Moving Day

After 12 days here at the big lake,its time to move on,as we will be doing later this morning.....No rush though,as we will only be travelling about 55 miles.Hopefully our next stop will be In "Joshua Tree National Park." This means higher elevation and cooler temps as we go from 227ft below sea level to 3100ft above at the Cottonwood Campground.And again,hopefully we will find a couple of spots.We usually travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays to get away from any lingering weekend crowds.
We plan on spending our final week exploring this fairly large park at least a little bit, before heading toward home a week from today.As the time draws near,I've been watching the long range forecasts,trying to decide which route to take home as we have possible snowy passes to deal with.At least the coastal route is always there for the taking,albeit slower.
It will be nice to get away from the noise of traffic and trains here,as both the 111 highway and the main line of the Union Pacific are very close.I estimate that at least 5-10 trains pass every hour,day and night,in fact some of the more heavily laden trains actually shake my trailer like a small earthquake as they climb the slight grade here.I wonder how stable the ground is .We are right on the San Andreas Fault Line.

Yesterdays storm turned out to be just a day of light showers here,although Ron said that in La Quinta it was heavy, as they were in town doing their final stocking up.
And guess what.....Yes a new group of evacuees from Salt Creek Campground yesterday,getting away from the gumbo.Hopefully someday they will do something about that undeveloped campground, as its a nice spot right on the edge of the lake.
Gov. Arnie S was supposed to close this Recreation Area last year as a cost cutter,and may still do it as the state is broke.....It would be a shame.
Our last bird pic's from this area...above..."Says Phoebe"

Below.... "Western Meadowlark"

Waiting For The Winter Storm "On Presidents Day"

As we enter our final day,"Presidents Day," a holiday here in the U.S.,we have the biggest winter storm of the season approaching the coast as I write this.Being that the coast is some 90 miles west, as the crow flies,I don't know how much of an impact it will have here on the desert.I was listening to K.N.X news radio in Los Angeles an hour ago and they are predicting up to 5" of rain on the coast and up to 3 ft of snow in the mountains between us and L.A.They expect I-5 on the Grapevine, to be closed for a while.
So with the impending storm,I decided yesterday to do my final running around in preparation for our Tuesday morning departure.

First stop,the little town of Mecca to do laundry......I found a full and busy...scruffy little laundromat...I thought all the Hispanic people went to church on Sunday morning!.....Go figure.So since I was going into the Palm Springs area anyway to shop,I set off to find another laundry.And found a nice big one in Coachella.And again I found myself the only non Hispanic,but hey! after all those years in Mexico,no problemo.Even the big "Food for Less"supermarket down the street,which was to be my next stop, is more like a supermarket in Mexico,with many of the Mexican brands. I walked out putting my empty cart away and headed for the nearest Burger King to refuel, then get groceries at the La Quinta Super Wal-mart.

We were all given coupons here,for a free "Date Shake",so on the way back I stopped at the "Oasis"again and had my second one in a week....pretty good since my last time was 10 years ago,I'm slowly catching up.Had to jump up and down a bit to make room after the Whopper and fries.I guess this was my "Oh to heck with the weight gain" day,although it was my first burger and fries in 3 months.Anyway,that mixture of soft ice cream and dates,is a real treat.(below) And it went down fast and easy.

I must include some more of Sue's excellent photo's taken around this area.Below is a... Double Crested Cormorant.

A Marbled Gotwit

A Greater Yellowlegs.

Our Final Days At The Salton Sea

We are into our last 2 days here,so a final look at the Salton Sea before moving on.
Our campsite is just a mile or two down the road from the Visitor Center,so since its been a few years for me,a re-visit was in order.This is the headquarters for the Recreation area.The pic above is the Visitor Center building.I watched a very interesting video on the history of this area,like for instance once, away back in time,this lake was so big that the eastern shore was at present day Yuma Arizona,and the Colorado river flowed into the lake at that point.Today its a 75 mile drive to reach the lake from Yuma.If you go far enough back,this whole area was the ocean,an extension of the Gulf of California. It has dried up and been reborn several times.

Above is the lagoon behind the visitor center.That group of birds at the end of the dock are Black Necked Stilts.And in the center right,beside a post is an Egret.

Over 400 species of birds have been recorded in this area,including in some years,95% of the North American population of eared grebes.80% of the American white pelicans,50% of the ruddy ducks and 40% of the Yuma clapper rails,which are getting more and more difficult to find.

Other sensitive species found here are,brown pelicans,the white faced ibis,mountain plovers,black turns,burrowing owls,fulvous whistling ducks,least bitterns,wood storks,black rails and snowy plovers.In addition the Salton Sea has the largest breeding colony of double-crested cormorants on the west coast.Over 70,000 shorebirds have been counted at one time,making it an important site for migratory and wintering shorebirds.

Some scientists have called the Salton Sea "California's crown jewel of avian biodiversity"and perhaps the most productive fishery in the world.

The abundance of fish is due to the "Tilapia," which is a prolific breeder and has adapted well to the Salton Sea. The tilapia are both an important food source for the birds,but also is a popular game fish that can weigh more than 3 pounds.Many other species have lived in the Salton,but have not survived the high salinity, as its 25% higher than the ocean now.

Above, another of the "day use"areas.There is a full hookup campground and secondary dry camping area here at the headquarters area.

All of the whiteness of the beach is not sand,nor is it salt.

Its millions of tiny shells.I placed a handful on the table for a closer look.

A Little Picture Tour Of The Palm Springs Area

To continue my little drive around on the day I visited the Palm Desert Marriott....Upon leaving the Hotel,I set Miss Garmin for the nearest Taco Bell and she got me there in short order,(no pun intended) where I ordered my favorite #6...2 Chalupas,Beef Supreme and a Taco,washed down with a large Mountain Dew.....Oh Ya! Then she found me the nearest gas station(above)and I was on my way west to look at the "Wind Generators" at the entrance to the valley.

I can see why they have them here as I found the wind picking up as I got closer.I've seen these things at a distance many times,but up close they are huge.

There are hundreds of them all over.Many in the background of this shot,plus to the left and right.

Now I head south and pick up Palm Canyon Drive going into Palm Springs.This I believe is the main business thoroughfare as It had many interesting little shoppes and restaurants.I found no place to park and take pictures down in the busy part but did further out.I love the contrast between the palm trees and mountain snow.

I found a place to park and take some street scenes further back.

Whoa!...I'm acting as a "Red Light Camera" here.Glad I stopped to take a pic before entering the crosswalk on a green light.I got your name guys..."Desert Landscape Design."

And finally in a large parking lot near the Civic Center,I spot people taking pictures of a strange looking mobile hot dog(below)

I had to get myself in the pic,so I solicited a couple of "Gay Guys" into taking a pic of me and the Wienermobile.Of which one obliged happily.

By the way,I brought up the "Gay" thing because......Did you know that in the Palm Springs area that over 1/3 of the population is Gay and Lesbian.......No I'm straight!

We got "Busted"

Yesterday I talked about trying to stay here at the cheaper rate,being that we were sent here against our will during the rain storm.....well....it didn't work,as yesterday the head Park Ranger lady paid me a visit.I was alone again as Ron and Sue had gone back to the "Sonny Bono" for the day for more birding....so I was left alone to defend the fort.
Well, she was nice and firm (both definitions)and her hand wasn't too far from the gun she was packing.....and she gave me 2 choices....move back to Salt Creek,where more rain is due tonight or move down to the lower row here and pay more....I didn't like either choice as it meant packing up everything including resetting 2 satellite dishes....so once I got down on my hands and knees and blubbered a little,(just kidding)she told me she was the big decision maker around here,and since I whined a little...we could stay where we were parked and pay the extra $50.to cover the next 5 days.
Well...after she left,I figured that we didn't do too bad as the total average for 12 days came in just over $9 a day and that was 10 of the 12 days in a $17 a day organized campground without the Seniors discount.Cheap Canadians eh?So now with a long weekend coming up,we are here alone on this row with a couple from Ontario who have been working the same deal as they were next to us at Salt Creek.
Cant wait until the rain hits(if it does)and we see a new set of refugee's coming over from the Salt Creek mud hole....as of yesterday,it was full of unsuspecting r.v.ers.

