TONIGHT WE SLEEP IN THE DESERT SOMEWHERE WEST OF CALIFORNIA’S CARGO MUCHACHO MOUNTAINS

SOLAR MIKE LOOKS ON AS OUR TRUSTY BAYFIELD BUNCH BANKER WRITES OUT A CHECK FOR TODAY’S NEW BATTERIES AND CONTROL MONITOR

Our spotty Verizon internet signal seemed to re-vive itself by morning and I was actually able to publish Wednesday’s post in about 20 minutes.  That finally catches me up with actually publishing my posts on the day I write them again.  Fingers crossed that we have no more Verizon connection problems.

YEP, GONNA BE A GOOD DAY

It was not a quiet night in the Slabs but it’s the Slabs and we were too tired to let anything bother us.  Well until somebody went flying by on a noisy dirt bike waking me up at 4 a.m.  And that was the start to my day.  Of all the off-road vehicles it is the sound of dirt bikes I detest the most.

SLAB CITY HAS BUS SERVICE AND BELOW A FEW FOLKS AWAIT IT’S ARRIVAL

I HEARD SOMEONE PICKING ON A BANJO AND SPOTTED THIS FELLOW

MANY HUMAN INTEREST STORIES HERE IN THE SLABS AND I ALWAYS WONDER AS I WALK AROUND WHAT STORIES THESE PEOPLE COULD TELL BUT NOT LIKELY EVER WILL

THESE TREASURED PETS HAVE FOUND A QUIET RESTING PLACE AND I WONDER ABOUT WHERE THEIR LONG GONE OWNER RESTS NOW

SUNRISE AT SLAB CITY

Drove the rig a few hundred yards over to Solar Mikes at 8 and our battery exchange was soon underway.  Jordan, one of Mike’s workers did the installation and brought us up to speed on some battery info and maintenance. 

IT’S NEARLY 8 A.M. AND SOON WE’LL SEE SOLAR MIKE WONDER OUT WITH COFFEE IN HAND

BY GOLLY THERE HE IS NOW:))

OUR NEW GREEN DEEP CELL INTERSTATE BATTERIES ARE LINED UP AND READY TO BE INSTALLED

KELLY’S RIGHT IN THERE SUPERVISING THE INSTALL

“GREEN SIDE OUT JORDAN GREEN SIDE OUT”

KELLY’S STILL DOWN THERE SHOWING JORDAN HOW TO HOOK THOSE NEW BATTERIES UP

When Mike’s other worker Billie checked out our Go Power controller a further problem was found and upon further sleuthing a burn mark was spotted on some disconnected wiring.  The Go Power controller was old so we decided to update our system with a newer technology Go Pro.  Billy did that installation and we were soon good to go.  Again, two thumbs up for Solar Mike and his ‘Sun Works’.  

BILLIE CHECKS THE NEW BATTERY NUMBERS AND THEY WERE NOT THE NUMBERS HE WANTED TO SEE

MIKE AND BILLIE TRACK DOWN THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM

KELLY CHECKS TO MAKE SURE MIKE’S GOT IT FIGURED OUT

THE NEW MONITOR IS WIRED AND READY TO BE MOUNTED

ALL EYES INCLUDING PHEEBS ARE ON THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW MONITOR

Always a genuinely friendly welcome here and Mike gave us great break coming in with a final bill less than he had originally quoted us.   Thanks to Mike, Billie, and Jordan for work well done:))

KELLY SAYS GOOD-BYE TO PHEEBS AGING SLAB CITY PAL ‘GRANNY’

BILLIE AND JORDAN WERE SOON BUSY WORKING ON ANOTHER RIG’S SOLAR INSTALLATION

WE SAID GOOD BYE TO 3 OF MIKE’S FORMER EMPLOYEES AS WELL

BYE GUYS AND THANKS FOR EVERYTHING……THAT’S MIKE IN THE BIN

It was 11 a.m. when we rolled out of Slab City back along an old rickety asphalt road to Niland.  Turned south and headed down highway 111 to number 78 and swung our nose into the East and headed us on through Glammis and the Imperial Sand Dunes. 

WE ROLL BY SALVATION MOUNTAIN ON OUR WAY OUT OF SLAB CITY

WE ALWAYS SEE A LOT OF VISITORS HERE AND A LOT OF THE FOLKS ARE ORIENTAL

HEADING DOWN 111 THROUGH FIELDS OF GREEN AGRICULTURE

Lots of off road vehicles flying around in the many Lawrence Of Arabia like sand dunes.  Over the years I’ve managed a few nice mobile photos driving through these sand dunes.  Did I mention it was a beautiful warm sunny California day as we drove another favorite road section of mine with enough gentle ‘whoop-de-doos’ in the road to make a land lubber seasick. 

