A visit with family.....

 

Our Location: 

Ocotillo Wells BLM, Salton Sea, California

 

This morning we had plans and so up early, a quick coffee and we were out the door. A $75.00 pump at the local fuel spot had us with only a quarter of a tank more than when I started to squeeze the handle. I guess $5.99 per gallon will do that. 

 

 

We were through Indio and into Indian Wells, California knocking on Janet's door by 10 AM PST. She looks wonderful and we haven't seen her for a long while. We've missed her but we do stay in touch via phone and text messages. We visited at their home for a long while and we even picked some fresh grapefruit from her tree. We finally headed off to Mexicali's, an authentic Mexican restaurant in Indio. Can you believe I didn't take a photo of Janet or the restaurant? Well, I didn't! We had a great visit and hopefully will see her again back in Ontario before fall. 

 

Riley and I were back home around 3 pm PST and have just kind of been resting and I've been editing photos for tonight's blog. Please forgive the dirty windshield in any of the photos, we just can't seem to keep it clean. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've had a good day. 

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

Visiting, walking and talking....

Our Location: Truckhaven BLM, Salton City, CA

Another twofer, two posts in one today, or maybe it's three. I'm losing track. 

 Throughout this post you will see photos of the sun/shade on this mountain. Watch how different the mountain looks each time. 

 

A walk from a few days ago netted me the photos for tonight's post. I walked back into the badlands and through a couple of washes, up some hills, down some hills, you know, my usual stuff.  It ended up being just over 3 miles return. It just seemed much longer. 

Yesterday (Jan 17) Riley and I headed back to Janet's for another visit. The three of us had dinner together, while Dennis was flying to Calgary for the next day or two. Much nicer weather here than there is there. Yeah us. 

 That is the Salton Sea you can see way over there with the Chocolate Mountains on the other side.

 Lots of ways to go if you can get into them.

Today Riley and I went to Coachella, our first visit to the actual town. Some groceries, some fuel, and back to Salton City for some water and to drop some garbage. After that it was home by 2 pm and we spent the rest of the time sitting outside. Doug & Yuma from Miss Adventure Travels dropped by for a while to chat about the day and future plans. I chatted with my friend Linda and my dad this afternoon as well. Snow, warm, snow, lots of blowing stuff. You know the way it is back there either from personal experience or from hearing about it from others. So I won't bore you with any more details. 

                          No shadows on the mountain at this moment.

You all know that some day I'd like to follow that path to see where it goes.

Lots of rigs in the area, more off roaders around. I think this may be a long weekend here and folks are taking advantage of the extra day to enjoy the area. Lots of fun watching them and I think they're having a lot of fun scampering on past. They look pretty happy! 

 A last shot of the mountain for this post.

So that's how we've been spending the last few days. I hope you enjoy the photos. 

Until next time.. take care, be safe, 

Deb

Family visit, lunch out, some pretty neat views....

Our Location: Truckhaven BLM, Salton City, CA

A wonderful night's sleep even with the bright moon light. Truly it was almost like being outside in the early morning, it was that bright.  Perhaps one of these nights I'll take my camera out and take a few photos of the 'city' lights over by the Salton Sea area. Very colourful, almost like Christmas lights. 

Out our dining room window this morning. 

 A larger view. 

 

 Looking out toward the Salton Sea and the mountains behind.

We had plans today to head north to Indian Wells for a visit with sister in law (Aunt)  Janet, who's farm we stay at usually spring and fall before we leave Ontario. Buttercup Ridge is the name of the farm, I've mentioned it many times in this blog. 

 Can you see the snow on two different mountain tops in this photo? The snow covered mountain on the left is Big Bear and we can see that from Janet's back yard.

 I'm not sure if that is sand or salt but it isn't snow on the side of the road. Since we are very near the Salton Sea which of course is sea water I'm not sure. 

A street in Indio, California. 

 

We left the Igloo about 9 AM and arrived about an hour later. We truly enjoy the drive with the dirty white sand/salt reminding us of snow, the snow capped peaks off in the distance, the trees loaded down with lemons and oranges, the palms swaying in the breeze and amazing greenery we can see as start getting into the urban areas. 

 The entrance to Janet's community.

Sorry for the glare, the windshield needs to be cleaned. 

 Pretty, isn't it?

A wonderful visit with Janet, sitting outside on the edge of the golf course that runs behind the house, enjoying the company, warmth and views. We haven't seen Janet since we out here last winter. They were late coming home in the spring and we didn't stop stay this fall due to weather.  

 I know the colour looks off but from here on our side of the Salton Sea the mountains on the east which truly are an odd colour. The water also is an odd colour from our spot. The buildings below are Salton City. The white car is one of our neighbours.

 I didn't walk INTO that wash but I was over there around it so I could see it up close.

Can you see all those different trails down there? 

We went for lunch at Mexicali's, a wonderful little Mexican restaurant on Indio Blvd. It seems to be a tradition now, we've been doing for 3 years, so I think it's safe to assume we'll be visiting Mexicali's every year. The food is excellent and the folks very friendly. We have another date for dinner a week from today with Janet as Dennis will be back in Canada for a day or so. We had a great time today and are looking forward to dinner as well. 

Now wouldn't you like to ride down there?
 

 I think the ride up that trail would be fun.

I walked down on that flat floor (which isn't really flat) on my way back to the Igloo. 

Back home we both enjoyed what was left of the afternoon in our own way. Riley stayed at home and did whatever it is Riley does on her own and I headed out for a bit of a picture taking walk. 

Which trail would you choose first? 
 

 Many trails meet at some point.

Oh what fun this one would be, a thrill at the top I'm certain!

This is a beautiful spot with some pretty amazing views and I don't have far to walk to see some more pretty amazing sights.  I hope you enjoy the photos. 

 Right road, left road, wash, upper road, lower road? So many choices.

 Do you think one could get lost down there?

Joy riding has a whole new meaning out here in the Badlands. 

Dad called around 4:30 PM Pacific time just to chat. It's always nice to chat with Dad and I do it often as I'm sure you know. Sounds like bad weather is due in Ontario over the weekend but I'm not sure it will hit his area, more southern Ontario I think he said. 

 The Salton Sea and the mountains in the background.

 Lots of green out here as you can see.

So there you have it, our first full day here in the Salton City area. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a message if you like. 

 Lots of choices to make, which road to take, which hill to climb, which direction to turn....

 The Mountains, the Salton Sea and Salton City. (Those roof tops are Salton City)

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

I think I need one of those! Haha. 

Deb