More friends leave today....

 

Our Location: 

Ocotillo Wells BLM, Salton Sea, California

 

A rough night sleep wise for me, it was elusive but the sun still rose and the day moved forward. This morning just before 9 MST Riley and I climbed into the Dogsled and headed up the hill to say our 'see you soons' to Deb and Tom (Celebrating the Dance ) as they headed out today. They have things to do and so off they went. We will see them again soon, we have some jello plans in the works. 

 

 

And they are off.

 

After waving good bye and Tom letting the air horn go for a time or two, we climbed into the Dogsled and ventured into Borrego Springs. I'll post a few of those photos tomorrow. I will say though, the stage coach is missing from the circle. Very empty without it. 

 

We found the market, got a few things, including drinking water and soon we were off home again. That was our big excitement for the day and the remainder of the day was spent doing little. We have tentative plans to meet with Janet on Friday for a visit but we shall see how that works out. 

 

 

Most of today's photos are of Font's Point which we visited yesterday with Deb & Tom. An awesome view. 

 

 

My sister in law Barb should be returning from the DR today, we hope all is well and they had a great time. I hope to chat with her in a couple of days. It seems I'm chatting with my dad nightly so I won't be adding that into the posts. Although in years to come when I read these it's nice to know whom I've chatted with. A missed note, cousin Craig celebrated a birthday a couple of days ago. We hope he had a fantastic day. 

 

I'm sorry if some photos are duplicates, I had a lot of trouble with tonight's photos.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all enjoyed your visits.  

Until next time.....

 

Take care, stay safe,

 

Deb

 

 

Our friend says goodbye today....

 

Our Location:

Ocotillo Wells BLM, Salton Sea, California

 

A chilly night and it was spooky quiet all night. I think we were used to hearing the winds and then there was none. Very odd feeling. 

 

Our first morning here at Ocotillo Wells BLM.

To the west....

and to the east.....sunrise.

We climbed in the Dogsled around 9:30 MST and headed up the hill as we knew that Doug might be pulling out today. He said around 10 and we didn't want to miss him. We were having a chat with Deb & Tom and Doug before he went home and the White Lion roared to life. With Tom's help Doug, Yuma, the White Lion and the little silver streak were off and running before 11 MST. We waved and watched as they headed out on their journey, sad to see them depart again but happy to know that it's what Doug wanted to do. 

 

The White Lion is very visible but just the roof of the Stinger B shows.

The Igloo over there, a bit right of center.

A closer view....

but it's not quite this far away, but you can still see it.

A little more chatter and we all decided we'd take a ride later in the afternoon. Riley and I headed home to do a few things before the time of departure. Soon the little black limo came along and climbed in heading for a cruise down the wash to Font's Point. The views were stunning! Riley and I had not been there before. I will post those photos tomorrow. 

 

Tom and Doug got the White Lion turned around....

Then the Jeep was hooked up.....

And they are off down S22 heading east. Bye Doug & Yuma!!

Back home at the Igloo we all sat around chatting until nearly 5 pm PST and the sun was chasing the horizon. It's amazing how easy it is for the hours to just slip away when the company is good and slip away it did.  A wonderful day in the desert!

 

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

 

Until next time....

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

  

Very windy....and we've moved....

 

Our Location: 

Ocotillo Wells BLM, Salton Sea, California 

 

The day started right where the night left off, major winds and lots of dust. The slides in and hunkered down we watched out the window all day as the dust obscured the views. Finally just before 4 pm PST the winds dropped significantly and we attached the Dogsled to the Igloo and pulled out. We headed off down the road for about 5 miles and are now parked at the base of the overlook where the White Lion and the Stinger B are keeping watch. A visit from our friends had us chatting until dark. 

 

 

A note for yesterday, I forgot to mention my oldest daughter's birthday. Courtney turned 35 yesterday. We chatted on the phone for a while, getting caught up. Happy Birthday Courtney. 

 

Our neighbour didn't pull in his slides all day.

The Santa Rosa Mountains are becoming visible again.

 

The winds have died down and the dust is still settling but I think we will enjoy this spot more than the other. We will have some protection from the winds here and I'm happy about that. 

 

The ground is tilted but not quite this much (sorry I didn't straighten it), but the Salton Sea isn't visible.

There is no hint of the hills over there.

The dust is starting to settle.

It just kept getting more clear as the day passed.

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

Afternoon happy hour was here at the Igloo today...

 

Our Location: 

Truckhaven BLM, California

 

It was a do nothing kind of morning and so we did nothing, or next to nothing. I do have a few things to report however, first, the cookies purchased at Julian, were wonderful but I'm glad we only purchased 6. The pie is also delicious and while I am enjoying it, I think it will be the last one for a long time. 

 

It is all sand, the fine sand at the bottom is from riders spinning and driving over it.

One of the arches we found. Very skinny in here.

Deb & Tom texted to ask about coming to find the sand arch today and I jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with our friends. Doug opted to stay home. 

 

The banks are steep and high, only wide enough for a desert toy.

Someone's home built into the crevice of the sand. Note the different colour and shape of that line. It's sand too.

 

I started walking back to the area we would be travelling since I haven't seen the arch for a few years I thought maybe I could find it first. It wasn't long before I noticed the Little Black Limo coming along the bumpy trail and I still hadn't found it. Oh well, we'll figure it out. Long story short, they parked and we found not one but two arches. Yeah!!! Of course we had just found the second one (which was the original one we were looking for) when I had a text message from Doug saying he was on his way. 

 

Which path shall I take?

So many things contribute to this erosion but the beauty is evident.

The badlands is an interesting place to visit. So many paths to follow and yet it's all sand, hard packed, wind driven, water pounded, driven over sand. I'll let you figure out if you like it from the pics. I hope you enjoy them. 

 

This is the original arch I found years ago.

 

I asked Tom to stand in there to give you an idea of the height. Deb, the other photo didn't show up for some reason.

That little dot on the cliff up there under the arch is Tom.

After our little trek in the lower paths we climbed into the Jeep and headed back to the Igloo. Riley came out and joined us for happy hour. No photos, sorry. Doug &  Yuma left after about 40 minutes but Deb & Tom stayed until the sun was sinking below the horizon. Cooling off and time to head inside. Another good day with good friends! 

 

It is actually sand, but very hard packed and now it's drying out and flaking off in places. Crumbles in your hand.

Even the Dogsled would fit down this one!

 

I seem to chatting with my dad most nights now and so I called him around 5 PST and we chatted for a half hour or so. Not much new up there, a fine misty rain falling, somewhere between almost freezing but not really. Slight build up but so far nothing much. Mild, seems to be the word on all the lips up there. 

 

My friends seen through a small opening I'd climbed into.

A cave like opening, it goes no where. I hope you enjoyed the very edge of the  Badlands.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the trip into the Badlands. 

 

Until next time....

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb