ROCKHOUSE ROAD & COYOTE CANYON

Noticed the moon going down over Coyote Mountain this morning so started off the day in my pajamas outside the motorhome taking pictures. Another perk that comes with boondocking. No neighbors close by to complain about some guy running around in his PJ's. The area we are boondocking in was once an aerial gunnery range where fighter pilots were trained during & after the second world war. There is a large dry lake bed west of us called Clark Dry Lakebed & that's where the large concrete targets were placed for the pilots to shoot at. There are still bullets & shell casings to be found here in the desert. Last January we found the business end of a 50MM tracer bullet. A gravel road (Rockhouse) leads back to this dry lake bed & continues for miles beyond into what we hear is a beautiful area. To-day we followed that road along the east side of Coyote Mountain as far as we could before having to turn around. Just too rough for our 2 wheel drive car. COYOTE CANYON

On the other side of Coyote Mountain is Coyote Canyon (of course) so we slipped around over there where the road through the desert is all hard packed sand & much gentler for both vehicles & passengers. The road slowly climbs into a valley with an abundance of Ocotillo plants. Most we've ever seen in one place. Indians lived in this sheltered valley a couple of hundred years ago. It later became a main route for people making the trek to the west. Beautiful area surrounded by tall mountains on three sides. Drove in as far as a place called Desert Garden. Not much there except a few picnic tables & a bench but definitely a quiet shelter in the desert to sit & quietly imagine the life & times of the people who once lived here.Borrego Springs is only about 3 miles from Coyote Canyon so we drove back into town & split a fish taco at Jilbertos. I still prefer my hamburger but was told by the Boss we were going to share the taco so button it up. Parked by the library for a few minutes to check out their Wifi signal on our laptop. Kelly's having a few problems accessing her business email account so she was doing some troubleshooting. I took a few photos around the picturesque Borrego mall while she worked on the computer. BORREGO SPRINGS MALL

Back to the rig by 3. Another couple, Ken & Vicki walked over so we did a little tour of our renovated motorhome showing them the Ikea furniture we had put in after ripping out all the cheap RV stuff last year in Quartzite. I think they went back to their rig with a few new ideas:)) JUST OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY

The lack of wind made for a very warm day so we stayed outside & got a campfire going in the later afternoon. We haven't had many campfires so it was nice for a change to hear the crackling fire & get that great wood smell imbedded in our clothes. Watched the full moon slowly rise over the Santa Rosa mountains & enjoyed the sounds of our neighbors well played bongo drums wafting in on the still desert air. A nice way to end another fine day in the Borrego Valley................................................... SUNSET ON THE MOUNTAINS

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IT WAS A 2 CANYON DAY

 

GREAT MORNING FOR A HIKE IN ‘LITTLE SURPRISE CANYON’ & KELLY LISTENS IN ON A BOTANIST TALK

Despite starting my day at 2:45 a.m. I didn’t feel too bad.  It seems my internal clock is still in the Eastern Time Zone & this latest hour time shift from Arizona to California has really messed  up my clockworks.

 

Nevertheless, it was a sunny morning so out the door we went, hopped into the Jeep & headed for a place called, ‘Little Surprise Canyon’ just on the southwestern edge of Borrego Springs.  We had heard there were some flowers blooming there.  . We did find some flowers but not as many as we had hoped.  This is a reasonably easy trail in a picturesque little canyon.  A bit of rock scrambling keeps things interesting.  Kelly did well despite having her bothersome knee wrapped in a knee brace.  It was just so great to be out on nature trail again & the surrounding mountain scenery was it’s usual breathtaking self.

  

DESPITE A BANDAGED KNEE KELLY DID THE WHOLE TRAIL 

From Little Surprise Canyon we we drove around Borrego Springs a bit looking at many of the beautifully landscaped expensive ‘movie star’ type homes.  There certainly is a lot of money here in Borrego & yet….no big box shopping malls or high end Foo Foo shops.  Just a great plain Jane little town & that is one of the many things we love about Borrego Springs.

 

BORREGO SPRING’S PALM CANYON DRIVE

Took a drive out through Henderson Canyon to Coyote Canyon where we had seen a lot of flowers last year at this time.  But, not this year.  That deadly cold snap a few weeks ago has damaged a lot of the flora in the area.  We saw rows upon rows of orange & lemon trees all damaged & frost bit.  There are acres & acres of fruit trees that may or may not recover.  Sections of Palm Trees are brown & whole rows of shrubbery are shriveled & dying.   

Where we saw flowers & greenery in Coyote Canyon last year at this time we only saw vast stretches of gray desert plants hit hard by the freezing temperatures.  As we clambered along a very bumpy, sandy & hard packed desert road we gained some altitude & it was apparent the frost damage wasn’t as bad at the higher altitudes.  We drove 7 or 8 miles crossing a couple creeks along the way.  The 3rd creek crossing meant we would have had to turn up stream & drive in the creek for a few hundred yards before climbing out of the stream & back onto the hard packed sandy road.  We decided at this point to turn around & head back to Borrego Springs & grab a bite to eat.  It was a nice drive on a reasonably good road with maybe half a dozen rocky sections.  Nothing too serious but just enough to bounce us around inside the Jeep like a couple of manic ping pong balls.

 

Kelly talked me into a fish Taco at Jilbertos & I was surprised I liked it.  I just thought of it as Fish Burger.  In fact, I might just even get me another one some time:))

 

  

Back to the rig & let the doggy guys out.  Jean & Skip dropped over for an hour & we had us a good old desert chin wag.  They are beginning their homeward trek in a few days back up to Vancouver Island via Death Valley.  Spring starts much earlier on the Island than it does in Ontario so they are feeling the urge to head home. 

 

  

ALWAYS LOVE WHENEVER WE COME ACROSS WATER & I HAVE A FEELING THIS IS SPRING WATER COMING FROM THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS

I think most, if not all of us out here remember the ‘Cold War’ era of the 50’s & 60’s.  Back yard bunkers, duck & cover, atomic blast, radioactive, hydrogen bomb, fallout & ICBM’s were just some of the common everyday phrases of the time.  I think the Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) threat was one of the scariest things hanging over everyone’s head.  Huge Titan missiles located in secret locations all over the country ready to rain down atomic death & destruction on our Russian enemy at the time.  One of those deadly, hidden & mysterious Titan missile silo’s was located just south of Tuscan Arizona.  Ivan over ROADTRIP 10 just toured that very missile site…..and he’s got pictures!!

 

EVEN SOME MOSS IN THE CREEK….& DID I GET A SOAKER TODAY?  AS A MATTER OF FACT I GOT 2 SOAKERS WHEN MY FOOT SLIPPED OFF A ROCK WHILE CROSSING THE CREEK.

A few months ago we had the pleasure of meeting Eve at the GRAPEVINE CANYON RANCH.  Eve is the owner & driving force behind the Ranch & is one of those charming ladies who have had a rather remarkable life.  In her latest post Eve writes about her first flight in a small airplane in Australia.   She describes that plane as looking like a car with wings on it.  Check out Eve’s blog & see what career changing events that first ‘shaky’ flight actually had on her life ….FIRST FLIGHT 

 

KELLY SNITCHES SOME LEMONS FROM ONE OF THE MANY ORCHARDS

And a fellow RV’er & blogger hangs up the keys & packs in her blog with a few parting thoughts about the fulltime lifestyle.  BOONDOCKING BLOGGER

WHILE DRIVING IN COYOTE CANYON THE PHONE RANG & IT WAS MY UNCLE HARRY CALLING FROM THE RITZ VILLA IN MITCHELL ONTARIO

Check out the comments on ERIK'S RV BLOG as they wrestle with the decision whether to replace the older RV carpet with laminate flooring or new carpeting.

  

And I just noticed on Facebook that another fellow RV Blogger is packing in her blog.  For reasons some of us bloggers well understand, Jo at the WANDERING WISHNIES is calling it a day.  We will be keeping an eye out for you Jo….just in case:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((   

Boyfriend v Computer Husband Software

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0.  What I have noticed is a slow down in the performance of the flower and jeweler applications, which had operated flawlessly under the Boyfriend 5.0 system.  In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.9, but installed undesirable programs such as Sport 7.3, NFL 3.2 and Tennis 4.1.  Conversation 8.0 also no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Your faithfully

Desperate Susan

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Reply from Tech Support

Dear Desperate Susan,

First, keep in mind that Boyfriend 5.0 was an entertainment package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Try to enter the command C:/I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME and install Tears 6.2.  Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications: Guilt 3.3 and Flowers 7.5.  But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to such background applications as Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1. Please remember that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will create Snoring Loudly.WAV files.

DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 or reinstall another Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and will crash Husband 1.0. It could also potentially cause Husband 1.0 to default to the program: Girlfriend 9.2, which runs in the background and has been known to introduce viruses into the Operating System.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a limited memory and can't learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to enhance his system performance.  I personally recommend Home Cooking 3.0 and Single Malt Scotch 4.5.  Finally consider applications such as Lingerie 6.9 (which has been credited with improved performance of his hardware).

