Arizona to New Mexico

Quartzsite to Tucson to Las Cruces

December 1, 2009 to December 3, 2009

We left Quartzsite and drove east on I 10 across Arizona to Buckeye.  At Buckeye, we dropped south on Highway 85 to I 8.  Then we continued east on I 8.  Let it be known that most of the rest areas in Arizona are closed.  We found only one rest area open and one picnic area open, which is pretty inconvenient when you are traveling.

Once I 8 connected up with I 10, we dropped south into Tucson and spent the night at the Desert Diamond Casino.  As it turned out, Willie Nelson was performing at the casino.  We didn’t see him, but we did get pictures of his bus.

I’m just kidding; that’s not Willie’s bus.  This bus was parked in the corner of the parking lot with “Nashville” in the header.  I joked to Bob that it was Willie’s bus before I even knew that Willie’s actual buses would be parked beside us later.   

 We know these are Willie’s because the security guard told us so.

We spent one night at the casino in Tucson and then moved on east on I 10 hoping to miss weather.  Nope.  We are now parked in Las Cruces, New Mexico at a rest area just west of the city.  It is snowing.  Tomorrow our route takes us south through El Paso where it is supposed to snow, and on into Texas where it will be snowing.  Needless to say, we won’t leave Las Cruces until this crazy weather passes on by.  The weathermen say they are even expecting snow in Mexico.  Yikes. 

California to Arizona

Palm Springs to Quartzsite

November 30, 2009

Today, which is my brother Andy’s birthday, found us leaving our Palm Springs Thousand Trails RV Park and heading east.  We had originally planned to drop down to I 8 to spend some time around Yuma and visit with Mike and Carla’s father, Eldon.  The weathermen said they were going to get snow down there, so we changed our plans and headed east to Quartzsite instead. 

This time, we stayed on Dome Rock Road just west of Quartzsite.  This campsite was especially nice because there were fewer people out there, the night sky was amazing, and the ground was littered with beautiful rocks including clusters of quartz.

 We spent two nights on Dome Rock Road waiting for weather to clear out east of us. 

 After a couple of relaxing days in the desert, we were ready to head east.  We have plans to be in Oklahoma City by December 15, 2009 to visit Bob’s daughter and son-in-law.  Happy trails!

Palm Springs Aerial Tram Ride

November 27, 2009

Today we decided to take a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram.  The  ten minute, 2 1/2 mile Tram ride lifts you from the Valley Station at about 2,640 feet up the face of Mt. San Jacinto to the Mountain Station at about 8,500 feet.  The Tram car is considered to be one of the largest in the world and the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

 The Tram is about 18 feet in diameter with windows all of the way around.  Here we are, leaving the station.

 

Leaving Valley Station

You stand facing the windows (unless you’re too chicken).  As you ascend and descend the mountain, the floor slowly rotates around twice per trip so that you are able to see in all directions.  As you pass over the five towers, the rigidity of the tower causes a pronounced bump.  Then as you continue on between towers, the slack in the cable causes the car to swing.  At that height, it’s an adrenalin rush for sure.  There were a lot of gasps and screeches as we passed over that first tower.

 

Arriving at Mountain Station

The Tram is a major gateway to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.  The park encompasses 14,000 acres of pristine wilderness.   From the Mountain Station, there are hikes for every level of hiker including a short one-and-a-half mile loop, a 4.2 mile round trip hike, a 12-mile round trip hike, and 54 miles of hiking with primitive campgrounds.

 The views from the Mountain Station were simply awesome.  The pictures speak for themselves.

 

Palm Springs and surrounding communities

Bob at Mountain Station

 

Salton Sea in the distance

 

Some pictures had to be taken just because Nature is an artist.

 

Beautiful geological layers

I have a dozen more pictures, but you get the idea.  We ate lunch, a delicious piece of pizza, at the Mountain Station under the festive Christmas decorations.

Eating lunch at the Mountain Station

We watched another Tram arrive, jumped on it and twirled our way back down the mountain.

After a stop at Walmart, we headed on home.  It was a fun day.  The Tram ride is a bit expensive, but well worth the cost in our opinion.

California

Geocaching in the foothills near Palm Springs

November 24, 2009

Today we decided to go geocaching in the desert near Palm Springs.  We found three.  The first was called Super Bowl Turf and it took us to the edge of town to a field where they used to grow turf for football stadiums.  Apparently they have sold out to developers who are building gated communities, so they no longer grow turf there. 

The second geocache took us into a wildlife preserve.  The description said that the cache was located a “short hike through a dry creek bed.”  Well, not exactly.  It was more like a half mile across the rocky desert floor.  This picture is taken from the pickup.  The geocache is located at the base of that roundish knoll in the distance.

As we walked across the desert floor, there were many beautiful rocks lying around.  It was all I could do not to fill my pockets.  I did pick up a few small ones.

A lot of the rocks sparkled in the sun.  They came in every color, and there were many that were beautifully layered.

 It was a fun excursion across a wash in the desert.  Too bad we didn’t see any of the horny toed lizards that the area is famous for.

Our third and final geocache for the day was located in a small strip mall on Dinah Shore Drive.  After we found it, we stopped in at a Chinese Buffet and had lunch.  Geocaching is a fun hobby and a great way to learn about an area.

Slab City

November 20, 2009

While we were driving around the Salton Sea, we took a side trip into Slab City.  What is Slab City, you ask?  Well, let me tell you a little story about Crazy Larry.

Autumn before last, we were camped at Horsethief Lake State Park in Washington State.  An older motorhome pulled in and set up beside us.  It didn’t take long for Larry to come on over and introduce himself.  Now Larry is quite an individual.  Luckily for me, my special education training came in handy while dealing with Larry.  Larry was lonesome and he liked to talk.  At one point, I was watching Survivor outside and kindly explained to Larry that he was welcome to watch….quietly.  Larry replied that he would just go on back to his motorhome and leave me to watch my program in peace.  Then Larry proceeded to come back over about every eight to ten minutes and ask, “Can I just say one thing?”  Oh yes, Larry was unique.

In the course of many conversations, Larry told us about a place in southern California where we could go and boondock for the winter.  That place was Slab City.  Larry explained that it was an old army base where they had torn down the buildings but left the concrete slabs intact.  He said that it’s a destination for some snowbirds, and that there are many people who live there year round.

Slab City sounded interesting.  I did a Google search, and sure enough there is such a place!  And that is how we came to make a right at Niland, California to go and see Slab City.

Slab City is located on the site of Camp Dunlap.  During the years of WWII, Camp Dunlap was a training camp for training Marines and others in desert warfare.   At the end of the war, it was closed and all the buildings were torn down, leaving only the cement foundations, hence the name Slab City.

As you approach Slab City, you pass on old guard station that lets you know you are almost there.  At this spot, there is an old cistern.  Apparently a stream of water from a hot springs pours into the cistern.  Local Slab City people climb down into the cistern and stand under the waterfall to shower.   There’s a sign posted that reads, “If there is a car parked here, don’t come down!”

 As you enter Slab City, you pass Salvation Mountain.  Here is the story behind Salvation Mountain.  Salvation Mountain is the ongoing creation of Leonard Knight who is now in his 70′s.   Leonard has been painting and repainting his bright Biblical messages on the sides of Salvation Mountain since the 1985. He estimates over 100,000 gallons of paint have been used to create the gospel message on the mountain, trucks, trees and whatever else surrounds the acre of land.  He sleeps in the Salvation Truck, a decorated vehicle with a house on the back. The truck, like the mountain, is lettered with biblical quotations and a large “REPENT” warning. The sight of Salvation Mountain — his three story tall, 100-foot wide riot of concrete, adobe and paint — greets you as you enter Slab City.

As you drive into town, you see that people live in anything from new and expensive motorhomes to cars, pickups or old shacks thrown together using a lot of junk.  Some people live here year around, others are snowbirds who drop in for the winter.  There is no water, electricity, sewer dump or even a telephone here.  It is simply a place in the desert where people gather.  Some of the people are very colorful.

Builder Bill built an outdoor entertainment center complete with raised stage, sound and lights.  I read that the electricity is provided via solar power by the Sun Works.  The audience sits around in bus seats, armchairs, couches and  theater seats.  A poster claims there is music on the stage every Friday evening.

A lady named  Rosalie founded a library in Slab City.   Slabbers and visitors have donated hundreds of books available to all. It’s run by the honor system. Come in, refill the fountain (a water jug pours melodically into a pool of water through a pinhole) and find a good book  to read in the shade.