Snow, palms and closed road.....

 

Our Location:  Near Borrego Springs, CA

All pictures today were taken with my phone. We forgot the big camera, the grocery list and the drinking water jugs this morning. So the pictures aren't great but they give a good idea of what we did see.
 

Today was another day out and about for Riley and I. This time we headed off to Indio, Joshua Tree N.P. and Box Canyon Road. Rumours abound that Box Canyon Road is closed but I could find no mention of it on the internet. A trip to Mecca assured us that it is indeed closed. No idea when it will reopen. So if you have plans to cut off the corner near Coachella on your way east or southwest I would rethink that idea. One must go to I-10 in Coachella to go east toward the south entrance to Joshua Tree N.P. and points further along toward Blythe and Arizona. For any that are unfamiliar with the area there is a very long climb coming out of the Coachella Valley heading east to Joshua Tree N.Park. One may want to be empty of most water and all waste tanks before starting that climb. 

We checked out the Badlands on our way to CA 78.

Some amazing views and places to camp.

The roads were fairly busy in that area today. I think it has something to do with the holiday season and the closure of Box Canyon Road. We took a drive along the south side of Joshua Tree National Park on the BLM camping grounds. It is very evident that a huge rain fell here and washed out a great many areas of the roadway that is used by BLM campers. Very course rock has been installed in numerous places to allow passage on the road. We didn’t journey into the park so I can’t tell you about the roads in there. Only the UPPER road was fixed that I could see, none of the lower roads appeared to have been repaired at this time. So if you plan on camping at the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park I would park the rig and either walk or unhook your tow vehicle to check things out before you head on down either roads. As you get off the interstate to go to Joshua Tree National Park you can see more signs indicating that Box Canyon Road at this entrance is closed as well. 

Love the colours and the mountains in the background.

You can see the rigs parked out here and they are looking at the view of the pictures above and below.

One thing we’ve noticed the last number of weeks is the way people have been blocking off the empty campsites. Piling rocks either in the middle of the campsite or placing rocks across the entrances to the sites. I have no idea why they do this but it is certainly annoying. Of course the rocks can all be moved but it’s truly rude behavior. Just one more thing, I know this is a rant but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say,”People your old tin cans, wire and other things you no longer want, need or have broken are NOT decorations for the trees. No matter how many you drip from the tree, bush or fence, it’s still garbage. If you bring it in, bring it back out, don’t leave it hanging on the tree as an eyesore.” Rant over. 

There is a trail down there at the bottom.

You can camp here as the ground is very hard.

Imagine parking at this fire ring and looking at this view for a while. Not too shabby, huh?

We witnessed our first snow since Mississippi as we headed west this year. Today we made note of snow on top of Big Bear Mountain, just as we did last year. We also made note of the wonderful flowering shrubs and bushes today. Hard to believe it’s the end of December and there are flowers in bloom. We aren’t in Canada any more. 

Snow not clouds on the mountain top to the right. The white fluffy stuff to the left is clouds. That is Big Bear Mountain and we can see it from Janet's back patio in Indian Wells too.

We are on I-10 West leaving the Coachella Valley and heading toward Joshua Tree National Park. This is the very small beginning of a very long climb.

A hair cut for Riley, which she is not happy with but it will eventually grow out, after all it is just hair, right? Some groceries and some side trips to check out some more spots pretty much filled out the day. We were gone most of the day, 9 AM - 3:30 PM, and so tomorrow I warn you will be a do nothing day.
 

That mountain top also has a bit of snow here and there but it isn't Big Bear. We are heading toward Indio, California.

A special note for myself, today Jason and Leah left Chelmsford, Ontario and are heading to BC for a vacation. Jason will be gone for a month, Leah for two weeks. We wish them well and hope they have a safe journey, a fantastic time and stay healthy.  Update: a call to dad before this posting has Jason and Leah somewhere in Minnesota. He couldn't remember the name. Update at time of posting this blog: spoke to dad, Jason & Leah have arrived in Minnesota. He can't recall the name of the town.

A couple more photos of the badlands.

I love the views. See the trails down there on the bottom?

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit and your day.

 

At some point we will be in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

I forgot I had this picture on my phone, this was taken in Yuma, AZ before Christmas.

Until next time…take care, be safe,

Deb

A new location near Borrego Springs........

Our Location: Outside Borrego Springs, California


A fantastic night’s sleep yet again. I was out the door just shortly after 6 am for sunrise pictures. A nice quiet event, perfect for our last day at Joshua Tree. The temperature was the same as the last few days at 58F/14.8C a perfect morning temperature. Reminds me of back home on Snob Hill.

Sunset this morning at Joshua Tree National Park BLM....

Just for my own curiousity I counted the number of non camper type vehicles, meaning vehicles that are not equipped for camping. I counted an even dozen in our little area. That includes vans, cars, and pickup trucks with a cap. I think it was pretty much an even  number of true camping vehicles but I didn’t count them, but if there was any leader it was non camper style. Did you get all that?

A very pretty sky, don't you think?

Back inside I was puttering around doing a few things in my end of the Igloo when Riley voiced her good mornings and the day was starting. We weren’t rushed since there wasn’t much to do except hook up and do the inside of the Igloo. We enjoyed our hot drinks, I read a few blogs and then we started doing our packing up. We were hooked up and pulling out before 9 am.

The moon during sunrise at Joshua Tree National Park BLM....

We headed off through Box Canyon Road for a leisurely drive and enjoyed our last trip through there this season.  We didn’t hurry and managed to get to the Red Earth Casino by 9:40 am. They have RV dump stations (3) there as well as free water. The dump is $8 but you can pay at the station (credit or debit) or inside at the travel center (cash). I went inside to pay cash, she gave me the code. Back outside and had everything ready to go, punched in the code, wait….wait……wait….for 5 minutes I waited. Nothing, it wouldn’t release the lid. Back inside I went, she told me to just try a different station. Hm….okay, back outside, disconnect the hose, move everything back to the last working (?) station. Hook up the hose, have it ready to go, punch in the code, it goes. Yeah…..

The sun is popping quickly....

 
I’ve never used one of these pay stations before and if you have then you won’t have any interest in this paragraph. It states that you should be ready to start dumping BEFORE you pay at the station or push in the code. Meaning they want you to have the hose connected and anything else that you feel you need to do. There is a 1 minute time limit before the lid locks, after that limit it will lock the lid again if you don’t have your hose under it. After 15 minutes with the lid up an alarm will sound. I have no idea what happens but that’s what it states on the little information blurb. There are no hoses on the water valve, you need to supply your own for rinsing the hose and you need a hose as the spigot points into the air and unless you want a rain shower I think you would be best to attach a hose. The water will seep under the lid to drain away, I checked for my own satisfaction. 

These canyons are on the Borrego-Salton Sea Way and we'll go back again for another look and better pictures...

We pulled ahead to the driveway that leads back out to the main drive, they have numerous water spigots  there stating RV/Water. It is complete with a hose. There are at least 3 that I noticed. However there is also one at the air/water station near the end of the gas station pumps, plus the girl told me they have POTABLE water between 14-15 at the back. I am assuming she meant fuel pumps, but I didn’t go around to look. They also have a Glacier Water dispensing machine, fuel, showers, and I think laundry as well. So a one stop shop for those that are interested. Red Earth Casino on US Hwy 86 between Mecca and Salton City. 

It is certainly very scenic out here....taken through the truck windshield, the blue is part of the tinting making it look an odd colour...

Back on the road by 10:38 am, it was an hour well spent. We turned right onto Borrego-Salton Sea Way, we found Rock House Road and Henderson Canyon road but from the road the spots didn’t really appeal to us, but across from the sign indicating Henderson Canyon Road (sign on the right, spot is on the left) is a very large spot with a number of units parked out in the desert. We opted for that area and have found ourselves a nice little spot with a bit shade from a tree. I am not certain what kind of tree but I’ll post a picture and maybe some one can tell us. Since we don’t use too much power I’m not concerned about the shade on the panels, if it is an issue we’ll simply move. However we have a bit of shade, a nice cool breeze and we’re happy. We started getting set up just about noon, and by 12:30 pm I was calling Dad and Riley was making us a big salad for lunch. So it was a good morning.

That's us over there parked in the shade of the tree.....I didn't edit this picture in any way...

Dad wasn’t in and I left a message with Marion. Riley and I  both enjoyed just a large salad for lunch followed by a few oatmeal cookies. We spent the afternoon reading and lazing around. I will admit I spent most of the afternoon laying across my bed reading my book. I found the road extremely rough this morning for some reason and thought that laying down would be better than sitting up. A nice cool breeze coming in  my bedroom window had the temperature just perfect. I didn’t have a nap though, I know you thought that’s where this was headed but you’re mistaken. 

