Santa and the Wrangler on the Road

Monday, January 31, 2011

We find the Fountain of Youth!

Prince Reindeer at Fountain of Youth

Time moves slowly here but the days tick away quickly. We have adopted a leisurely pace at the Fountain of Youth. Most mornings Ed is up at the crack of dawn while Ross enjoys a more relaxed awakening. We have breakfast or should we say brunch, watch a little TV, walk the dogs to the dog park (Mojo and Teddy have met a lot of other dogs and they can romp around a very large enclosure complete with places to climb, places to hide, places to chase, and places to dig), then meander down to the pool for 2 – 2 ½ hours of floating and sun basking.

The large pool and hot tub are adults only. There is another pool, and three hot tubs that allows children (not that there are lot of children here) but usually has activities going on. That is where they have the “lobster pot” – a pool filled with hot mineral waters straight from the earth – very hot (hence the name!).

Of course after a strenuous day of walking and floating it’s time for a sundown cocktail, then dinner and an evening of TV/reading/computer work (when we can get connectivity).

And the sunsets! Did we mention the sunsets?

We have taken a few trips to explore the area. One day we piled into the car and took off for El Centro. Had a little look around some of the small towns between FOY and El Centro – Niland, Calipatria, Brawley, and Slab City.

Niland and Calipatria are small towns that probably flourished when there was an armed forces base here. There is precious little else to bring people and keep them here! Mainly agricultural – some citrus, some dates, some vegetables but no industry per se that we could see. Brawley happens to be the confluence of two state highways and so there are some fast food places, gas stations, and an actual “downtown” (although many of the stores are boarded up and sitting empty).

Slab City is another thing completely!! Years ago an armed forces base was located here with buildings and the hustle and bustle you expect on a busy base.

After the base was closed the air force dismantled all the buildings etc and left only the cement slabs. Over the years the place fell into disarray and the desert began to reclaim its territory. That’s when the travelers found the place.

Today Slab City is filled with a community all its own. You can find the hippies, the entrepreneurs, the travelers, and the homeless. There is a large hill (Salvation Mountain) that has been completely covered with religious sayings, and paraphernalia; there are the requisite cars and trailers that are “decorated” with multiple geegaws; some businesses (solar panels, restaurants/cafes, and a convenience store); many people in travel trailers/5th wheels/motor homes just looking for a free place to camp; and some people trying to escape either reality or the government (or both). Like we say, an interesting spot.

El Centro is heavily populated with Mexican immigrants (legal and otherwise) so there are many businesses that cater to the Hispanic peoples. One such business is Cardenas, a Mexican supermarket. Imagine a huge Safeway store completely filled with Mexican foods. They also have a tortilla factory (both corn and flour), a grill area that cooks all manner of meats (chicken, beef, pork, lamb), and a complete deli. Great place to shop. Great seafood, huge selection of hot sauces, incredible bakery, and a vegetable market that has huge bins of jalapeno peppers/nopalitos/citrus fruits/spices/etc.

Some of the hot sauces at Cardenas

One pound packages of LARD for tamales and other low-fat treats!

Next door there is a great clothing shop featuring stock that has not sold elsewhere and is offered at a great deal – baby clothes for $1, men’s shirts for $2. coats for $5. Have a few armloads of stuff for Emily! Fun time!!

We explored the Borrego desert area when we met Donna and Norm Lynch, friends of ours from Penticton. They have been going to that area for years and acted as our guides, showing us places we would never have discovered. In one day we had a picnic in Hawk Valley amidst rocky and boulder strewn mountains, walked a ways through the Anza Borrego desert park, and drove past a part of a massive parcel of land that had metal sculptures all over the desert.

The owner knew of an artist that sculpted (or rather welded) metal and hired him to make a few pieces for his home. The gentleman was so impressed with the sculptures that he kept the artist around to make pieces to display along the highway. Wild horses racing across the desert, some being stalked and attacked by saber toothed tigers, prehistoric elephants, a massive eagle feeding her young a squirming snake, mountain sheep butting heads, and a gold panner seeking his fame and fortune while his horse patiently waits for him. Quite well done…….and there are paths throughout the desert so you can drive from one sculpture to another.

We have also explored the north end of the Salton Sea. Going through small towns like Bombay Beach (named because this is where air force jets opened their bomb bay doors in preparation to drop bombs on and around the nearby Chocolate Mountains during practice bombing raids), North Beach (a thriving community of 2900 people), Mecca (really the very southern tip of the Palm Springs region), Thermal (where the very best date shakes are made……we even bought a few pounds of dates for us to eat), Coachella, and Indio. Great place and has all the favourite shopping places we need. Coachella, Indio, La Quinta, and Palm Desert all blend together and eventually run into Palm Springs. Although we did find that living in Palm Desert seemed to have certain requirements attached.

While driving through the city it seemed that everything was behind gates and high walls, all cars were made in places other than North America (Audi, Rolls Royce, BMW, Mercedes), everyone dressed to the hilt even to go out for coffee, all pets had a lengthy pedigree, and the houses were all well over our budget!!!! Oh well we like the Okanagan too much to move here!!

The dogs are having a blast. As we have said the dog park is a good walk from our place but there is almost always a couple of dogs for our guys to smell/play. A few days ago (~ Jan 28 or so) we got to the park. There were a couple of dogs there already, but before long there was a total of 18 dogs – small, large, short hair, long hair, friendly, some not so much (even had a woman there with two dogs – one that hated all other dogs but loved people, and one who hated all humans but couldn’t stand other dogs)!

We leave this particular Paradise on Feb 15 for a short journey to a casino just outside Yuma. From there we will nip across the border to Algodones. We are looking at picking up some glasses for each of us. Then a couple of days in Quartzsite and then on to Lake Havasu.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Lions and Tigers and Hot Mineral Spas!

January 11, 2011 –

We traveled from Anaheim to San Diego with little incident (how much trouble could we get into in a 2 hour journey?) and set up camp in the Chula Vista KOA. This park is amazing – terraced and landscaped with over 300 sites. The host a comely lad named Clint was most helpful, with suggestions, directions and all kinds of ideas for things to see and do. He also sold us tickets for the trolleys, the zoo and probably would have come with us if we’d asked!

Did laundry and noticed an ad for a tour from San Diego down the Baja Peninsula and back that was leaving that day………….HMMM, wonder how much money is in the bank right now?? Definitely something to check into later. We decided to hold off exploring until the next day when we are rested.

January 12 – Up at our usual time (quarter past coffee time), had breakfast, walked the dogs, and talked to some of the people on the Baja tour. This tour company is based in Surrey BC (!!) and has been around for quite a few years.

They do not keep as regimented a schedule as some of the tours we have investigated…cheaper too! They don’t leave you stranded in the desert for days on end. Much like our way of living. They have a wagon master and a follow up rig and meander down the Baja on a 28 or 32 day tour. We are very interested……..who knows, next year you may be reading of our adventures in

Mexico

Drove down to Old Town (historical area that is the birthplace of California according to the people who should know) and had a look around – imagine Barkerville with warm weather and desert conditions. Caught the trolley bus that takes you on a sightseeing trip around San Diego so we can see what we would like to explore tomorrow.

Tour guides (you can hop off the bus, look around the area, and catch the next bus) were very knowledgeable with two having a quick wit, great repartee, and lots of puns and jokes. We saw Old Town, Little Italy, the San Diego zoo, Coronado Island, etc. There is much to see and do here so we go back to the park and book in for an additional night (3 in total). Dinner was at a BBQ place recommended by our good friends in Victoria (Bruce and Buck). Great food at a reasonable price, but difficult to find (very little lighting on their signs so we traveled up and down the street for many a mile!!

January 13 – Today we take on the San Diego Zoo. This 120 acre world renowned zoo is nestled in a gorge…..so lots of up and down walking. The animals are all displayed very well and look like they are cared for incredibly well. Had a chance to talk to one of the keepers. He was very knowledgeable about his particular animal and loved talking about the care and attention needed for this animal. Enclosures are large and they have tried to copy the animal’s natural environment. The neat thing is they have also given lots of opportunity for the public to view the animals for several different angles……..read as lots of pictures!!!

Took the “overview” tour bus, then started walking. Our plan was to start at the top of the “gully” and work our way down, but somehow we were always walking up hills, stairs, ramps, etc. We saw all manner of birds, avoided the reptile house (note from Ed: NOT my idea!) watched giraffes feeding (and drinking from a pond – can you say acrobatic?), lions sunning themselves, hippos sleeping in the warm sunshine, polar bears cavorting in and out of their pool, other hippos sleeping in shallow water with only their ears, eyes, and nostrils above water, monkeys swinging from trees, chimps chasing each other, and gorillas waiting by their hatch door (trying to trigger the hatch with a small stick through a hole by the bottom of the door), and lots more. Suffice it to say, we could have spent the whole day there……………HEY, Wait a Minute……..we DID spend the whole day there!! And our feet were sore enough to prove it!!

After leaving the zoo we drove around another area of the park that has some amazing museums. We were too tired to look inside, but the facades were incredible.