In the pic above I wanted to get a shot of the lake without the usual haze as it was after the storm had passed.You can see the snow line(fresh snow)was at the 4000ft level.Its a zoom-able pic if you click on it.(I think...can't test from here)

In the pic below,it looks like a winter scene with me parked in snow,but its really salt. And just across the road(below) is a nice contrast of fresh snow on the mountains and a field of cauliflower ready to be harvested.

Below are some more of Ron and Sue's pic's from the Sonny Bono Refuge.

My Visit To The Desert Springs Resort & Spa...Pt 2

As I finish my little tour of the resort...First a little update on what we have been doing.
Yesterday Ron and Sue spent the day at the "Living Desert"which is a wildlife adventure through the deserts of the world.Its a massive area up against the mountains in the Palm Desert area.
I was feeling a little drained from all the driving around the day before,so stayed in camp and found more mud to remove from last Saturday mornings evacuation of Salt Creek campground.
Most of the evacuees have moved on to other places now,leaving just us.Now they are pressuring us to move back to Salt Creek because its dried out and reopened,but tomorrow the weatherman is predicting more rain to come in,and we dont want to have to go through that again.
We are in a $15. a nite campground and Salt Creek is a $5. a nite,(senior rate)and we sneakily prepaid at the $5. rate until next tuesday morning.When they evacuated us...it was with the agreement that we could stay at the $5. rate,but now with the reopening of salt Creek,they want us to go back... or pay an extra $10. a day to cover the difference.We are digging our heels in and will see what happens today.This place is almost empty,so we stick out like a sore thumb.



It was a cool morning so nobody around the pools....there are several of them.

The waterway and golf course.

Below is the pool with a backdrop of the snow covered mountains near Big Bear Lake.

The only pool visitor is Donald the Mallard below.He likes it better than the waterway.He says...I got the big buck's so I indulge myself...hmmm...rich ducks?

Back out front(below)

And a final look at the flamingos.

My Visit To The Desert Springs Resort & Spa...Pt 1

The Coachella Valley is a 45 mile stretch of cities, towns and unincorporated communities,running from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea.
This area has 9 cities all linked together with a population of just under a half million. And somewhere in the middle of all of this is the city of Palm Desert,and Country Club Drive with all the Golf courses and Racket clubs.
Its quite an experience for a country bumpkin like me to drive around among the rich and famous and take in how they live and where they live.
I've never seen so many luxury gated communities and golf courses lumped into one area like this.It just oozes with the look of wealth

10 years ago on our first snowbird trip south,Marlene and I were told of the Mariott Hotel complex here,and were told that it was a must see,and so we did...and were very impressed.
Given that..10 years later,I wanted to return for another look and yesterday I did.
There are probably nicer, more exclusive places on the planet,but I like this one.


The complex is surrounded by a golf course and has a large waterway system between the hotel and golf course,including many ponds and swimming pools.The above pic is a pond out at the entry road full of pink flamingos and ducks.The top pic is a distant view.

Some of the flamingos (below)sleeping and standing on one leg.

Below is the main lobby,7 storeys high inside with a connection to the waterway out back.

Below is the waterway taken from inside the lobby.Both these pic's taken from the same spot.

Some Mallard ducks were even inside swimming around and a Canada goose was steaming up the glass window of the exit door as I headed outside,he wanted in too,I guess.

Below is the same area taken from the outside.This hotel is in a large wide U shape,so most of the pools and waterways are on the inside of the U.

In Part 2 we will tour the grounds back here.