Monday dec. 29
South of Sacramento in Merced, we’re in our t-shirts, driving with the window open! I think we’re finally on holidays “officially” now! We are passing through groves of citrus fruit, olives and grapes, very flat land with concrete storm drains or aquaducts every so often. Everything looks really dry, almost desert-like. We see solar panels being used, windmills, lots of radio towers and many trucks on the road. We are not on the I-5 anymore but on the 99 South towards Fresno. Megan is reading her Harry Potter 1 book and Ryan and I play chess in the back.
We’re thinking of you all at home in the snow….. and smiling :o)
Tuesday dec. 30 – we are on the road AGAIN, boy it sure takes a long time to find warm weather…..the scenery is so very different from home here south of Bakersfield. Now loads of orange groves, soft rounded shaped mountains on the left with higher ones behind it, and all flat farmland with wheat or citrus or grapes on the right. We are heading more east now, away from L.A., into the hills on our way to Joshua Tree park. Quite a few motorhomes and fifthwheels on the road, some from BC!
The I-58 takes us up in the hills and there are enormous boulders dotting the hilly fields. Windmills and turbines large and small along the ridge of hills, 100s of them at Tehachapi and Barstow. Wind and solar power is popular here. Small Joshua trees on the sides of the road. We are now in the Mojave Desert. We saw a coyote and there are little rodent holes in the ground.
We moved the bench seat in the van to the back bench position, creating a large open space in the middle of the van with the kitchenbox and pantry box/worksurface for making sandwiches along the way. When camping we fold the bench down, plywood on top and voila – double bed and 2 sleep on the floorspace on foamies.
We passed the town of Boron where 20-mule team Borax comes from. There is a huge open mine pit. Close to San Bernadino the Joshua trees get taller. Everywhere there are new buildings, homes, industrial sites and infrastructure half finished and/or empty with Lease signs on them.
Palm Springs – nice little town, ritzy, but everywhere you have to be 55 years or older and no kids allowed. We had to drive out of town where there was one Sam’s pool and spa RV place where we spent the night, not cheap! It has hot springs pools so the kids had fun swimming and we old ones soaked in the hot springs. It is hot during the day but cools off at night, still a little jacket is all that’s needed over the t-shirt. Earl’s wearing his holiday shirt! That means it’s officially holiday time now.
Dec. 31 (it doesn’t feel like december or new-years at all!) we went exploring the desert. Our friends have been here before a few years ago so they had some choice spots to show us. The main roads are paved but side roads are mostly sand, sometimes soft too. We hiked up a hill where our names are now written in the box on top by the american flag. It was a hot hike in the desert and we caught a gecko to study (and release), saw quail and jackrabbits and a roadrunner. How different this landscape is from home! Then we went to a mobile home park where someone had a grand kumquat bush and we asked if we could fill our pockets. The man had a few orange trees as well – there’s nothing like an orange straight from the tree! We found some grapefruit and orange trees on the side of the road too but they were green still. We’ll leave those in the car for a few days.
We overnight newyears’ eve in Joshua Park at 2000ft. altitude. It feels like we’re on top of the world. At night it really cooled off and it was super clear so we could see lots of stars. Someone had a huge telescope out just for that purpose. Mom’s cold is acting up quite a bit, we hope to get rid of that soon. It is not comfortable specially at higher elevations it seems. We walked into an oasis here in the desert, with huge palmtrees right where the water bubbles from the ground. It was very cool to walk in a dry riverbed which is sometimes full of water when there is a flash flood. We followed the riverbed for a ways, wondering where it would end up, into the Salton Sea perhaps?
Jan. 1, 2009
Happy New Year from Joshua Tree Park in California! After breakfast we explored a place called Hidden Valley another 1000 feet up into the Park. There’s traces of snow on the hills and side of the road but we’re in t-shirts and shorts. Hidden Valley is a place where cow hustlers used to hide the stolen cattle in this natural corral surrounded by huge boulders, rebrand them and move ‘em out. We walked all around the corral and some of us couldn’t resist climbing. Lots of people like to climb the steep rockfaces with all the gear but our lot climbed with sandals and flip-flops and did very well. Quite a work out! The scenery here is amazing, sandy desert with yucca plants and joshua trees and cacti and then the huge boulders and rocks precariously balanced on top of eachother. We learned at a visitors center how this is done, geologically, and also about the creatures that live in the desert. I’m glad I was ignorant of the tarantulas and scorpions…..otherwise I may not have slept so well.
A quick lunch and we’re on the way to the Salton Sea, 200 feet below sea level.
This is not what we expected at all.
Now camping here is kinda interesting. It smells funny. There's no greenery. The pelicans are very funny. Wonderful sunset and sunrise but we left early in the morning again. Passed fountain of youth and then onto El Centro. We had breakfast together and then parted ways with our friends who are going on to San Diego. We continue south, find a hotel for the night and inquire about Mexican car insurance and paperwork. We plan to cross the border tomorrow into the Baja. By this time we just want to see some ocean and warm WARM weather! It has been a little cool at night for some of us. And we're still dreaming of warm ocean breezes.
We've had a wonderful time travelling with our friends and their GPS - such a handy device! - the kids loved being and discovering together. We'll keep in touch with them through wireless internetting as much as possible.