Good Luck

Tech Support

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

A GREAT FEELING GOOD DAY.....THEN IT FELL APART:((

BORREGO VALLEY'S RECENT RAINS HAVE LEFT SNOW ON THE VALLEY'S SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS

No raindrop sounds on our rig's roof overnight and with a few stars visible I was encouraged to think our cold wet weather front had finally moved on.  Nice to see the San Ysidro mountain tops west of us bathed in sunlight against early morning's blue sky.  Great to feel old Sol's warmth again.  Having moved to a quieter spot Thursday afternoon we are once again back on track:))  Or so we thought:((

HEADING OUT ON OUR MORNING WALK

NO THOSE ARE NOT CLOUDS OVER THE SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS....THAT IS SNOW 'ON' THE SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS WEST OF BORREGO SPRINGS

COYOTE MOUNTAIN IN THE FOREGROUND WITH THE SNOW LADEN SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND NORTH OF TOWN

SNOW ON THE VALLECITO MOUNTAINS EAST OF BORREGO SPRINGS

 Friday morning in Borrego Springs is the farmer's market at Christmas Circle.  Of course I don't have much interest in the market itself with the big attraction for me being to get my feet moving on all that soft green grass and do the Borrego Shuffle.  It was around 9:30 California time we were there and I was just a shuffling.

ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE ALL THIS GREEN GRASS ON CHRISTMAS CIRCLE IN BORREGO SPRINGS

KELLY HEADS OFF TO CHECK OUT THE MARKET

LOOKING WEST ALONG BORREGO SPRINGS MAIN STREET TOWARDS THE SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS

NOT A SINGLE TRAFFIC LIGHT IN THIS PICTURESQUE LITTLE TOWN

THREE PHOTOS TAKEN FROM IN FRONT OF CALICOS COFFEE SHOP SHOWING THE SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

A drive up to the State Park where luckily we were on a day we didn't have to pay for being there.  Kelly slipped into the beautiful visitor center for a schedule of Park events and a star chart while I walked Pheebs around the parking lot.

ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK RV CAMPGROUND AT THE BASE OF PALM CANYON CAN BE SEEN IN THE DISTANCE

TELEPHOTO VIEW EAST OF THE VISITOR CENTER SHOWING HOW GREEN THE HILLS ARE BECOMING

LOOKING ACROSS THE BORREGO VALLEY TOWARDS THE MANY ORCHARDS NORTH OF TOWN

THE MIGHTY SNOW CAPPED SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS TOWER OVER SNOWLESS COYOTE MOUNTAIN

PALM CANYON DEAD AHEAD IS STILL CLOSED DUE TO RECENT FLOODING

TELEPHOTO VIEW OF THE STATE PARK'S RV CAMPGROUND AT THE FOOT OF PALM CANYON

HEY I RECOGNIZE THAT PERSON

From there we took a drive through the Northern end of Borrego Springs where all the beautiful homes are as well as a majestic golf course.  What a beautiful place Borrego is and we both agreed if we was rich folks (which were not) we would center what's left of our lives on spending winters here in Borrego Springs.  No more RVing, we'd simply rent a nice house for a couple months each winter then fly into San Diego, rent a comfortable SUV and drive over to Borrego Springs.  So much to see and do here with not only a bug and humidity free desert climate to enjoy but an alpine climate a half hour's drive away as well.  Maybe keep a smaller RV in storage here as well.  Ah yes, how our dreams and interests change as we age.

BEAUTIFUL GOLF COURSES HERE IN BORREGO SPRINGS

SO MANY FINE HOMES 

 Kelly picked up a sack of grapefruits beside the Saguaro Cactus nursery we saw a couple days ago.  A lot of orange orchards here but trees were bare so we think the oranges must have just been picked.  A lot of grapefruits still on the trees.

ORANGE ORCHARDS

DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE FOLKS ARE PICKING

NOW HERE'S A GUY I HAVE SEEN MANY TIMES BEFORE

Headed over Coyote Canyon way hoping to see some flowers but State Park workers had the road closed where the pavement ends.  A lot of flood damage to some roads in the area from recent heavy rains.  We consider ourselves very fortunate to have driven out there through Coyote Canyon several times before over the years.  One of those times was in March so we saw lots of flowers.  Somewhere in my blog archives I have photos of the desert blooms here.

ROAD CLOSED AHEAD...….KELLY READ TONIGHT COYOTE CANYON ROAD HAS JUST BEEN OPENED TO 4 WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES AS FAR AS THE 'CACTUS GARDENS'

Our weather today was totally beautiful with clear blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.  Air was a pleasant 60ish and the Sun was warm.  Perfect weather for us guys.  Kelly is Okay with the new spot where we are at the Legion but we did talk about returning to the desert.  The big Clampus gang here right now will probably be gone in a few days returning the Legion to a much quieter State.  For the time being though I think we will just stay put for a few days until we decide.  One big advantage is the fact it is only an 8 minute drive to the library where I have to download my day's photos.  I am still fighting with this miserable Blogger format every day so don't get me started on that!!

CLAMPUS CLUB MEMBERS MEETING EARLIER TODAY

We agreed we will try to stay right here in the Borrego Valley for as long as we can and if we can dig up some extra energy we would like to get out and about like we used to do and get with some of the happenings going on.  And it is mainly the Anza-Borrego Desert Nature Center where many of the areas many activities are organized from.  We've done a couple Jeep tours and I did an early morning photography group outing one time.  I also sat in on a talk at the Nature Center one night given by the world traveling and well known Borrego Springs Astronomer Dennis Mammana.  Many outdoor programs of interest offered through the Nature Center with some being free and some requiring a fee.  You can find the Anza-Borrego Desert Nature Center right across from Jilbertos.  My favorite burger, fries and root beer place:))

BORREGO SPRINGS PREVIOUS LIBRARY WHERE I HAVE PUBLISHED POST'S FROM YEARS AGO

All the above paragraphs I wrote prior to 2 p.m. today.  At 2:30 p.m. our feeling good day suddenly went down the drain when I heard sounds outside our door.  More Clampus Club party goers (week-enders) were crowding in on us.  Voices were loud and tents were going up.  No doubt these are all a great bunch of guys but when you get maybe 200+ guys together, add a generous amount of alcohol to the mix I knew only to well what was coming.  We had no choice but to pack up all our stuff again and exit the area.  When Kelly went in to pay-up ($5 a night including dump) the lady inside said "yes it was going to get very noisy with a live outside band coming in tonight and Saturday night".  When we saw 'port-a-potties' being set up in the middle of the Legion parking lot earlier today we should have known.

LOOKING OUT OUR WINDSHIELD AND NOT ONLY SEEING BUT HEARING THE RUCKUS GOING ON WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GET OURSELVES OUT OF THE LEGION'S PARKING LOT

CAN YOU BELIEVE WE STAYED HERE AND TRIED TO TOUGH OUT THE PEOPLE THING......NEVER EVER AGAIN WILL WE DO THAT!!!!!!!!

 From the Legion we headed back out into the desert via the 'Texas Dip' to a spot we stayed at two winters ago and last winter briefly.  Got into our old spot knowing the Verizon signal would not be the best but even with our Omni directional antennae with us this year we could not find a Verizon signal at all.  No point staying there so off we went back to Borrego Springs this time heading right downtown to the new Library.  Had noticed a little used parking lot southwest of the library a few days ago so we slipped in there with our fingers crossed we could at least stay for the night before deciding tomorrow where to go.  Rock House Road is too crowded, it's a busy week-end in the area so I don't know where we will end up going Saturday.  And our day had been going so well too.  Kelly even mentioned going back to the peace and quiet of the Cibola Wildlife Refuge.

 

TRYING TO FIND A VERIZON SIGNAL AT THE 'TEXAS DIP' SITE.....NO LUCK:((

OUR SPOT FOR THE NIGHT NEAR THE NEW LIBRARY

THAT BROWN BUILDING IS BORREGO SPRINGS NEW LIBRARY

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Some tourists in the Chicago Museum of Natural History are marveling at the dinosaur bones. One of them asks the guard, “Can you tell me how old the dinosaur bones are?”  The guard replies, “They are three million, four years, and six months old.”  “That's an awfully exact number,” says the tourist. “How do you know their age so precisely?”  The guard answers, “Well, the dinosaur bones were three million years old when I started working here, and that was four and a half years ago!” 
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- “Each winter my uncle has his chimney inspected and cleaned. He does this to prepare his home for the 'flue' season!”

- When a knight in armour was killed in battle, what sign did they put on his grave?  Rust in peace!

- What English King invented the fireplace?  Alfred the grate!--------------------
A gang of robbers broke into a lawyer's club by mistake. The old legal lions gave them a fight for their life and their money. The gang was very happy to escape.'It ain't so bad,' one crook noted. 'We got $25 between us.'The boss screamed: 'I warned you to stay clear of lawyers--we had $100 when we broke in!'
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