A bit of work, then some rest, and a bit of a stroll.....

Our Location: BLM, Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, CA

A very quiet night last night but I still kept waking up off and on for some reason. Riley on the other hand slept like a rock. A gray start to the day this morning with the signs of last night steady drizzle still lingering. A slight mist in the air when I opened the door to just peek outside. 

 

The mountains are farther away than they look.

 

The clouds come.

 

The clouds go.

 

Riley headed off for a walk and I went outside to start setting up our yard since we will be here for a while. It never takes long to set up or take down but sometimes it’s just the thought of doing it I guess that makes me procrastinate a bit. I also took about an hour to clean out the basement as I've been neglectful of doing so for the past while. I usually try to tidy it up once a week, just to keep things somewhat neat. Since I was taking things out it seemed like the perfect time to clean it up. Tomorrow I may tackle the truck. We shall see.

 

Some one mentioned not all colour is in the plant life.

I agree, the ground also has some amazing colours also.

 

The sun made a brief appearance, slipped behind some clouds and then finally made a lasting appearance which continued on through the rest of the day. A very nice day here in neighbourhood for sure. This afternoon it was down right balmy!!

The Ocotillo's leaves are trimmed with a reddish orange colour.

 I walked down into this wash from the 'yard' in front of the door. The top pic is to the west, the bottom to the east.

 

I took the camera and headed off for a bit of a stroll, not too far but wanted to get some photos for my blog before I got too lazy. Some nice views here of course. Numerous rigs around, not overly close and we like our space.
 

A few miscellaneous pictures in this one. The bank of the wash just down from the Igloo. The twisted roots of a tree that is in the bank. Sunlight through the branches of a tree in the wash. The outside/inside temperature today.

 

So there you have it, a very quiet, relaxing day for us here at the Igloo. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.
 

Some clouds mixing in with the top of the mountain.

 

Amazing the way it drifts in and out within seconds.

 

Until next time…take care, be safe,

Deb

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

No wind, sunny, blue skies, getting repaired.....

Our Location: Indio Blvd, Indio California

 

The wind died down completely Wednesday night. Thursday morning dawned with still no wind, sunny blue skies and promise of a warmer day. We had an quasi appointment at a shop on Indio Blvd. First come, first served. We arrived about 8:20 AM. 

 

Snow on that mountain top over there as we start down the 10 mile drop into Indio from Joshua Tree National Park.

Big Bear Mountain also has snow. We are still doing downward.

 

We are parked up beside the Pacific II Brake and Alignment shop on Indio Blvd here in Indio, California. We are having the bushings replaced in the springs, wheels checked, greased, etc and an alignment on the Igloo. Tire wear on the rear tires only is the reason. Instead of going into a big long explanation I'll leave it there. Hopefully we are out of here this afternoon (Friday, Jan 4, 2019) all of the parts are due this morning. 

 

Driving toward the area known as Palm Springs.

Some more snow as you can see.

 

A chat with Janet last night leaves us with a tentative date for lunch today at Mexicali's. A very authentic Mexican Restaurant just up the street from our current location. We visited with this place last year with her as well and loved the food.

 

We are in the La Quinta area.

 Janet's a very busy lady and this year has her even busier than usual due to some unexpected happenings. When we left in the fall we agreed on a visit at approximately this time as the calendar was wide open for her.  So we're going to have only a very quick visit but may come back this way later in the winter for another, we'll have to see. 

 

Some very pretty flowers around this area.

 

We have power, Danny the owner has us plugged in, we spent a somewhat restless night due to the industrial area we are in but as I said, we're hoping to be out of here today. We shall see how things go. 

 

Not something we see back home in Ontario, Canada.

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

 

They have some very pretty landscaping in the southwest.

 

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

 

Deb 

 

A nicer day here but still windy....

Our Location:  South Entrance BLM, Joshua Tree National Park

Another very windy day here in the neighbourhood. We will be happy to leave here and get somewhere that we can open up the slides and feel like we are back on land instead of on a ship. Hopefully tomorrow will be that day. We shall see what it holds in store.
 

That white stuff is traces of snow on the mountains over there.

 

The same far blue mountains.

 The sun is shining, bonus!! The sky is blue, bonus!! The temperatures are a wee bit warmer, bonus!! So you see there are many good things here in the neighbourhood as well. The temperature as I start this post shortly after 1 PM California time is 52F/ 11.1 C. I do not know what the wind speed is but I can tell you it is coming from the North, North East again. 

That is looking from the door of the Igloo over top of I-10 to the area known as Box Canyon Road.

 

That is looking the opposite direction toward Joshua Tree National Forest.

 Riley and I both headed out for a walk toward the other side of the roadway which enters into the park. The park is open, folks are going in and out all day long but probably like last year there are no rangers to assist with questions, take money, etc. A friend of mine showed a post on Facebook that private citizens were cleaning the toilets and dumping the garbage in the park. I can neither vouch for nor deny such a thing is happening. I can tell you that I am not doing either of those things. 

 

Various shades of purple.

 

Bright yellows.

 

The many colours of the desert here at Joshua Tree National Park.

 

Our walk past the road walk had us stop for a chat with a fella in an older motor home from Pennsylvania. The gent’s name is Mike and he is a rock hound of sorts. His son is travelling with him, but we never met the son. The son apparently is a carver of stone. Mike came from Montana way where he said hail stones the size of his fist pounded down on the motor home for at least an hour. It broke or spidered most of the windows on the rig, except the windshield. He says all of the lights on the front have been either cracked or broken again due to the hail. Dents on the roof, fenders, and hood seem to be large and numerous. Glad we weren’t in Montana. 

Getting ready to drop seed in the desert.

I don't care how you hang it, it's still garbage and should be removed by the person that left it there.

 

We continued on down the trail for a bit, covering about a half mile in each direction. We noticed in many areas the levee between the park and the BLM land has been breached or is just missing. The big rains they had in October which closed Box Canyon Road, also washed out these levees in numerous places. It appears in one they’ve built something of cement at the opening, back filled with very course gravel and topped with sand all the way back to the road. I wonder if the cement is to be some kind of barrier for the road way to maybe divert the biggest force by splitting it around the cement abutment? One can see they have repaired the road in numerous places.

 

Mesquite bush flowering and with bean pods. 

 

The desert is alive with colour here in Joshua Tree National Park. Yellows, purples, greens, reds, and various shades of browns. The mountain tops across the way which we have not seen with snow have a light dusting that will melt in today’s sun I think. It is truly not a brown, forsaken sand pit, but filled with living colour and various shadows and shades that keep the palette alive and vibrant. If you are like me, something in this magically land draws me, holds me, and keeps me wanting to return again. I can not describe it, I can not tell you why I feel this pull, I can not explain the hold, I can only tell you, it is, it does and it will continue to draw me for many, many years. Will I heed it’s call? I don’t know but I know I will feel it’s pull, it’s soft whisper, it’s beckoning finger, of this I have no doubt. 

This Palo Verde tree managed to withstand the water that broke the levee right beside it.

To steal a line: The view out our window today.

 

 A birthday wish for my nephew Jason, he turns a whopping 29 today. On this day 29 years ago I was in Myrtle Beach, SC with hubby Richard, daughters Courtney (20 days before her 2 nd birthday), daughter Bradey, (5 months old), and my Dad and Mom. Happy Birthday Jason. I hope you and Leah are enjoying your holiday in BC, Canada. 

 

Behind the levee is a new road that was used to fix the BLM road. The desert is now cracking and drying out.

 

The first picture is the course gravel used to fix the road, you can see the depth of the wash by the cut of the sand bank.  The breach in the levee is pretty plain isn't it? That is the Park behind the levee.

 

As I finish writing this post at 5:20 PM California time, the temperature is at 45F/7.2C. The wind has suddenly stopped dead, not a breath, but who knows for how long that will last. The place is filling up with about 15 rigs coming in between 3-4, then about 10 more dribbled in from 4- 4:30 pm. They seemed to have dried up now. 

 

Another of the many breaks in the levee. The gravel used to fix it and of course the cut in the bank behind the gravel is the path in which the water took as it washed the road out.

The cement piece they placed in front of this hole. I wonder what it is for?

 

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

 

Very colourful, it would be hard to lose in a parking lot.

 

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

 

Deb

Still windy here.....

Our Location: South Entrance BLM, Joshua Tree National Park

 

Yesterday was once again a day to have the big slide pulled in. The wind gusts were sneaky. No wind for an hour or so and then bam big gusts, on and on and on. Stop again for a while, start again really quick. The Igloo rocking and rolling I'm sure has scrambled the eggs, so no sunny side up ones until we get to the store. 

Another inside day again yesterday, but on tonight's post I've some photos to share. I think we will be heading into Indio for a bit today to get out and about and do a few errands. Janet's friend goes home today so perhaps we'll see Janet Thursday or Friday. After that we're hoping to move on from this windy knoll.

I spoke with my buddy Ron for an hour or so yesterday, just getting caught up on the news. Him and his lovely wife Sharon were heading out in the cold Kansas weather on their annual Good Luck motorcycle ride. They take one every New Year's Day for as long as they've been married and I think he said maybe 3 or 4 before the wedding bells too. Ron told me the wind was cold, the sun was shining and they had snow. I believe he may have said 17F/ -8.3C was the temperature. I could be mistaken of course but I'm pretty sure that was the number he said. They bundle up well and have switched from a two wheeled Honda to a Trike. Be a bit more stable I think.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your day where ever you may have been. 

Until next time.. take care, be safe, 

Deb

Happy New Year.....

Our Location: South Entrance BLM, Joshua Tree National Park

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all. 

We had a quiet day yesterday here except for the wind which howled and howled and stopped only to pick back up within the hour. It was a continuation all day long. We spent the day inside, with the big slide pulled most of the way in to stop the awning top from flapping. I tried tying it down but it was just too windy. Dark skies, temps never got over 45F/7 C all day with cold blustery winds and snow pellets off and on throughout the day.

As I write this at 7:51 AM I can tell you except for the the blue skies the day will probably be the same as yesterday. Winds are cold and very gusty again this morning. 

I wish all of you the Happiest of New Year's, wonderful health, peace, love, joy and safe travels in this year of 2019. 

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

Deb