South of Sacramento in Merced, we’re in our t-shirts, driving with the window open! I think we’re finally on holidays “officially” now! We are passing through groves of citrus fruit, olives and grapes, very flat land with concrete storm drains or aquaducts every so often. Everything looks really dry, almost desert-like. We see solar panels being used, windmills, lots of radio towers and many trucks on the road. We are not on the I-5 anymore but on the 99 South towards Fresno. Megan is reading her Harry Potter 1 book and Ryan and I play chess in the back.
We’re thinking of you all at home in the snow….. and smiling :o)
Tuesday dec. 30 – we are on the road AGAIN, boy it sure takes a long time to find warm weather…..the scenery is so very different from home here south of Bakersfield. Now loads of orange groves, soft rounded shaped mountains on the left with higher ones behind it, and all flat farmland with wheat or citrus or grapes on the right. We are heading more east now, away from L.A., into the hills on our way to Joshua Tree park. Quite a few motorhomes and fifthwheels on the road, some from BC!
The I-58 takes us up in the hills and there are enormous boulders dotting the hilly fields. Windmills and turbines large and small along the ridge of hills, 100s of them at Tehachapi and Barstow. Wind and solar power is popular here. Small Joshua trees on the sides of the road. We are now in the Mojave Desert. We saw a coyote and there are little rodent holes in the ground.
We moved the bench seat in the van to the back bench position, creating a large open space in the middle of the van with the kitchenbox and pantry box/worksurface for making sandwiches along the way. When camping we fold the bench down, plywood on top and voila – double bed and 2 sleep on the floorspace on foamies.
We passed the town of Boron where 20-mule team Borax comes from. There is a huge open mine pit. Close to San Bernadino the Joshua trees get taller. Everywhere there are new buildings, homes, industrial sites and infrastructure half finished and/or empty with Lease signs on them.
Palm Springs – nice little town, ritzy, but everywhere you have to be 55 years or older and no kids allowed. We had to drive out of town where there was one Sam’s pool and spa RV place where we spent the night, not cheap! It has hot springs pools so the kids had fun swimming and we old ones soaked in the hot springs. It is hot during the day but cools off at night, still a little jacket is all that’s needed over the t-shirt. Earl’s wearing his holiday shirt! That means it’s officially holiday time now.
Dec. 31 (it doesn’t feel like december or new-years at all!) we went exploring the desert. Our friends have been here before a few years ago so they had some choice spots to show us. The main roads are paved but side roads are mostly sand, sometimes soft too. We hiked up a hill where our names are now written in the box on top by the american flag. It was a hot hike in the desert and we caught a gecko to study (and release), saw quail and jackrabbits and a roadrunner. How different this landscape is from home! Then we went to a mobile home park where someone had a grand kumquat bush and we asked if we could fill our pockets. The man had a few orange trees as well – there’s nothing like an orange straight from the tree! We found some grapefruit and orange trees on the side of the road too but they were green still. We’ll leave those in the car for a few days.
We overnight newyears’ eve in Joshua Park at 2000ft. altitude. It feels like we’re on top of the world. At night it really cooled off and it was super clear so we could see lots of stars. Someone had a huge telescope out just for that purpose. Mom’s cold is acting up quite a bit, we hope to get rid of that soon. It is not comfortable specially at higher elevations it seems. We walked into an oasis here in the desert, with huge palmtrees right where the water bubbles from the ground. It was very cool to walk in a dry riverbed which is sometimes full of water when there is a flash flood. We followed the riverbed for a ways, wondering where it would end up, into the Salton Sea perhaps?
Jan. 1, 2009
Happy New Year from Joshua Tree Park in California! After breakfast we explored a place called Hidden Valley another 1000 feet up into the Park. There’s traces of snow on the hills and side of the road but we’re in t-shirts and shorts. Hidden Valley is a place where cow hustlers used to hide the stolen cattle in this natural corral surrounded by huge boulders, rebrand them and move ‘em out. We walked all around the corral and some of us couldn’t resist climbing. Lots of people like to climb the steep rockfaces with all the gear but our lot climbed with sandals and flip-flops and did very well. Quite a work out! The scenery here is amazing, sandy desert with yucca plants and joshua trees and cacti and then the huge boulders and rocks precariously balanced on top of eachother. We learned at a visitors center how this is done, geologically, and also about the creatures that live in the desert. I’m glad I was ignorant of the tarantulas and scorpions…..otherwise I may not have slept so well.
A quick lunch and we’re on the way to the Salton Sea, 200 feet below sea level.
This is not what we expected at all.
Now camping here is kinda interesting. It smells funny. There's no greenery. The pelicans are very funny. Wonderful sunset and sunrise but we left early in the morning again. Passed fountain of youth and then onto El Centro. We had breakfast together and then parted ways with our friends who are going on to San Diego. We continue south, find a hotel for the night and inquire about Mexican car insurance and paperwork. We plan to cross the border tomorrow into the Baja. By this time we just want to see some ocean and warm WARM weather! It has been a little cool at night for some of us. And we're still dreaming of warm ocean breezes.
We've had a wonderful time travelling with our friends and their GPS - such a handy device! - the kids loved being and discovering together. We'll keep in touch with them through wireless internetting as much as possible.
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