MESA, AZ…HOME FOR THE NEXT MONTH

Monday, February 16 – We pulled out of the Indio, CA, Elks Lodge bright and early this Monday morning. We had to make a quick stop at their dump station to empty our holding tanks so we weren't hauling unnecessary weight over the mountains east of Indio on our way to Phoenix, AZ.

That completed, we hopped on I-10 East bound for the next 225 miles. Passing through Quartzsite, AZ, we were surprised at how many RVers were still camping out in the desert. We pulled off the interstate on the east side of Quartzsite to fill up on diesel fuel. It was 75¢ cheaper in Arizona than in California. If we could have waited to fill up in Phoenix, diesel was selling for $2.45 a gallon. That's about a $1.00 cheaper than in California.

The drive through Phoenix was uneventful, even though traffic was a little heavy. We arrived at our destination, Holiday Village RV Park, by early afternoon. We have moved from Pacific time to the Mountain Time Zone, so we lost an hour along the way.

Holiday Village RV is predominately a mobile home park. Most of the residents are here for the winter. We drove around the park and there are only about a dozen RVers in the park. That's fine with us. The price is right! It really is a much nicer park than our first impression led us to believe.

We have a cement pad to park on. Good news for Paul! He's permitted to
wash the RV and truck. Yeah!

And a cement pad to sit on.

Looking right.

Looking left.

They have a very nice pool, Jacuzzi, club house, library, laundry, game room, etc. The streets are paved and the sites are gravel with concrete patios. 

So it's not a luxury RV Resort by any means, but we’re happy with our choice and will be here for the next month. We've been to the area previously, most recently three years ago, and have visited many of the popular stops. We are anxious for Spring Training baseball to begin in the next couple of weeks so we can cheer on our Cleveland Indians.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

ROMANCE AND SEX LIFE OF A DATE…REALLY!

Sunday, February 15 - We hiked in Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area today in La Quinta, CA. This is part of the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District.

The trail is predominately a route within the wash between the foot of the Coral and Santa Rosa mountains and to the North, The Quarry at La Quinta Golf Course.

We really don't like this type of hike because the sandy conditions make walking in the area very difficult. Pretty much like walking on a coarse sandy beach. The trail is an out and back trail covering the same area in both directions. With that in mind we knew we could turn back if the sandy conditions became troublesome. We stuck with it for about three miles and called it a day.

The trail on the mountain was very rocky and close to the edge.

We did see an something interesting and weirdly out of  place. Up on the ridge, overlooking the nearby golf course was a bronze horse mounted on a sturdy concrete base. Now how did that get there and what was the reasoning behind its location? That was a question we were unable to answer.

Lake Cahuilla is very nice.

If are looking for a good workout but not at the strenuous level, this is the hike for you.

We stopped at the famous Shields Date Garden on the way home. Man was it packed!

Founded in 1924, this is a famous landmark in the Indio, CA, area. We started by viewing a movie telling us all about the farm, everything you would want to know about raising dates and of course the founder, Floyd Shields. It is a very interesting movie.

They of course sell and ship dates all over the world. They do have a tasting area for all the various kinds of dates they raise. We didn't know there were so many kinds.

Marsha had to try these at least once….and we mean once.

They also have a very beautiful outdoor/indoor restaurant that we heard has a delicious menu. There is a tour among the date trees available for a fee.

Oh yeah, they sell hundred of date shakes too! We enjoyed one a couple weeks ago, so decided to skip that delicious delicacy this time.

If you are in the Indio, CA, area, be sure to stop in, see the movie and taste all the treats they have on display.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

 

LOST PALMS OASIS…JOSHUA TREE

Friday, February 13 (hope you had good luck) - We hiked the Lost Palms Oasis trail today in Joshua Tree National Park, Indio, CA.

We left home a little later than usual (7:30), and that had us ending our 7.5 mile hike too late in the day....Hot, Hot, Hot. The temperature gauge read 88 degrees at 2:00 p.m..

This area of Joshua Tree NP is considered "high desert.” We quickly realize that, as we climbed the 10 mile incline on East bound I-10 to the park entrance.

The trail, although a little longer than we prefer, is an enjoyable hike. It is very well marked and doesn't have too much of an elevation gain…about 400 feet. The problem is you gain and lose the 400 feet numerous times as you climb in and out of the washes and canyons.

Much of the hike is in coarse sand. Slow going here.

Be prepared for some rocky climbing.

Lots of beauty all around.

The two canyons we hiked through were lovely.

Once you reach the Oasis at the end of the trail it is a pretty scary climb down into the canyon, if you want a close-up view of the palm trees. Remember, if you climb down there, you have to climb back out! YIKES!

Besides the Palms in the bottom of the canyon, they are way up the side of the canyon too.

Brunch with a view.

On the way back to the trailhead, Paul thought we could take a short cut down one of the washes. Men! After about a half mile, Paul agreed with Marsha…We better go back to the trail. He insists it would have eventually brought us out to about the Saltan Sea.....30 miles away! Ha Ha!

On the way back, we were able to see the Salton Sea…waaaay over there.

Just when we thought we were almost back to the trailhead, our legs said….Oh No! Not more steps.

Regardless, after nearly 5 hours, we returned to the trailhead a little tired and ready to head home.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!