We are back in the Ogilby Road area.....

Our Location: BLM off of Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, CA

 

A rather peaceful night at the Red Earth Casino. We both slept well and were ready to go early this morning. We enjoyed seeing the Salton Sea out our window. A quick chat with dad and we were out the door and climbing into the Dogsled. We were on the road by 9 AM and heading south once again.  

 

Looking at the Salton Sea from the Red Earth Casino Parking lot.

The Red Earth Casino in Desert Shores, CA

As I said yesterday I'd give a bit more information on our issue of the last few days. We had to replace two tires due to an alignment issue that appeared withing a few short hours. A bent bolt in the spring which goes to the U-bolt around the axel snapped off, the bushing in the springs were worn as well, so the two combined to make a very serious wear issue on one tire and a slighter but still noticeable issue on the second tire. I discovered this problem on our way to Joshua Tree. We had to have someone come to change the worse tire and put on the spare. We then made it to Joshua Tree National Park, sat there until after the holiday's were over and we could get into a shop. I called a number of places, explaining my issue and they kept giving me other numbers to call. I ended up calling Danny at Pacific Brake and Alignment on Indio Blvd. He agreed to check us out the next day, which would have been Thursday, Jan 3. We arrived around 8:30 AM at his shop, he inspected the tires and issues, parked us up close to his shop and began work. He quickly determined the issues and explained them to me. It was multiple little things that should have been taken care of before I bought the rig. 

 

California 86 South heading toward Westmoreland.

Westmoreland, California.

 

The bolt that goes through the spring and into the U-bolt was put in upside down, it was also bent, which he said looked as it has bent for some time. It snapped off, which allowed the U-bolt to move slightly on the axle. With the worn out bushings the spring wasn't in proper alignment the way it should have been and it caused the wear on the tire. The wearing issue happened due to the bolt breaking. For anyone that has driven the two roads, Salton Sea Parkway and  CA 86 you know it's impossible to judge any thing that may be wrong due to the condition of the road. It is rough and humpy, bumpy, grooved in placed  as well. So I'm not surprised I didn't notice any difference in the handling of the rig. Everything was fine before we headed out of Borrego Springs. I am guessing that the bolt simply snapped off when we went over a bit of rough ground even at a slow speed.

Same town, different prices.

Fuel prices in Westmoreland.

Colourful little plaza in Westmoreland.

 I asked him to do both sides and so he had to order some parts. The first day Danny basically took apart one side to ensure he ordered the proper parts and the rest of the day was a waiting day. We overnighted there and on Friday morning the parts arrived. Danny immediately went to work and worked all day on the Igloo except for an hour's lunch break. He finished the repair work around the 5 pm mark but still had to put on the spare tire, write up the bill, etc. So we left around 6:00 pm Friday night. I would highly recommend this shop and this nice man. He was very courteous and friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. His is a very specialized shop in which he can do many things in house to help in the repair of your vehicle. 

Back to today. We left the Casino under cloudy skies and they remained cloudy all day. Rain drips and drops off and on during our drive but rain has now been light but steady since our arrival here off of Ogilby Road. We stopped in Brawley for two reasons actually. We wanted to stock up on produce and fruits while in California as we are still in California and won't worry about Agriculture inspections now. The other was to just get a bit of a stretch as well. The cold weather has been bothering my arthritis a bit and I find that getting out and walking, stretching helps some. 

Walmart in Brawley, California.

We decided to head back to the Yuma/American Girl Mine Road/Ogilby Road area due to weather. It's warmer here by a few degrees and we aren't in any hurry to get to Quartzsite where it is no warmer there than what we just left. We are thinking we'll stick around for a couple of weeks until things have warmed up a bit further north and then we'll mosey along in the general direction of Quartzsite. Not sure where we will end up but at some point we think we'll be that area. However as we know, plans change and any thing is possible. 

I love this building in Brawley, so Southwestern in its flavour.

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

I think this is the ugliest car I've ever seen.

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

Still lots of folks parked in the Imperial Dunes along I-8.

Deb

Fixed and off to our next adventure.....

Our Location: Red Earth Casino, Desert Shores, California

A day spent putting in time. We didn’t feel like we wanted to explore any further today so we stayed in except for one trip to Harbor Freight. I think one of my favourite stores, right up there with Princess Auto in Ontario. I love to look, I don’t buy much but looking is fun. We did make two purchases today, a handled magnet and a buffer for my drill. I was happy to find what I wanted and we were out for less than $15. Yeah us!!! Yes I know with the exchange it’s much more but I’m still happy.
 

We're debating about pontoons!

I believe that says Route 66 on the side of this old tow truck.

It's parked outside Pacific Brake and Alignment.

A call to Janet netted us an answering machine but she called back around the noon hour. We weren’t going to meet for lunch she was just too busy. Not a problem, we’ve adjusted our plans accordingly. 

I think it's a '55 or a '59. Up on the hoist in the shop.

 

Sunny, bright and much warmer today even though we are parked in the shade. It’s too busy an area to take a lawn chair outside to sit, an industrial area with too much noise, trains, traffic and loud noises. I noticed yesterday that the area in the back of the shop where we are parked had numerous screws and nails on the ground so I used shop owner Danny’s magnet on a stick to collect them. Better I pick them up with a stick than with my tires. Since I liked his magnet on a stick I bought my own today. He offered me his but I declined. I found one I like better has a release to drop the stuff instead of having to scrap it off. 

Sorry, not very straight but this is the place. I would recommend them for certain.

 

Danny assured me we would be out today and while I believe him I think it’s going to be late for us  to travel. We like to be off the road around 2:30 - 3 pm before dark and easily within the day light hours.  We dislike to travel after dark but due to the noise here I think we will head on down the road to the Red Earth Casino for an overnight stay before heading on to our next destination tomorrow. I think it will be much quieter and we will be able to fill some jugs there and be part way down the road. As I write this it is shortly pasts 4 pm and I doubt we’ll be out much before 5 or shortly after. *Note: we left the shop shortly before 6 pm after Danny offered us another night's stay. I politely declined, thanked him very much, paid the bill and we hurried out. I will write more about our experience tomorrow. 

Almost literally on the tracks. Trains go by all day and night. Big long cargo trains, Amtrack trains, short cargo trains. Some whistle, some don't, some go slow, some fast. We could feel the vibration in the Igloo. HRH Miss Kitty was not impressed with the whole affair.

So there you have it our day here in Indio doing not much of anything except waiting. I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by.

 

Pretty nice view for an industrial area, don't you think?

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb