Beautiful Desert

Drove around today as it is Ken's birthday and he wanted to go check out the vendors at the FMCA Rally in Indio.  After spending a few hours there we headed to Olive Garden for a late lunch...  Enough left for dinner too ! ! !  On the way and out and about we captured these great shots of the surrounding mountains.  It is really beautiful in a deserty (is that a word) way ! !   There has been a lot of flooding around here, especially up against the mountains.  We saw, for the first time, sand piled about two feet high by the "snow" plows. Very interesting...

Can hardly separate the clouds from the snow...

On to Palm Desert

Today is a big moving day, about 10 - 12 miles from Desert Hot Springs to Palm Desert.  LOL.  It was windy and pouring rain yesterday with talk of flash flooding all afternoon and evening.  We went to lunch with Vonnie & Claude, Ken's sister and then bundled in.  The sky got very Oregon like.  Low clouds and no visibility.  Woke up to this in the Santa Rosa Mountains, no snow yesterday... Very pretty today, sun and snow in the mountains.  Can hardly tell that it rained in the Desert Hot Springs area.  Dillon Road is like a roller coaster with deep dips.  Almost none of the dips showed any evidence of water.  The closer we got to Palm Desert then we saw the "flooding" signs and all the mud and gravel on the roadways.  

This is the mountain that the Palm Springs Tramway is on.  We think it is San Jacinto.  Took this picture on the way over to Palm Desert.

Threats of more rain in the second storm that should hit this afternoon.  Nice that we got all moved in and settled before it hits.  This park really shows that it rained hard yesterday.  People we talked with said that there was at least six inches of standing water in the park yesterday evening and the sand is quite muddy.  Never been here in the rain before.    

This is home for the next month.  It is emptier than we ever remember  Hear that it is because the Canadian money is not worth as much.  Usually there are lots of Canadians here.  Huuuummmm..  Waiting to hear about my surgery getting scheduled and so that may change our plans.  

Desert Hot Springs

Changes to our schedule happened yesterday...  We just really were so cold that all we could think about was a full hookup, 50 amp site after about two weeks of basically dry camping ! ! !  Now that says something as we gave up this weekend in Plaster City in the desert with my niece, her husband and a million of their closest friends and family ! ! !  LOL. Would have been so fun but I was too cold.  Made it to our RPI, last minute, reservation at Desert Pools in Desert Hot Springs.  Have never stayed here before but it is about a mile from where Ken's sister, Vonnie, now lives.  Hope to be able to see more of her but she is just getting sick so we will see how that goes. When we move to Thousand Trails in Palm Desert we will only be about 12 miles away.  We traveled from Bakersfield, about a five hour drive and beautiful through the Tahachipi Pass and the Lucerne Valley.  Took highway 58 most of the way and then turned onto 247 and then 62.  NO TRAFFIC.  We got to miss all the Riverside, LA traffic on Highway 10. 

Met up with new Fantasy RV friends, Stephanie and David White.  They were going to dinner at Grill A Burger and then going to the Fleetwood Mac cover band performing at Spotlight 29 Casino.  They invited us to join them...  Fun to get to catch up with them.  

Watched the Rose Parade on TV this morning while remembering that we were there in person last year.  Was absolutely freezing and raining last year so we really appreciated the warm RV, sun shining in the windows.  It's 10:30am here now and 60 degrees.  I think it will be a warmer stay now ! ! 

Happy New Year everyone ! ! !  Wishing peace, health and happiness to all !

Moving on Down the Road

Hard leaving Angela and Corey's.  Nice lazy days and great food as well as it being Christmas ! !   Weather was so cold and we were dry camping.  We are still freezing ! ! !   LOL.  Didn't know that Livermore actually has below freezing weather.  Someone did say that this is winter.... Staying at the Orange Grove RV Camp in Bakersfield. Have been here several times before without reservations, however, tonight they are full at 2:00pm in the afternoon. Luckily, we got one of the few overflow spaces.  Water and electricity will have to work ! !  Glad we have reservations from now on.  We have been basically dry camping for the past eleven days so are looking forward to full hookups and getting really warm.  I don't usually get cold ! !   Decided to pass on another week dry camping in the desert.  Was looking forward to seeing Darcy and Troy but will see them in February.  We really don't know how our propane lasts and not worth running out when so cold...  Hopefully will be warmer further south. Headed to Desert Hot Springs tomorrow.  Will be very near Ken's sister Vonnie. Be nice to see her too !  The sad news is that we heard that our neighbor Bob Jarvil died very unexpectedly last Tuesday.  RIP Bob.  

Corey & Angela's for Christmas

OMG, as good as yesterday traveling was, today was the opposite.  It POURED rain all night like we never see.  People at the Elks told us that Eureka already had about 30 inches for December.....  Rain didn't stop raining hard until Sacramento.  Then, of course, traffic made up for it.  We are very happy to be here for a while ! ! !   LOL   Did see a lot of elk roaming in the fields today. Amazing how many we saw...  

to Eureka, California

Boy, before we left this was the river this morning early....

Look carefully, the duck boxes are in the rive now....












Today was a long driving day, about nine hours.  We never do that.  We left home at 8:15 am and had a beautiful day driving along Highway 38 from Cottage Grove to Reedsport.  It was wide, muddy rivers, streams and lakes but the sun was shining the whole way.  We ended up at the Eureka, California Elks Club right at dark.  They still give two for one drinks as well as they had a private party tonight that had lots of leftover food soooooooooooooooo, we had free appetizers and prime rib bark.  Soooo good.  Now resting for another long day.  They tell us that rain is predicted but we are headed to I-5 and so we think it will be drier.  Corey was wishing that we would bring rain with us but I think it is staying home.  The river is really rising ! ! !   Sunset was beautiful. Never have seen so many people at all the pull outs and waysides.  Everyone was taking pictures but we were in a hurry to try and get to the Elks before dark, didn't work.  LOL.

Not a very good picture as we did not stop..




Tomorrow on to Corey's.  

On the Road Again December 2015

We are all ready to leave early in the morning... Tonight is the last Salem family Christmas dinner and we are all packed except for the refrigerator stuff.  Will be quick in the morning ! !  Heading for Christmas with Corey.  Been too many years !  THANKS to Alyssa for decorating the motorhome ! !  She did a great job!

Not unhappy that we are leaving the river right now....  higher than it has been in quite some time and BIG stuff coming down.  Wonder where it comes from??