This the tree beside us....No idea what it is, perhaps a pine of some kind...

Shortly after 4 pm I was up and about, we were discussing our plans regarding our stay here. We’re not sure just how long we’ll be here, but at least a week, after that who knows. We have a few errands we want to accomplish in this area before we make any further plans. I’ll keep you posted on those.

Is that a crop circle in the desert? My nephew Jason would appreciate riding his dirt bike here....

I grabbed my book, the camera and my hat before heading outside around 4:50 pm, calling my dad again as I stepped outside. We chatted for about 15 minutes with him telling me they are getting very cold weather for the next week. Well what can I say? Sucks to be there. I called my brother’s house and chatted with Barb for a half hour about a few things. I should call those folks more often but for some reason the time just seems to slip away before I get around to it. I’ll put that on my to do list.

That's a bit closer shot, see the shade on the Igloo from the tree? 

Sunset was occurring while I chatted and I snapped pictures. I’m able to multi task on occasion but I’m not one to push my luck, I know my limits. Two tasks is the limit. A beautiful sunset here in our new location and I must say I have no doubt the sunrise will be spectacular as well. I’ll let you know though. 

And of course the flip side as well....

Outside after the sun had left our presence it wasn’t cold as I was wandering around in short pants and a sleeveless top. It’s dark here now, after 7 pm and we still have the big door open, the vents and a few windows. I’m certain we’ll be sleeping with the windows and vents open while we’re here. We can smell someone’s fire and Riley is recalling our summer nights on Snob Hill with campfires on many nights.

The sun is going down after another glorious day here in sunny California...

Inside editing pictures and writing this post, but I could be outside doing it just as easily as it’s still pretty warm out there. I however tend to feel the cold more than some and I don’t want to temp the fates as my hands have been pretty good since we’ve been out here in the southwest. I wonder if typing out side in the cool night air might make them ache, and I’m not willing to test it out.

That's the Igloo nose you can see in this picture. I left it in so you could see the view we have our the dining/living room windows.

So there you have it, our day travel day here in Southwestern California. Not a long trip, less than a hundred miles. We’re nestled in around the bottom of the mountains and tomorrow I’ll have a better look at those mountains and the surrounding area. Who knows maybe I’ll climb one of ‘em. Wouldn’t that be fun? 

 

Pretty nice reflection on the Igloo.....

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment, I enjoy reading them.

It was much redder in real time but it's not bad even in the picture...

Until next time….. take care, be safe, 

Good night from near Borrego Springs, California

Deb

Hiking a slot canyon trail in Box Canyon Road....

             

   Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


   Awake this morning around 4, then 5, then 6 and I finally decided I’d had enough napping and getting out of bed by 6:15 am and out the door. Nothing major in the sunrise department but it was nice. I managed to get in about a 3/4 mile walk before heading back inside. Not many pictures as it was a pretty straight up sun rise, no colour show to speak of. 

Can you see the sun as it popped over the mountains this morning?

Riley still wasn’t up and so I did a few quiet things before starting to make my hot drink. Wasn’t long until I heard this voice that wasn’t the least bit sleepy say, “You don’t have to be quiet Mom, I’m awake.” I’m guessing she’d been foxing for a while hoping I’d have every thing ready for the morning drink. Smart chickie!

I think this was taken through the branches of a Palo Verde tree, but I forget....

We discussed a number of things about today, including that I just didn’t feel like doing a lot of work for lunch. We decided we’d have pancakes. I decided I was going back to Box Canyon and taking a walk. Riley didn’t want to go, so I pointed out that we hadn’t walked yesterday and that I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but the choice was hers, and I was going anyway. So I started getting myself ready to head out the door when I heard this voice rattling,” Fine I’m coming.” I never said a thing. 

This was the beginning of the dead end route

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hiked up here to a dead end...

Within 10 minutes we were out the door heading for Box Canyon Road. We drove the length of the canyon road until we came to the Salton Sea, turning around we decided we’d pick a spot and have a look. The first one had about a half dozen cars in the lot and I truly didn’t want to walk there so I opted to veto that one. Riley agreed. We discussed Little Box Canyon which is a couple of miles but it’s also accessible by motorized vehicles which means the roads will be all chewed up and difficult walking. We both decided that wasn’t the kind of walk we wanted either. We’d noticed a silver truck/SUV at another spot along the way and I wanted to go there. We met the truck along the road and I wasn’t sure we could find the spot but we did. The Big Dog nosed into the mostly smooth parking area with no trouble.

The beginning of the second trail...

We loaded up our hiking bag with numerous things today. Bottled water, obviously, some Mole Skin and medical tape, tissues, granola bars, and some hand sanitizer. Of course we had walking sticks, and hats as well. I even tucked my wallet into the hiking bag. (Riley has issues with her feet, plus she has developed a small blister from stones rubbing on her toe, so we added the mole skin and tape).

Love these walls ....

We took a path that looked like the start of a slot canyon but alas before 1/3 of a mile it ended and we had to turn around. Coming back to the parking lot  we tackled the other trail. It was pretty easy going for the most part, but lots of broken glass, garbage of various sorts, and of course gravelly sand found on the bottom of all washes. 

A water course down the side of the trail....

Perhaps a little off topic here but well, I can because it’s my blog. I do not understand the need for people to leave their damn garbage behind. There was even a small child’s potty chair at a location near a fire pit. Broken glass, clay pigeon parts, empty shot gun shells, brass casings from other firearms, dirty toilet paper, paper towels, as well as empty beer/pop cans, a blanket, even metal and wood set up for target practice.  There were numerous scattered part bales and even one still fully intact bale of hay/straw scattered here and there. Truly if these folks can carry this stuff in can’t they carry it back out? Don’t they realize what a mess it makes for everyone? Broken and unbroken bottles littered the place. Some large pieces on the trail with the ugly side facing up. People can be such self centered, rude, thoughtful, uncaring pigs. Sorry, now back to our regularly scheduled post.

Looking off to the left of the trail we walked..

The second trail wound it’s way back into the rocks for a long way, narrowing here and there but always with lots of wide passage ways. We found various names carved in the rocks here and there, even a little graffiti near the beginning of the trail. The further back we went the nicer it became due to less and less of the above issues. At one point off to the left we noticed a slight opening between two large pieces of rocks jutting out. I was hoping but wasn’t sure until I went to take a peek. Sure enough we’d found a slot canyon trail. So I asked Riley if she was up to a bit of an adventure and explained that the path would be very narrow as it wound among the rocks and could possible require us to squeeze  past tight areas and perhaps even have rocks over head so that we would be in a tunnel sort of area. She seemed to think about for a minute, came over to take a look at the beginning of the path and finally after about 30 seconds said,” Okay, lets try it.”

Looking at Mother Nature's force where she has cut away the underside of the rocks in the canyon...

We had a great deal of fun and entertaining few minutes here and there on the way. We followed it for probably  a bit over a half mile. It twisted and turned, dipped and climbed a bit as well. We had to ‘suck it in and squeeze by’, we had to head under some very large well wedged rocks, even at times having to step over pieces of stone that were washed out under neath forming an almost barrier like step at knee height. The path was very narrow with very smooth rock surfaces lower down to about mid thigh and then much more crumbly almost stacked gravel like walls. It would have taken a great deal of effort to cause any issues with the trail but small bits of gravel would fall if they were touched often even just by fingertips, or brushed with the hiking bag, or walking sticks (which we had attached to the hiking bag as it was too narrow to use them). At times we couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead and it would be shaded and semi dark but then we’d step around the corner and it would be full sunlight and warm, a few more steps would plunge us back into shade and coolness again. 

This is the at a point where the wall turns and the debris has caught in the corner from the rains rushing down this route...

At one point Riley had to sit down in a conveniently located  small seat shaped area in the wall used I’m certain for resting or fixing a shoe by many others ahead of us, to remove her sock and shoe to give some attention to this small blister. We had purchased a toe cushion but it wouldn’t stay on, even with tape around the toe or the foot. I pulled the mole skin and surgical tape from the hiking bag and put the soft side (not the sticky side) of the Mole Skin against the blister, taped the whole thing with medical tape around her foot, replaced sock and shoe, it seemed to do the trick. We have placed Mole Skin in both of her shoes under the ball of her foot to help with less stress and more comfort. So after this little bit of foot surgery we once again off along this narrow trail.

Looking down the wider part of the second trail...

It was truly an amazing hike. It wasn’t difficult in that there were no obstacles such as boulders, loose stones, debris, etc it was just very skinny with very little breeze and a few glimpses of blue sky. We reached a point where Riley wanted to sit down for a rest, which was an excellent idea as I was thinking the same thing myself. We decided this was far enough for one trip and turned back after our rest. The trip back was much faster as we knew what to expect and we weren’t quite as awe struck. 

