California 2005-06

We do most of our shopping five minutes away in Blythe, just across the Colorado River from Ehrenberg, AZ. It's a small town, but it has the basics: Hospital, Albertsons Grocery Store, Dodge Dealer, Super K-Mart, Radio Shack, Ace Hardware, Cinema, Bowling Alley, the Horny Toad Saloon, and several small restaurants. 

Our internet service provider (ISP) is Global101, set up for us by Sue Sites Global Communication, in Blythe @ $17.95/ month; no long term contract. This is a dial-up account. We have a telephone connection in the RV and we use a local telephone number for connection. This connection is slow, but it's faster and more convenient than using the cell phone.

We also have a "Snowbird" library card issued by the Palo Verde Valley District Library in Blythe. The card cost $25 which is refundable when we leave the area.

We haven't had the courage to have a drink in the Horny Toad Saloon; maybe before we leave!

On the 8th of October we attended the St Joan of Arc Church Bazaar in Blythe. We saw the King of the Bazaar; selected because he sold the most bazaar Tickets and bike races. One of the bazaar attendees wanted her picture taken; I obliged. We returned to the bazaar on Sunday the 9th of October for a steak dinner while being serenaded by the Mariachi "El Aguilella" from Coachella. The dinner and music were excellent, not to mention dancing by Millie.

From one of the bazaar food stalls, we tried Pico de Gallo- a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables (Oranges, Coconut, Cucumbers, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, and Jicama) served with Lime, Chili Powder, and Chamoy Sauce. I didn’t realize that Jicama was a legume. Chamoy Sauce has a sweet-sour taste flavored with Tamarind. In any event, it sure was tasty! 

On the 5th of November we went to the Blythe Spring Street festival. After looking at the crafts offered by locals, we feasted on Tamales, beans and rice from one of the several food tents. Really good and topped it off with a funnel cake.

Irrigated farm fields are the first thing visible after crossing the Colorado River from Arizona on I-10. We had been watching a field of green growing for several week. Then one day this field was full of sheered sheep- hundreds of them. We saw a couple of sheep dogs keeping watch on them and birds on the back of the sheep picking off something.

For Thanksgiving we spent a few days with Ann and Lou in Corona (near Los Angeles) and had a delicious turkey dinner prepared by Ann and Jim in San Diego.

It took about three hours to get to Corona from Ehrenberg. In the vicinity of Palm Springs, there are what looks like to be thousands of wind generators. These giant towers support a wind generator with a 46" rotor and 12' diameter blades. They may be environmentally friendly, except for chopping up birds now and then, but they certainly do contribute to visual pollution!

This was our first visit to Corona. Ann and Lou have a beautiful house in a quite, secluded neighborhood yet within minutes of extensive shopping centers. They have two cats; Simon (black) lives outdoors, while Emily rules the house. Ann has decorated the house interior that rivals anything that Martha Stewart could do! And Lou has a complete woodworking and machine shop under construction in addition to his electronics shop.

Ann and Jim have added a few new touches and a dog to their beautiful house since our last visit two years ago. Ann now has a raised garden area complete with carved wooden panels and mosaic tile inlaid foundations. Their grounds include a lemon and lime tree as well as many different flowers and plants.

I didn't realize that my brother was a baker! In addition to his pies and tarts being beautiful, they were really good tasting too. Rose had a hand in making the table name tags.

It was nice to be with family for the holiday; we had a good time and thank all for their generosity and hospitality.

On the 13th of December we drove through cotton fields on our way to Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. The cotton was ready for picking. It is picked by machine and stacked for shipment to cotton mills. Shortly after the cotton is picked the fields are turned over and prepared for other crops. There is something always growing in this part of the country.

We had a really good Christmas dinner prepared by Ann and Lou. It was nice to be with family; I don’t remember the last time that we were together for Christmas. Ann had the house decorated beautifully for the season; a true reflection of her decorating talents.

 One of her decorations was a wooden box with a Santa and Reindeer painted on it. It looked very familiar to me; finally it came to me where I had seen it before. This box belonged to my Uncle Lou, my mother’s brother. I remember my mother painting the top of this box in 1978 for Uncle Lou at his request; he kept his mementoes in it. After his passing in 1994, mom received the box and gave it to Lou.

 The day after Christmas we drove approximately 40 miles West on free-ways and country roads to Laguna Beach, then a short distance down the Pacific Coast Highway to Dana Point and Salt Creek Park. The park is adjacent to the Ritz Carlton Hotel which sits high on a cliff over looking the ocean. The paved walkway to the beach from the parking lot  runs through a short tunnel complete with marine murals  I sat on a park bench on a rolling green hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, reminiscing about my Navy days in the Pacific, watching thirty or so surfers ride 8’-12’ waves, family’s strolling and people walking their dogs. Lou, Ann, and Patricia walked down to the beach. Patricia walked in the ocean, said that it wasn’t really that cold! It certainly was nice to be looking at the ocean and the beautiful grounds and houses along the shore on this balmy day after Christmas. The city of Laguna Beach is probably a typical “Artsy” California Beach City, with no shortage of boutiques, shops, art galleries, small hotels, and restaurants. We had lunch at The Beach House Restaurant right on the ocean front. This restaurant was the former home of movie star Slim Summerville.

 Later that evening, after returning from the beach, we meet Lou and Ann’s long time neighbors from across the street, the Nguyen’s. We really enjoyed talking with this lovely family and admire their accomplishments since immigrating to the United States.

Ann showed us her collection of bound Harper’s Weekly Newspapers from 1867. It was really interesting seeing pictures and articles from that period in our country’s history. Ann also had a collection of post cards from the early 1900’s.

Lou and Ann have two cats; Emily rules the house while Simon guards the outside. But the two never meet!

We went to the Mission Inn in Riverside on our last night with Lou and Ann. What a treat! The Mission Inn started as a 12 bedroom cottage in 1867 and has evolved into one of the top 100 hotels in the country. Former President Richard Nixon was married here. The Christmas decorations were spectacular!

On the way back to Ehrenberg, we stopped at the 50+ Two Springs RV Resort in North Palm Springs and reserved a RV membership site. The resort is currently being renovated and when finished will be a beautiful resort complete with a very large swimming pool, hot tub, large club house with kitchen, five motel rooms for guest, tennis courts, miniature golf,  and beautifully landscaped grounds. We will be moving the RV to Two Springs within the month and leave it there instead of towing it back to Maryland. From our sight we have a 270 degree view of mountains, our back window faces the San Jacinto Wilderness Area. Two Springs will become our Snow Birding winter location. North Palm Springs is located between Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs; a major medical center and extensive shopping areas are within minutes of Two Springs RV Resort. USMC Air Ground Combat Training Center at Twenty Nine Palms is within an hours drive. The resort is also within an easy hours drive to Lou and Ann's. In addition to being a good real estate investment, Two Springs RV Resort fits our current situation to a "T"; much more desirable in all respects than the location that we were considering in Salome, Arizona. We are really excited about having Two Springs as our wintering base camp and were thrilled in finding this oasis in the desert; please see Links Page for a link to Two Springs.

We took our friends Kathy and Paul from River Breeze to visit Two Springs on the 5th of January. We could see snowcapped Mt San Gorgonio, 11,502', from 30 miles away. Two Springs is in the shadows of both Mt Jacinto Peak at 10,804' and Mt San Gorgonio. On the way back to Ehrenberg, we stopped by to see our friend who had recently left River Breeze and moved across the river to Rancho Ventana RV Resort; they had us stay for a wonderful steak dinner. On Saturday the 7th of January we meet again with our friends from  Rancho Ventana RV  Resort where Laverne and Tom hosted a dinner at the Sizzler. We will miss all of these wonderful people when we move to Two Springs, but we'll be close enough to keep in touch.

On the 18th of January we arrived at Two Springs Resort, our winter home for the foreseeable future. We'll spend the next two months fixing up our little lot and getting it ready for the 2006-07 Snowbird Season in addition to exploring the area. We had our first Date Milkshakes today; delicious! If you are interested in "buying-in" to this gem in the desert, please send me an e-mail.

North Palm Springs is nothing like Palm Springs, 5 miles South of us; much smaller and undeveloped, but they have a neat looking post office! We were no sooner parked on our site and the hummingbirds were there to greet us. Some of our friends from River Breeze moved to a RV park in Desert Hot Springs, about 5 miles from where we are now located. We enjoyed seeing Mary, Roy, and their little dog Mika again on the 20th of January. It is very easy to chill out here in Two Springs.

We went to the Marine Corps commissary and exchange at Twenty-Nine Palms on the 26th of January; 47 miles north of Two Springs. The base is five mile north of the town of Twenty Nine Palms; really out in the desert. The commissary is new and has only been open for a few months; very nice and well lighted. I have mixed emotions when I see all of the uniformed men and women on the base; pride because I believe in what they are doing and why they are there, sadness because I know that they are going in Harms Way, and as a retiree, I fell grateful that I am able to use the base facilities.

The parish at St Elizabeth of Hungary in Desert Hot Springs (approximately 7 miles East) is entirely different from the St Joan of Arc parish in Blythe. By 8:28 almost all of the seats were taken for the 8:30 English Mass, which started on time. I estimate that there were approximately 700 in attendance compared to less than 200 at St Joan of Arc. It's easy to see the difference between a poor farming parish compared to the more affluent parishioners in Desert Hot Springs (last weeks collection was more than $6,000). I saw men in sport coats and ties and one elderly lady in a mink stole at St Elizabeth whereas I was the only person wearing a tie at the  Christmas Mass in Blythe! At St Elizabeth's, before the official greeting, Fr. Miguel Ceja, Pastor, asked visitors to identify themselves and state where they were from; many responded. Don't get me wrong, I am not finding fault with a poor rural parish, it's just interesting seeing the difference between them. However, there is no difference in their purpose in attending Mass.

Our friends Leetta and Paul, who moved to Two Springs from River Breeze, have been working really hard  landscaping their space. In addition to plantings, they made a patio and spread several tons of stone on their lot. It really kooks nice!

Shopping is a breeze while here at Two Springs. All of the major retail store are all within in 10 miles of our location. There is something to be said about being in the right frame of mind when shopping; it is so much nicer when you can see "Nature" when in a shopping center parking lot compare to just bare asphalt.

On the way to the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, "one of the most successful zoological gardens in the country," we drove through the desert communities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Ranch Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indian Wells, all extraordinarily beautiful cities unto themselves. Although we couldn't see the inside of the numerous country clubs and estate housing complexes that we passed, their gated entrances were landscaped to perfection; ablaze with color and greenery. Within the living Desert there are over 450 desert animals among 12 different ecosystems from the southwest, Mexico, east Africa, and Madagascar. There are trams that make frequent stops at the different exhibits. We especially enjoyed the butterfly exhibit that runs through April 2006. There are 300 North American butterflies roaming an enclosed screen house. The Living Desert also features a an overnight program where guests sleep in tents and are treated to an evening of night wildlife viewing, campfire stories, and meals. Sounds like this would be an exciting adventure under the stars listening to the night sound and wild animals.

Patricia's mother had another stroke and Patricia flew home on the 7th of February. Her mom is doing "OK", but I'm sure that Patricia would rather be back here at Tow Springs in as much as they are facing 8"-12" of snow this week-end!

On the 11th of February, I went with Leetta and Paul  to Blythe to witness our friends Kay and Phil  renew their wedding vows. A good time was had by all, it was good to see our friends from River Breeze who had moved to Rancho Ventana RV.

Jim, Ann, and Rose stayed with me over President's Day Week-end. On Saturday we went to The Living Desert and had a good time seeing the animals and butterfly display. On Sunday morning we took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to Mount San Jacinto State Park. The Tram car is the "largest in the world; only one of its kind in the western Hemisphere." It takes 11 minutes to travel through five different life zones (Sonoran to Arctic/Alpine), from the Valley Station , elevation 2,634', to the 8,516' high Mountain Station where the temperature is approximately forty degrees cooler; the inside of the car rotates twice during its travel. It had snowed on Saturday night and there was a little snow for Rose to play in at the top. While Jim, Ann, and Rose were out exploring in the snow, I sat in a lounge and watch the hundreds of people in their snow apparel venturing out into the parks 14,000 acre pristine wilderness area. On the way up and down, the visibility was restricted traveling through the clouds; on a clear day you can see the Sultan Sea which is 50 mile away. The trip on the tram as well as our lunch at the top was very enjoyable. The car and its cables were manufactured in Switzerland, but the five towers were fabricated in America, the tallest is 227 feet high; only one tower was accessible by road, the other four were constructed using a helicopter. Please see the Links page for more information on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway by clicking on its link.

We had a shed put on our lot. It is 10' X 12' and I just don't know how everything that is in there now came from the RV! Our friend Paul painted the satellite antenna to match the shed.

Leetta, Paul, and I went to the Joshua Tree National Park on the 7^th of March; Leetta packed a picnic lunch that we enjoyed at a campsite nestled amongst the rocks. It is believed that these rocks, called monzogranite, were formed by molten lava and water erosion 100 million years ago. The park not only allows visitors to view the beauty of natures fantastic accomplishments, but also provides them with a playground. The camping sites (some can be reserved) are nestled in the rocks and plenty of rock piles challenge climbers. I didn’t know that the Cholla Cactus acted like a Porcupine; when something comes close to their spines, they “jump” out and attach themselves by burying their barbed spines into their victims. I also didn’t know that the Joshua tree is a giant member of the lily family! The tallest Joshua in the park is forty feet tall and over 300 years old.

It rained here on the desert floor for approximately two days, and the snow level in the surrounding mountains was down to 2,500'. This is the first time that I have seen rain in any appreciable amount since the 17th of October 2005! When I woke up on the 12th of March, I saw the most beautiful landscape sights that I have ever seen; the mountains in their new coat of snow were glistening under a sunny blue sky. Simply spectacular! 

Lowe's delivered 330 16" square embossed concrete pavers for a paving project around the RV. After raking out rocks and leveling the lot, our neighbors Paul, Leetta, and Vern started to lay the 36 pound pavers. Out of the first 130 pavers, 53 were defective; fractured, broke in half or quarters, or had crumbling edges. They laid 127 pavers before we decided that the pavers defective rate was greater than 50% and stopped the project! I took back 69 pavers to Lowe's for replace. When I looked at the replacement pavers, I noticed that they were in the same condition as the pavers that I was returning. Lowe's garden manager said that he had told the paver manufacturer that they were no good because they were cracking. He also told me that Lowe's was discontinuing this style. I believe that Lowe's knowingly sold me defective pavers, but they agreed to give me a refund on all 330 pavers. Our good neighbors took up the pavers that they had laid and Lowe's picked up all of the pavers except the ones that I had taken back myself and gave me a full refund. The pavers looked good, too bad that the project had to be scrubbed. Maybe next year we can start again. Paul also buried the utilities leading to the RV underground in 6" PVC pipe so the we would not trip over them. Paul has had a lot of good ideas to make life easier in the RV; he has been a great help.

Patricia arrived back in California on the 21st of March after spending six weeks at home helping out her parents and Aunt Libby. While I was at the airport picking up Patricia, Paul and Leetta put some welcome home banners on the RV- thanks! On the 24th we spent the day at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens with Paul and Leetta. We had a picnic lunch there and enjoyed seeing the animals and butterflies.

We visited friends in Blythe on the 26th of March and stayed overnight in a motel. The next morning we visited Joshua Tree National Park on the way back to Two Springs. Cholla and Ocotillo Cactus were in bloom. We saw rock climbers close to where we had a picnic lunch.

On the 6th of April we had a most enjoyable lunch at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside with Leetta and Paul; really good! After lunch we visited the California Museum of Photography at the University of California Riverside where we saw "Create And Be Recognized; Photography On The Edge" ( it was on the edge!)

Two Springs Management hosted a Pool Party on the 13th of April marking the official opening of the pool. All had a good time with plenty to eat and drink and everyone taking pictures. 

Gusty winds have been a problem here in North Palm Springs. Sometime it feels like the RV is "underway" when the winds come rolling down through the Coachella Valley. Dale, at Sunline Coach, suggested that I place jacks under the RV frame, fore and aft of each wheel. Paul installed steel trailer screw jack stands, which he placed on 16" square concrete pavers placed approximately 3" in the ground, under the RV frame. The four jacks took some of the weight off of the RV wheels and springs and significantly reduced movement within the RV during heavy winds. Thanks to Dale and Paul!

We spent our first Easter away from home with family and friends at Two Springs; a dinner at the club house was enjoyed by all. Leetta, Paul, Patricia, and I had a good time dying Easter Eggs. My brother Lou and his wife Ann were with us for the day.

On their way home, Kathy and Paul stopped by Two Springs and parked next to us for a few days. Kathy and Paul along with Leetta and Paul joined us for a picnic in Joshua Tree National Park on the 19th of April. More of the flowers were in bloom than on our last visit several weeks ago. We saw some different rock formations on this visit along with our first Scotts Oriole.

We had our last "Group" get-together on the 20th of April at a favorite restaurant in Desert Hot Springs, Casa Blanca. Paul and Kathy leave tomorrow, and Gail and Vern with Leetta and Paul depart on Sunday. That just leaves us and we plan to leave on the 1st of May, unless the anticipated "Day without Latino" boycotts delay us by a day.

Within the Thousand Palms Oasis, close to Two Springs, lie pools and creeks of spring water that is seeping from The San Andreas Fault. This oasis is part of the Coachella Valley Preserve. On the 25th of April we wandered among the groves of Desert Fan Palms, but we did not see the protected Fringe-Toed Lizard who lives in some of the Valley's endangered remaining active sand dunes. Nor did we see rattle snakes, although a sighting was posted on the board in the Visitors center yesterday! Bluffs formed by the San Andreas Fault (10-20 million years old) and its branches were visible from within the preserve.