It was fun meeting some new LOW members and sharing stories of our travels.
Since I was driving north, I wanted to visit the "Integratron" that Shirley had told me about. Always interested in unusual places, I was attracted to this historic dome " located at an intersection of strong geomagnetic forces". The person who created it claims to have gotten the info for building it from aliens and intended its purpose to be rejuvenation and time travel. Inside, the dome is a sound chamber and people travel from all over to experience a " sound bath".
Warm sunshine woke me up and after filling up with gas and propane, I continued NE on #15, passing another few acres of solar panels. I loved the wide expanses of the Mojave desert. mountains silhouetted against the distant horizon. Traffic was light. I soon crossed the state line into Nevada and reached Las Vegas, claiming to be "the entertainment capitol of the world". After the pristine desert, there was a sense of unreality seeing this sprawling city of about 600,000 people covering an area of 131 sq mi of sand.
Wanting to visit a REI store ( outdoor supplies for which I had received a gift certificate from my brother Peter) and also a WINCO grocery store ( an employee owned chain of stores with great prices) , I gathered up my courage to face the Vegas traffic. Following my GPS, the very exit I needed was closed for construction, resulting in a nerve racking hour of driving through the city and competing with very aggressive fast drivers before I found my stores.
I was very happy to leave that city with its many casinos and an hour later, arrived at "The Valley of Fire", a favourite state park NW of Las Vegas.
I had no problems finding a campsite as it was now Feb 13, a weekday.
And so it goes. Will the sunny weather continue? I was looking forward to Death Valley. Will I run into snow on my way back to Canada? One day at a time!
"To thrive in life, you need three bones:
A wish bone
A backbone
A funny bone"
--- Reba McEntire
"Happiness is not in another place, but this place,
Not for another hour, but for this hour."
--- Walt Whitman
Spring flowers are on the way!
Maria
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| my parking spot at the LOW site |
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| signs posted of some other RV clubs |
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| The Big Tent Several people had cars and offered rides to anyone wishing to go into town. The main attraction during this time, is the "Big Tent" and unless you go early in the morning, it takes a long time to get through there due to the big crowds. While there, I met some friends from the WIN ( Wanderers Independent Network) that I had spent some time with last winter and who were parked just down the road from the LOWs. It is common for RVers to belong to more than one RV club and that makes it more likely to run into each other during our travels. It is always a joy to see someone familiar while driving throughout the country and makes me appreciate that I am a part of the very large RV family. A day in town is not complete without stopping at " Big Als" for the best pizza I've ever tasted. It was crowded but well worth an hour of waiting to eat. Some people stayed in town to check many other vendors lining the streets while others returned to the campsites for happy hour, an evening campfire, or a card game of "31". Since I had made some other committments, I had to leave Quartzsite early. A different travel medical insurance anual policy I am trying this year was much less costly but covers trips max only 60 days at a time. This meant flying back to Nova Scotia for a brief period but worth it because of a family celebration I wanted to attend. I found a good flight out of Palm Springs and am fortunate enough to have good friends in Yucca Valley, about 45 min from the airport who offered to look after my RV while I was gone. I stopped at Blythe, CA on the way to meet some friends from Switzerland who were on their way to visit their daughter in LA. It was a golden opportunity as I hadn't seen them in quite some time and they were happy to see me, even if just for lunch. Later that day at Yucca Valley, I had another wonderful reunion with Shirley and Craig whom I had met 2 years ago in Joshua Tree national park, close to where they live. They treated me like royalty, Craig helping me with some RV maintenance and Shirley taking me to town to find some warm boots for my upcoming trip. They also took me to the airport and picked me up again when I returned. Friends like that are real treasures! My time with family and NS friends was very good and it was fun to play in the snow again. It didn't take long to get steady cross-country skiing. The time passed by quickly and I was soon back in the desert, having missed my little house on wheels. I left a few days later to continue my RV travels, heading to Joshua Tree village, just a few miles from Yucca Valley. It's an artsy place and also an entrance to Joshua Tree NP, one of my favourite parks. The weather was sunny and warm, a perfect day for driving through the park. Along the way, I often saw climbers on the rocks. Staying there was not possible as it was a week-end and all sites taken. Fortunately there was BLM land on the north side of the park where I could spend the night. |
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| See that climber on the right side of the rock? |
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| lots of interesting rocks and Joshua trees |
The BLM land had several RVs parked on it and I had some concerns about possibly getting stuck in the sand. Someone guided me to a good spot and I settled in. The land was adjacent to several acres of solar panels which I had often seen during my travels in SW US. It makes sense to have them set up in the desert with it's sunshine and minimal rain ( usually!)
