Winning in California

It felt comfortable camping at the Sleepy Hollow campground just west of Yuma by the Mexican border.
Catching up with friends from last year was good and we exchanged many stories. We could hear  helicopters flying around and someone told me they were patrolling the border. It must be a headache for them to have so many people crossing over to Algodones, a town on the Mexican side, that people visit for inexpensive dental work. Many of the dentists have been trained in the US but set up practice there because the taxes and costs are much lower.These savings are passed on to their clients.
It's easy to cross into Mexico and about a 10 min walk from the campground.
Along with a steady stream of tourists, you simply walk through without having to show any ID. Once you get to the other side, you get all sorts of staff from dental clinics approaching you, offering good dental care. The town has a pop of about 5000 and is thriving because of all the tourists.

Besides numerous dentists, there are pharmacies and you can buy many prescription drugs over the counter and for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. You can get your eyes checked, get hearing aids, see a medical Dr, buy alcohol, and also various crafts. There are small cafes and bars to rest at or listen to music. It's a lively and fun place to explore and is very safe. 
Coming back into US takes longer since you have to go through a check point and show a passport. The line ups can be very long and could take up to 2hrs to get through.        

          There is a huge parking lot just before the border for tourists going over to Algodones. When I was there, the parking lot had many free spaces. I think people wait until after Thanksgiving or Christmas for traveling.

There are dental offices and pharmacies on every street and the streets are lined with crafts for sale. The Purple Pharmacy is a landmark.

I was going to make a dental appointment but discovered it would take more than one visit and I was not going to be there long enough so I'll wait until Dec when I'll be back in the Yuma area.

I continued my journey to Borrego Springs, CA. It meant stopping at a border check point and luckily the oranges I had bought were from California so I was able to keep them. I noticed a very big difference in gas prices, up to over $3/gal. 
Along the way I stopped at a store selling dates and had a delicious "date shake".
 (blended dates and ice cream).  
I soon reached Borrego Springs, a town in the desert and surrounded by the state park , finally catching up to the " WINs"(Wanderers Independent Network). They are a great group of RVers, most of whom are solo travelers and live in their RV's full-time as I am doing. A member can tour with them all year or just join them in various places and enjoy many activities such as hiking, kayaking, lectures, dancing, etc. I was surprised to see so many members present when I arrived and was greeted with hugs from everyone I met.
Every day there are options for rides to various points of interest, people with cars offering to drive. I get to see places I wouldn't be able to drive to with my RV, such as some "badlands" that had a rough, sandy road leading there.

We went there to watch the sunset and full moon rise. It was a wonderful experience. Another day we drove to Julian, a town famous for its apple pies and quaint little shops. The drive across the mountain pass would not be possible with a large RV. The higher altitude was noticeable with the drop in temp but there was no snow.
Borrego Springs is an interesting town in the northern part of the Anza-Borrego State Park which is the largest state park in California and is mostly wilderness.
We did see some orange groves and date palms.We didn't see any of the bighorn sheep that roam in the park.

Oranges




A major attraction in the area, are the
interesting metal sculptures created by Ricardo Breceba ( a self taught metal works artist)
after being commissioned by philanthropist Dennis Avery ( of Avery labels). Mr Avery bought several pieces of land and had the sculptures erected on that land. Now, tourists travel from all over to see them. The detail is incredible.

Thansgiving dinner was truly a thankful feast with
close to 80 participants. The main food was ordered from town and everyone contributed the rest. We set up tables at our camping area in the desert and had our feast under the warm sun. It felt like a family dinner
and it was fun to share our stories.

We will be here a week, then move on to Indio, CA to
park for free at their casino and do some shopping or explore the area. I'm going to leave the group for a couple of days to visit a campground that has a hot spring and also swimming pool as I long to do some swimming after all this time in the desert. It's only 10 miles further and I can catch up to them again after that.
It's  great to be able to weave in and out of a group of traveling RVers and to stay as long as I want.
I will stop this blog now as several of us are going out dancing in town tonight.Life is good!

"You may only be someone in the world, but to someone else, you may be the world."
---Enrich Fried, German poet


This was a sign seen in the desert:

Be grateful and happy


Maria

whyknotrvmaria@gmail. com