Holtville is a quaint farming town (after all it IS the carrot capital of the world) but they also grow cabbage, lettuce, radishes, cauliflower, etc. Imagine fields as far as the eye can see – green, lush, and productive. We saw busloads of Hispanic workers working in the fields weeding, thinning, and harvesting. The growers actually send buses to Mexico to bring back men and women who want to work in the fields. Each bus carries about 40 people and comes with its own little trailer with portapottys and hand sanitizers on the back.
Just south of Holtville is the larger town of Calexico – home of some amazing flea markets. Each vendor has his/her own way of selling merchandise. We saw vendors with rack upon rack of clothes, others selling huge bins of stuffed animals, some were hawking electronics – even saw a couple of sound boards going for $400, all kinds of appliances lined up neatly in row upon row, and right next to it a young couple trying to sell their paltry possessions that lay scattered on the ground.
There were about 11 or 12 rows of stalls with 10 vendors on each side of the row. And if you can’t get enough, go across the street for even better deals, or just down the road for another open air market. There is even an indoor market, again selling clothes, electronics, perfume (although interestingly enough there was a shelf of industrial grease guns next to high end fragrances!), toys, and shoes.
Of course there was the ever present food carts and the smells were wonderful. We took in some of the bartering and crept home with our VERY expensive purchase – a pair of baby sandals selling for $1!!
Did not go through the border to Mexico but took a look at the high fence between the two countries. Every block or two there was a border patrol vehicle just sitting there waiting for some poor fellow to try and ‘escape’ into the USA. As in most of the towns in this neck of the woods there is a large population of poor with only a few wealthy to be seen.
A visit to Salton Sea was going to be a couple days camping but we noticed it was very close to Holtville so we took a day and drove around it. This marvel of nature used to be part of the Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez but was landlocked ages ago. It remained salty but slowly turned to a fresh water lake (about 20 miles long and 35 miles wide) as rivers found their way to the area. Now it is becoming increasingly salty again as it again dries up.
Bruce has the ‘Kringle’ (a motor home he built on a Freightliner chassis so it’s HUGE). He can haul his little car around in the back of the Kringle. He also can hoist up a projection screen. So a couple of times he entertained quite a few people at the park with movie night. We brought the popcorn, everyone brought their own chair and liquid libation. We watched “Ratatouille” and “G-Force” under the stars…it was great!.
One week after the carrot festival Bruce, Sue, and the two of us again went down to El Centro. This time for their Mardi Gras and the night time parade. What a hoot – there were bands, floats, service groups (and the 4-H club), folkloric dance groups, and the royalty of Mardi Gras. The streets were crowded with about 20000 people in total (according to one bike policeman) and vendors of food, souvenirs, trinkets (yes, we got some beads but did not have to expose ourselves thankfully), food, and some booze. Had dinner at the Legion – real gumbo (Sue and I passed our bowls to Ed and Bruce settling for more natural food like hot dogs and hamburgers)! Met a few people helping in the kitchen and everyone had a great time. After the parade the music started. From several stages along the parade route there was hip hop, oldies, C & W, and a blend of western and Mexican. Great time!!
On Sunday we sadly said goodbye to Bruce and Sue as they headed back to Quartzsite to meet up with Buck and Heather, and we took off to Joshua Tree National Park. Located at the edge of Yucca valley and at 4000’ this park is immense. Joshua trees are a type of yucca plants and can grow to 15 – 20 feet. At only ½ inch of growth per year some of these plants were even older than us!!! Took a trip around the park looking at the acres of Joshua trees interspersed with huge boulders thrown up from a volcano eons ago and piled one on top of another, sometimes looking very precariously balanced. Lots of rock climbers! Then dropped down to the desert floor through a cholla (Choy-yah also called teddy bear cactus) forest, and onto scrub and desert sand. Fascinating and breath taking!
The saga will continue…..
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