RIVERS AND DESERTS AND SCULPTURES, OH MY!

Flowers in Anza-Borrego

We left Phoenix for the banks of the Colorado River at Blythe California!  The campsite was right on the water and it was delightful.  Across the river was another time zone, and a few miles back was Quartzsite, AZ.  It was an easy drive and as we passed by Quartzsite, we knew we would be back.  But first, Dave pulled through and got me a site with actual TV for the last night of Downton Abbey.  I got a bottle of wine, and my fill of Ladies Mary and Edith, and watched the wrap up on the whole Upstairs, Downstairs characters. 

On Monday, we decided to check out all of the “exciting” pins Roadside America had put in Quartzsite.  Before the Civil War, Jefferson Davis had the idea to transport people and goods through the desert with camels. He imported 70 of them and a Syrian caretaker named Hadji Ali.  No one could pronounce his name, so he became “Hi Jolly.”  Hi Jolly had a tough time recruiting “camel wranglers” because the animals smelled and were so mean.  After the Civil War broke out and Jefferson Davis directed his energy elsewhere, the experiment died.  The camels were turned loose in the desert; the last one (or its descendent) was sighted in 1942 (almost 100 years!).  While Hi Jolly’s  camels were not popular, however he was, so he stayed in Quartzsite.  His tomb is a national landmark.  The townsfolk, to honor him built a pyramid with a camel on top over his grave.  It is the historical highlight of the town. 

Quartzsite’s other claims to fame are its rocks, and rock shops, along with a huge flea market.  Dave  priced some petrified wood but decided to wait until we go through the Petrified Forest on the return trip.  The flea market was the junkiest of junk!   We landed a few bargains, the best of which was an electric heater for the RV for $5.  Of course it broke almost immediately, but came back to life with Dave’s magical lubrication (the desert is tough on moving parts).  After thinking about it for a while, I realized that poor towns like Quartzsite and the general countryside looks so junky because, #1 folks are fairly poor, and with nothing but desert, there are no landfills for junk.  Everything just hangs around folks’ yards:  old cars, bikes, broken tools, etc.  I guess there is no “large item pick up” in the desert.

Tuesday, it was a quick drive to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  Just driving in, we knew we were not going to be disappointed by the desert bloom.  The desert has a very green glow to it, and the flowers and plants are amazing.  Our campsite was nice, if shade-free.  After settling in, we followed the ranger’s directions to 2 flower fields.  We had met a couple on the Colorado River who had come from there, and they said, “You’ll take more pictures than you can imagine.”  And they were definitely right.  My favorites are the huge (10-15 ft.) ocotillos.  They look like green and orange fountains.  But the cacti and wild flowers just carpet the ground.  There were places that looked almost manicured, and out-shown the Botanical Garden in Phoenix by far.   Tuesday night we hiked into the slot canyon, but did not go all the way through, because we were near sunset.  This is NOT a place you want to be in the dark.  It intrigued us enough though that we decided to repeat the hike plus more the next day.

Wednesday, we made the rounds of Galleta Meadow home of the sculptures of Ricardo Breceda.  He has created HUGE rusty metal sculptures of camels, mammoths, a HUGE  Chinese dragon, dinosaurs, farm workers, even a jeep!  To see them you must follow a trail for 10 or more miles.  Abbella had a great time posing on many of the sculptures and the detail and work was amazing. 

After getting our “art fix”, we revisited the slot canyon.  This time, taking our time and going all the way through and then climbing partially up the canyon walls.  At one point the floor of the canyon was littered with caterpillars.  They would literally “rain” down from the canyon walls and then try to climb back up.  The slot was so narrow in parts, that you had to walk side-ways, and then it would open up with a natural arch.   After buying very expensive groceries in town, we built a fire and enjoyed the company of 2 couples from South Dakota.  We shared traveling and retirement stories.

Thursday we got up early to hike the Palm Canyon Oasis.  Dave had gone part of the way on Wednesday, while  I was in town and knew that it would be completed best by starting early in the morning.  We started out at 7 and didn’t get back until 11!  Granted we went slowly and took waaaaay to many pictures.  The hike consisted of a “gently climbing trail” to a palm grove oasis tucked in the “fold” of 2 mountains.  The trail was not especially steep but was extremely rocky.  The fan palm grove at the head of the spring-fed creek is truly amazing.  It forms a “cathedral” and you feel like you are tucked away in a jungle.  The heat truly got to us on the way down especially after Deb took a shortcut off the alternative trail that added half an hour of hiking!  It took us most of the afternoon to recover.

Big Horned Sheep on the way to the Palm Oasis

Abbella in the Palm Oasis

We have 3 season days:  we snuggle under blankets and sometimes run the heater overnight or in the morning, and run the AC during the day.  By 4 pm, the sun has sunk behind the mountain and it is pleasant outside especially after David builds a fire.

As I write this Dave is working on his segway….again!  First it had a flat tire and we had to go to a segway tour dealer and bike shop in Phoenix to get it fixed.  Then he got the dreaded red wrench, which means a major failure.  He has determined that it is not the electronics or “motherboard” which he had repaired just under a year ago.  But one of the batteries has failed.  This has been almost, but not quite as convoluted as the trials of Bert and Bessie last trip.  Which to catch you up, Bert’s AC still seems to have a mind of its own.  This stop has been the first that we’ve needed it, and it has “mostly” worked.  Dave plans to try a few more “fixes” when he gets a chance and I just heard him order a new battery and ask that it be delivered to our next stop.  God Bless the Internet!!  

After supper we shared our fire with Debbie and Jerry from California via St. Louis and Atlanta.  They are newbie RV'ers and we had a good time sharing our "expertise".  LOL  We realized that we are pretty seasoned having done the grand circle 4 times!!

Tomorrow (Friday) we leave for Lake Elsinore, where we will be based for the whale festival and whale watch at Dana Point.  We’ve begun discussing what we do after that.  So far we have no firm plans.  Check back and see!!