HEADING EAST ON 78 THROUGH THE IMPERIAL SAND DUNES AT GLAMMIS

LOOKS LIKE A GROUP OF OFF ROADERS UP THERE ON THE RIGHT

PLEASE EXCUSE THE WINDSHIELD REFLECTIONS

NOTICE THE MANY TIRE TRACKS UP AND DOWN THE SAND DUNES

Continued east until we reached Ogilby Road northwest of Yuma then headed south for about 20 miles until we reached our day’s destination, pulled off the highway into the desert and cozied ourselves up close to a dry sandy gravel wash and a few Palo Verde trees.  More peaceful free time coming up for us over the next little while.  We will be re-visiting some old haunts, finding new ones and if ‘The Holy Cheepers Batman big Wall’ isn’t up yet at the border we might even find ourselves in Mexico.  Wouldn’t be the first time………………

TONIGHT WE SLEEP SOMEWHERE WEST OF CALIFORNIA’S CARGO MUCHACHO MOUNTAINS

THIS HERE WILL BE HOME FOR A FEW DAYS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Here’s A Few Simple Home Remedies::

1. Avoid Cutting Yourself When Slicing Vegetables By Getting Someone Else To Hold The Vegetables While You Chop.
2. Avoid Arguments With The Females About Lifting The Toilet Seat By Using The Sink.
3. For High Blood Pressure Sufferers: Simply Cut Yourself And Bleed For A Few Minutes, Thus Reducing The Pressure On Your Veins. Remember To Use A Timer.
4. A Mouse Trap Placed On Top Of Your Alarm Clock Will Prevent You From Rolling Over And Going Back To Sleep After You Hit The Snooze Button.
5. If You Have A Bad Cough, Take A Large Dose Of Laxatives. Then You'll Be Afraid To Cough.
6. You Only Need Two Tools In Life: Wd-40 And Duct Tape. If It Doesn't Move And Should, Use The Wd-40. If It Shouldn't Move And Does, Use The Duct Tape.
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You might be a Red Neck if::
- You've ever given a set of Tupperware ice tea glasses as a wedding present.
- Your dungarees expose more than half of your butt in the back because the weight of your pocket knife.
- Your idea of heaven involves two shotguns and a keg of beer.
- You picket your horses on your lawn so you won't have to mow it.
- You're wearing a camouflage jacket and clipping on your driver's license pic.
- You stop to flirt with the person running the drive through at McDonalds.
- You save old kitchen appliances for target practice.
- You save old kitchen appliances for children's Christmas presents.
- Your gun cabinet takes up half your living room.

WE SAID GOOD-BYE TO BORREGO SPRINGS TODAY

YEP IT WAS A PRETTY RELAXING MORNING AT OUR HOUSE TODAY
(This is Wednesday’s Post)
When I stepped out with Pheebs Tuesday night I sensed it was a touch warmer and there was a pleasant wood smoke in the air.  More RV Boon-Dockers have arrived and I saw a couple campfires twinkling in the desert darkness.  Sounds of laughter drifted along on the night air.  Overhead a myriad of diamond like stars twinkled from mountain top to mountain top.  The constellation Orion took center stage high in the eastern sky.  I always think of my Aunt Jean when I gaze up at Orion.  I remember many years ago one starry night pointing out Orion to Jean and it has remained her favorite constellation ever since.  She always looks for and often sees Orion on her daily early morning winter months walks in Sarasota Florida.

I HEARD SOUNDS OF MUSIC COMING FROM THE DESERT THIS MORNING AND UPON LOOKING AROUND I SPOTTED THIS FELLOW NEARBY SERENADING HIS CLASS C MOTORHOME


Seeings how it was a travel day for us and we had been camped out for a week the first order of business this morning was a big clean-up.  Anyone living in an RV out here in the dusty gravel and wind blown sand of the desert know how quickly things can turn into a mess.  Throw in a few rainy days with muddy paws and that mess can really get messy.  Kelly concentrated on the interior while I directed my efforts outside.  Winds of a few days ago had blown our big mat upside and down and everything on the mat downside up.  Took the satellite dish down, repaired a vacuum cleaner hose with duct tape, packed away some stuff and re-arranged some bins.  With a few splashes of Badlands mud caked on the Jeep that wil be a clean-up for another day.  I think there is about as much mud inside the Jeep as outside.  Yep, big clean-up down the road somewhere, but no rush.  Jeeps look more at home with a smattering of mud on them anyway.

THIS CLASS A/JEEP WRANGLER CLUB MEETS EVERY YEAR AT THIS TIME AND LOCATION HERE AT THE CLARK DRY LAKE BED

WHEN I FELT THE GROUND RUMBLING AND SHAKING A FEW DAYS AGO I KNEW IT WASN’T AN EARTHQUAKE, IT WAS THE ANNUAL POST CHRISTMAS STAMPEDE OF RV’S HEADING FOR THE SUNNY SOUTHWEST
Kelly slipped into town for a last bash at a few of her favorite stores like the Frugal Coyote and the Bargain Barn.  She had some books to return to the laundromat book exchange and wanted to pick us up some lunch from the Red Ocotillo.  It's a very popular spot in Borrego Springs and Kelly was curious to try their food before we left.  Pheebs and i stayed back at the rig where us guys really enjoyed ourselves simply stretched out in our favorite spots with the warm sun lazily toasting both of us up nicely.   And of course all this fine relaxing was done to the soothing strains of our ever present ambient music:))
PHEEBS IS GIVING HERSELF A FURRLY LITTLE FACE WASH HERE


‘AHHHHHH THAT FEELS SO MUCH BETTER’
Kelly was back shortly after noon with a couple of the biggest hamburglers I had ever seen.  The Red Ocotillo is known for their burgs.  I managed to claw my way though half my burg and had to save the rest for later. 

‘OMG’ I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING FROM OUTER SPACE!!
Shortly after lunch we walked a short distance to our friends and fellow RV'ers Howard and Lynda.  http://stillhowlyntravels.blogspot.com/  We first met Lynda and Howard about 3 years ago right here at the Clark Dry Lake Bed.  These folks have been on the road probably longer than anybody we know.  If you look at their blogs sidebar you can see they have been just about anywhere and everywhere there is to be.  Pretty hard to find nicer folks than these people. 

SPOTTED THIS TRUCK FROM ‘CALIFORNIA OVERLAND DESERT EXCURSIONS’ BOUNCING ALONG THROUGH THE DESERT THIS AFTERNOON

With everything already packed up earlier we decided it was finally time to get the big wheels rolling again and head East. It was around 3 when we turned onto S22 heading for the Arco Station at the junction of S22 and highway 86  Pheebs and I led the way in the rig with Kelly following in the Jeep.  A beautifully clear sunny day with warm temperatures.  Can I say 'hot' even.  Well yes I can because I think for the first time since leaving Florida I was actually able to put a short sleeve shirt on and feel comfortable doing so.
HEADING FOR THE ARCO STATION WEST OF SALTON CITY

LOTS OF ‘OFF-ROADERS’ SCATTERED ABOUT IN THE DESERT LIKE MOONSCAPE

HEADING EAST ABOUT A MILE WEST OF THE ARCO STATION

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS WEEK IS BIG WTH THE YOUNGER CROWD
Figured we would hitch the Jeep up at the Arco station which we did.  We had tanks to dump and fresh water to load along with a propane refill but OMG we couldn’t believe the number RV’s ahead of us when we got there.  So many in fact we never left Arco until after 5 o’clock with the sun going down.  All the dump stations were busy and there was a line up for people replenishing their water tanks.  The propane station and gas pumps were going full tilt too.  We were probably the only 2 real RV’ers there with 99.9% of the other rigs being younger ‘Week-end Warrior’ types with all their quads, dirt bikes, ATV’s, dune buggies, Razors, Jeeps, and just about anything else that made a big noise and tore up the desert.  Saw some of the longest 5th wheel ‘toy haulers’ I had ever seen,   Luckily for me I was in one of my rare patient modes so the wait didn’t really grind my gears too bad.

WE SURE HAD TO DO OUR SHARE OF WAITING THIS AFTERNOON

KELLY STANDS GUARD TO MAKE SURE NOBODY BUTTS IN AHEAD OF US IN THE FRESH WATER LINE WHILE PHEEBS KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON THINGS IN CASE SHE NEEDS BACK UP
Sun was pretty much down by the time we left Arco and within a short time we were driving in darkness which is Okay because I actually like driving at night so it was nice to do that.  We headed south towards Brawley California then picked up the Brawley bypass (78) heading east as we swung ourselves under the southern edge of the Salton Sea.  A left turn onto highway 111 headed us back north and less than half an hour later we were in Niland.  Fortunately for us we know this area reasonably well so knew where to pick up the rough and tumble road out to Slab City.  It was somewhere around 7 when we pulled into the large parking area in front of the Slab City Christian Club just a hundred yards or so from Solar Mike’s place.  We’ll be out front of Solar Mikes first thing in the morning.  We are disappointed though that our Verizon internet connection is still very, very, poor which is unusual because Verizon as a rule has worked very well for us over the years regardless of where we were. 

With our week in Borrego Springs wrapped up we look back on our time spent there with a positive feeling.  We wanted to hang out by ourselves and get back to doing the kinds of things we did in our earlier RV travel days.  We needed to again get in touch with that adventuress spirit which has brought us so many great traveling memories these past 10 years.  Almost 5 years in our Congress house as great as it was kind of slowed us down a bit at a time when probably more than ever we really needed to keep ourselves moving. Well better late than never and we for sure are definitely on the move once again:))

CHECK OUT THE LITTLE JUNIOR JELLYBEAN IN THE CENTER
GROANER’S CORNER:((  A couple who'd been married for over 50 years was sitting on the sofa, when the wife said, "Dear, do you remember how you used to sit close to me?"  He moved over and sat close to her.  "Dear," she continued, "do you remember how you used to hold me tight?"  He reached over and held her tight.  "And," she went on, "do you remember how you used to hug me and kiss me and nibble on my ear?"  With that, her husband got up and started to walk out of the room.  "Where are you going?" she asked.  "Well," answered the husband, "I have to go get my teeth."