During the city tour we learned that there is also a small outdoor amphitheatre in this park that for years hosted many musicals. Then the San Diego airport added a few more runways……one that flew right over the theatre. Apparently (this could be an urban legend) the low flying aircraft would drown out any performance so the producers came up with a plan. There was a “plant” in the audience with a couple of bright lights. When aircraft got too close the “plant” would stand up and shine a red light up to the sound booth and then to the conductor.

The performance would freeze momentarily, the aircraft would fly over the theatre, and when the “plant” gave the green light to the sound booth and conductor the performance would resume. Interesting to think about and very difficult for the actors and musicians. Also in this park is a wonderful band shell that houses a magnificent pipe organ. This pipe organ was donated to the city and the park by a wealthy San Diegan (we were told the name but can’t remember what it was). The pipe organ was free only if there the city provided a free concert every Sunday afternoon…….and so the tradition continues.

Back to the RV park and we have arranged for the dogs to be clipped at PetSmart tomorrow.

January 14 - Up early to get the dogs to the groomer, then off to find Ed a haircut (the groomer didn’t want to take him as well as doing the dogs – didn’t know if he bit and we didn’t have his rabies certificate – some groomer, huh?).

Waiting for the dogs gave us time to explore a little of Chula Vista – some VERY nice neighborhoods – great views, huge lots, huger houses, nice places. We pick up the dogs and head back to the motor home as they are a little stressed.

It also gave us a great chance to visit Mission San Diego…where it all started...yes….that’s right the first of the twenty one California Missions carved out of the wilderness by Father Junipero Serra.

Like so many of them Mission San Diego had fallen into ruin by the end of the 19^th Century but was lovingly restored and is now again a vibrant community.

Another night ‘at home’ as we are leaving this place tomorrow heading to Niland – or rather just north of Niland – the Fountain of Youth Spa RV park.

January 15 – Looking at the map the road looks easy with little to no difficulties and we find that is the case…………..until we head into the mountains. California road crews thought it would be a very funny idea to let motorists know that there are regularly huge gusts of wind throughout the mountain pass (45 miles of mountain pass)…….just after motorists pass the last turnaround. Big joke!! The signage warns drivers of large or tall vehicles that it is not advisable to travel this route. They could have told us before getting on the road!!

But then we remember that some warnings we have seen are not that terrible for Canadian drivers so we soldier on. All was well with Ed gripping the wheel with both hands as gusts blew us one way and the other, but we were making great time. That is until we reached a high mountain bridge that spans a deep gorge. Halfway across the bridge a gust of wind hit the RV and I swear we were only on 2 wheels. THEN Ross looked down into the gorge……….clean shorts time!!! We made it across the bridge and crept the rest of the way to El Centro where we turned north heading toward the Fountain of Youth.

We arrive at this spa and are amazed how many Canadians are here – apparently (according to our neighbour who lives…..are you ready for it?......in West Kelowna!!!!) the park comprises of between 75% and 80% Canadians!! We swear that we will see neighbours from back home sometime. The park is huge (800 serviced spaces with 200 unserviced spaces usually used for people waiting for a space to open up….they don’t take reservations!!), paved, and terraced with most spaces having views of the Salton Sea. We settle into one of the serviced spaces and breath a sigh of relief. Then start looking around.

The area around here has many hot springs and loads of hot mineral water and the park has been in operation for near 30 years. There are 2 large swimming pools (both warm), 3 hot tubs of varying temps, all manner of activities (pool, shuffleboard, arts and crafts, library, mail room, 2 laundry rooms, a small mercantile store, a small restaurant, meeting rooms, a card room, plenty of motor homes/manufactured homes for sale at a good price……and sun, SUN, SSUUNN!!!

After a couple of days we realized that we both would like to stay longer than the week we have booked. We are relaxed and starting to have a little fun. We are near El Centro, Palm Springs, Salton Sea, and Indio. We are also told that the temp is usually in the 70s during the winter but gets up to 110s during the summer (that’s too hot for us, but we also are usually in Canada during the summer, so that takes care of that!). The one drawback that we can see is the park has “iffy” WiFi service.

January 16 – We lounge around the rig for awhile, then take the dogs for a walk, then meander down to the pool, then back to the rig for sundown cocktails (and what a sundown!!). That took most of the day………I don’t know exactly WHAT we did, but we are feeling better/more relaxed. We both still have colds but they will abate sometime soon…..we hope. We are also hoping to see Donna and Norm Lynch for Penticton who are staying at Borrego Springs on the other side of the Salton Sea.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The light show that is the ferris wheel

Disneyland 104, originally uploaded by TexasEd.

This is Paradise Pier at Disney's California Adventure. We snapped this while waiting for World of Color to start. The wheel is a light show of it's own.....all LED I'm sure...but they change colors in seconds...amazing!