December 2014

Orange Grove RV Park in Edison, CA (just east of Bakersfield on Hwy 58) is one of our favorite places to stay. Sites are long and wide enough so you aren’t shaking hands with your neighbors without leaving your rig! Plus they have Orange Trees and allow you to pick a bag for your own use. They are sweet and delicious!

 

We left there and headed toward I-10 and decided to stay in Indio. We had stayed at Indian Waters RV Park a year ago and enjoyed that brief stay.  We also were able to spend an afternoon with Terry Lahn and daughter Heather, who was down from Portland for Christmas. Heather and Judy did a photo shoot along Oregon Coast in July 2013. It was great getting caught up with family and finally seeing why Terry loves his retirement (semi-retirement) in Rancho Mirage.

Below are a few photos we took while at Indian Waters RV Park.

Yes we did have a visit from a couple of Road Runners as well as these two Grackles. They have very shrill calls. The hot air balloon drifted over the park and we watched it for some time. Reminded us of our Pleasanton, CA days when hot air balloons would often drift over our home and land in the field near us. The field eventually became the Pleasanton Sports Park.

DAY TRIP to Joshua Tree National Park:

Photos: First two show Joshua Trees; next was taken at the Cholla Cactus Garden; the following two were taken at different stops along the drive; and the last was taken at Keys View, elevation 5,185’. Judy took many more photos of this interesting and beautiful National Park.

Judy had never been to Joshua Tree NP, even though living in CA from 1955-1969. Elwyn thinks he may have been there before, but didn’t remember it well. We entered the park from the South. At first we wondered about it, because the scenery was just the same old desert we had been seeing and didn’t spot one Joshua Tree. But once we were well inside the park, it became very interesting and beautiful. We didn’t stop at every point of interest but did several as well as the drive to Keys View point. We had heard of the beautiful view of the valley from there. And it was, even though there was a haze over most of it. The haze is caused by many things, including moisture, smoke and of course, dust. You can spend many hours and even days visiting this park as there are hiking trails to explore and points of interest along the drive.

We left Indio thinking that we need to come back for a longer stay. There are many things yet to do and see in the area, including another trip to Joshua Tree Nat’l Park. Our destination is Gila Bend, AZ and Augie’s Quail Trail RV Park.

CLEO:  Cleo isn’t writing yet this trip. She just doesn’t seem to enjoy travel like she use to. On prior travels, once we set-up, she would get into the front window to check things out. Not so much this trip. She found a new ‘safe’ place for travel; our bed under the sheet we put over the pillows for her to sleep on. Her ‘safe’ place when set-up is at the side of the bed underneath the edge of the platform the bed is on. Below is a photo of her there…and she sleeps there undisturbed by our feet at the closet doors.       She turns 11 years old on 1/15/15.

There are pillows behind her to keep her from going under the slide, as she has been known to hide there. Based on that, we always find out where she is before putting out the slides or bringing them in. The bed slide and the galley slide are the only ones she could hide in.

  Take care and “see you on the road…”

             E & J, Cleo too…