind is slowing us down considerably. So we head south towards

Palm Springs.  Here we are crossing a high desert of sage and creosote brush.

Out in the middle of nowhere, we run across this saloon run by the local ranch. It

looks deserted, except that the sign says it is open on weekends.. 

In the back of the saloon is an old wind driven water pump and the metal carcass of an old truck

.

Old water tanks like this dot the countryside. A lot of these wells have been pumped

dry.

In the distance is the small high desert town of Lucerne Valley. 

The intersection at Lucerne Valley. Rick commented to me "Now you know why

we have GPS". 

END Of Part One.

CALIFORNIA DOES RAIN, SO THERE!!

Wednesday 20 December.  Off we go. South we pedal in search for warmth and sunshine……

Flossie is on her usual high alert. 

The day rose clear and with great promise for that great California Day. While Rick broke camp

I did a small walk-about to photograph the newest addition to the Santa Nella campground,

two large solar panels. Quite impressive!

The drive down the valley to Bakersfield is really nothing spectacular. Obviously it is flat,

with hills on either side but there is little to see in the way of organic material or colour or structure. 

The fields are golden dry, the grass shrivelled by the drought. We plod on, motivated by the thought

of rising temperatures, the strong California sun and soft breezes. Who cares about boring scenery

when the promise of golden sunshine and warmth on one's back hastens us forward?

We passed a number of localized blackened areas which denoted small grass fires, quickly contained.

It was a sobering testament to the current drought, but we also saw fields of fruit trees and vines (see

below).

Then the unthinkable happened. The bar of blue sky disappeared as we drove into

a large grey mass of H2O.  By the time we reached Harris Ranch (below) for gas,

the blue had been replaced by grey drizzle. For someone from the Pacific NW this 

was the ultimate in disappointment. We were here to escape from such trials!!

Behind us, the blue sky was busy receding from sight. The radio said by tomorrow

the sun would shine again. Sure sure, I thought….. "siempre manana".

Just take a look at this I say with disgust :(  Is this Bakersfield or is this Seattle???

Regardless of unseemly amounts of rain, we arrived in good time at the Orange Grove RV

Park outside Bakersfield and were well pleased to see that the high reviews it has received

from fellow campers were borne out. The campground was clean and tidy and the layout was 

spacious with orange trees at each site. We were encouraged to pick as many oranges as we

wanted and if we found a large one to give it in to the office for weighing. The heaviest orange 

would win a free night at the campground. We tried the oranges and they were like nothing we

northerners had tasted before. Although relatively small, they were seedless, very sweet but with a

definite nip. Delicious!!

A trip to Walmart enhanced our pantry with stock supplies, and afterwards we were tired so we decided to

call the day quits at 3PM. Put the kettle on, played with the dog (chase the frisbee which is quite a hoot

inside a small camper) and decided on a basic dinner of mashed spuds and baked chicken. 

As I type, the sun bursts through the clouds and slides across the table. Life is good.

Tomorrow we have no exact fixed plans, other than to head across to Barstow 

and then into Joshua Tree National Park. If they have room, we will stay there

and explore for a day or two. if not, then we will move on towards Lake Cahuilla 

south of Palm Springs. Of course we could reinvent these plans into something entirely

the opposite so you (and I) won't know until tomorrow after we have done it (or not).

Hope you all are having a wonderful peaceful prelude to Christmas.

Barbara Rick and Flossie the amazing traveller

CALIFORNIA HERE I COME!!

Here are the photos of the trip from Vacaville on Sunday. The first shot is across the Sacramento River.  

This area has industrial activity and barges on the river.

Once we got settled at our campsite, we spent 2 days with Rick's cousins Sue and Jodie

in San Ramon.  Sue just moved recently into this lovely home with her daughter Kelly, 

complete with 4 doggies who were an unexpected treat for Flossie.

Sue is an accomplished sewer and quilter. This amazing quilt hanging at the top of the stairs

I think is her masterpiece.

The lounge and dining area look out into the back terrace that wraps also 

around the family/kitchen room. True outdoor California living!!

Well it doesn't look like Christmas does it. Imagine vines and flowers and trees

blooming in late December, green grass and trees in leaf!

After a fun time with the relatives, it was time to saddle up again, and head evermore

southwards. Today we are starting off in a leisurely fashion, happy to have the truck

repaired, and the cab filled with all sorts of munchies (courtesy of Sue)…

We haven't decided exactly where we are going today, so it will now become a mystery

tour as we wend our way down into the southwest and Mexico. 

HAPPY TRAILS  and love to all from Barbara, Richard and Flossie the wonder dog.