Another corner of the route where the water force is starting to work it's way into that end rock wall...

We reached the Dogsled at 11 am.  We first left the Dogsled at 9:05 am, for the short dead end trip and I know we turned around in the slot canyon trail to come back at 10:26 am. We had been walking pretty much the entire 2 hours  except for one foot repair and one rest. I can tell you Riley is extremely proud of herself and as well she should be, she did amazing today. I’m so proud of her for first of all changing her mind about coming, secondly for trying something new, and thirdly for being so enthusiastic about things once we got started. Good for you Riley!!!!

You can see how the trails wind around through the rocks

In the Dogsled heading back to the Igloo we discussed perhaps staying a bit longer in this area than we’d originally thought and doing a bit more of that slot canyon walk. We reached home by 11:15 am, I was preparing salads by 11:30 am but we changed our mind from pancakes to left overs. Riley was in charge of the heating up of the left overs.  I managed to have a little nap on Riley’s bed (I wanted to check out her foam mattress, I want to purchase one for my bed) for about a half hour.  We had lunch and after doing the dishes I noticed that the oven needed some attention so for the next half hour I scoured the oven making it all shiny and new looking. I also had to sweep  the floor as well. 

Riley coming through the beginning of the slot canyon trail...

 I have to say that being in the desert is very much like our summer location, there are always small stones coming in on our shoes and littering the floor. I know some of you will say that we should leave our shoes outside the door and  now with the carpet on the steps we may actually start to do that. Due to Riley’s foot issues and my arthritis the metal stairs are not good for either us with just socks on our feet. Slippers I think would make us more prone to tripping up the steps. However now with the carpet perhaps we’ll try it. 

Yes we walked in there....

I edited pictures late this afternoon and started this post. We have a number of good pictures from our walk and I don’t know if I’ll have enough room for sunset pictures too. Oh it’s a hard life making all these tough decisions. Isn’t it?

That rock above is wedge in really tight..see how skinny it is down there where we walk?

Outside to take some sunset pictures but again, nothing too spectacular but the entertainment value in the area is priceless. I was sitting on the berm in my little chair, reading my book, taking pictures when I kept hearing this beep, beep, beep. The folks across the middle road from me were having issues with landing gear. So after about 15 minutes I folded up my chair and headed down to offer assistance not that I could do much but sometimes fuses, sprays, etc might be needed and those I could help with.  A simple no thank you would have sufficed but the fella was extremely rude. So I walked away.

Riley picking her away along the slot canyon trail....a bit of a tunnel here...

I continued to take pictures of the sunset, noticing a pickup with a pretty big Airstream behind him. He was coming in pretty fast, and whipped into a spot pretty quickly and managed to bury the thing until the front of the Airstream was digging into the sand. I truly couldn’t believe he was that stuck that quickly. I noticed some neighbours outside watching the fun and so walked over to chat. Lori and Allan have been here as long as we’ve been here, in fact I spoke to him the day we arrived. Their Jeep is down with the flu and needs a couple of days rest. Their friend Jim with the half jeep as I call it, (the fella that pulled the Ford out a few days ago) came out to offer assistance. It was quite entertaining to watch them trying to get this thing out. Lori and I stood watching and chatting as they first pulled him backwards to get the Airstream out of the sand, then moved around and hooked to the front, eventually getting him out. Allan explained to us when he came back that the fella had at first had the parking brake on and then had the truck in N not D. Eventually though they had the brake off, the truck in D, the Jeep pulling, the truck pulling and the sand flying, and soon Jeep, truck and Airstream were back on the road way. A quick unhook, the truck and Airstream disappeared. Saying goodnight to these very nice folks I headed home. 

Riley just turned this corner from the picture above...

So there you have it, our extremely good day here in Joshua Tree National Park BLM area. Some new sights, some new folks, and some entertainment. You can’t beat that for a good day, now can you? 

The slot follows those breaks in the rocks...

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. I read them all. 

It's getting wider again..almost back to the regular canyon trail...

Until next time… take care, be safe, 

Tight going, huh?

Yea, we walked down there...

 

 

 

 

 

Squeezing through that tight spot we really did have to turn sideways and sneak through but look at that smile!!!!!!

 

Deb