BLM land and solar panels
The next morning I met Jess, an artist and photographer from New Mexico who was traveling with her little dog. She used a wood stove for heat, the first time I heard of one used in an RV. It seems I learn new things every day! She told me about her plans to build an earth bag house, a new concept for me. Her cost would be about
$ 3-4000 for a tiny house. Imagine building a house for that! The idea is to use weatherproof bags filled with soil to create the walls, then frame in windows and top it with a roof made of metal sheets. The idea appealed to me for possibly building one in the future but I would need to learn more about it and wether it is even possible for such a structure to survive a Canadian winter.
That morning, I drove back to Joshua Tree village for their farmer's market,
enjoying the produce and crafts on display, and noting how different some of the fruit and vegetables are from those seen in Nova Scotia.
| Joshua Tree market. Lots of oranges and avocados |
I had phoned to make an appointment and luckily got the one opening left for the month of Feb and it happened to be the day I was driving by there. I love it when things like that happen!
On arrival, there were about 15 others waiting. We were led into the dome in silence and lay down on mats on the floor. The "Sound bath" was an hour of listening to someone playing several pure quartz singing bowls. The sound was beautiful and relaxing, considered to be "nutrition for the nervous system". Afterwards we silently went back outside and I did feel deeply relaxed.
Unfortunately, I clipped the rear edge of my RV on the gate while driving out resulting in some damage to the RV as well as to the gate! It would have been better for me to wait a while before driving but I was eager to get going. I offered to pay for damages to the gate but they felt they could fix it easily. I would take care of the RV later as it didn't affect the driving. Things happen and the only choice is to deal with it.
Dark clouds began to appear and it looked like a storm was approaching. The sun was still shining, with spectacular effects. Soon there were rain drops hitting my windshield and a rainbow appeared, a good omen! The storm passed by at a distance and the sky cleared again as I drove to a Flying J truck stop in Barstow for the night.
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| the Integratron (Landers, CA) |
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| a cheery sunflower greets visitors |
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| A rainbow showed up inside those dark clouds |
Wanting to visit a REI store ( outdoor supplies for which I had received a gift certificate from my brother Peter) and also a WINCO grocery store ( an employee owned chain of stores with great prices) , I gathered up my courage to face the Vegas traffic. Following my GPS, the very exit I needed was closed for construction, resulting in a nerve racking hour of driving through the city and competing with very aggressive fast drivers before I found my stores.
I was very happy to leave that city with its many casinos and an hour later, arrived at "The Valley of Fire", a favourite state park NW of Las Vegas.
I had no problems finding a campsite as it was now Feb 13, a weekday.
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| the name of the park comes from its many red rocks |
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| my campsite at the Arch rock campground |
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| petroglyphs at Valley of Fire |
"The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago." ( info from brochure)
In ancient times, people lived here and evidence of their lives can be seen in petroglyphs still visible after all those years.
I marvel that those people could survive in the desert with such limited food and water and extremes of temp ( from freezing to as high as 120F). We think we have it rough at times!
In ancient times, people lived here and evidence of their lives can be seen in petroglyphs still visible after all those years.
I marvel that those people could survive in the desert with such limited food and water and extremes of temp ( from freezing to as high as 120F). We think we have it rough at times!
During my time there, I did a lot of hiking, sometimes climbing over rocks. I noticed the desert has been more green this year due to all the rain and the forecast is for a bumper crop of wildflowers. Although much needed, I was happy not to have any rain while there.
Big horn sheep live in the park but the only wildlife I saw was a chipmunk, some birds and a few small lizards. Most other animals are nocturnal and are seldom seen.
I left a few days later to drive toward Death Valley, stopping at a casino in Parhump, a small city near the border of California. Close to Las Vegas, there are many casinos in this city and I had several choices of parking spots.
That night more rain arrived and was steady for the next 2 days. I decided to stay as there were warnings of floodings and road closures in the Death Valley region.
I spent a day visiting a body shop to get the damages fixed on my RV. The owner and his family were from Montreal, Canada and, wanting to live in a warmer climate, set up their business in this area.
They were very nice and the work was completed in about 2 hrs. I felt like kicking myself for having been careless and wasting money but then remembered my book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" (by Richard Carlson) and focused on gratitude that no one was hurt.
Feeling the need to hook up for a while, I checked my Passport America catalogue of parks and found one about a block behind the casino I had parked at! The " Preferred RV resort" was one of the nicest I had ever been to, with a clubhouse, large heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, and daily activities.
It was a great place to stay during 2 more days of rain and cold temps until we could see the sun again and I met many new RVers.
I was eager to drive on to Death Valley but wanted to wait for the sky to clear in order to see the mountains in all their splendour.With the weather clearing, there would also be less chance of flooding.
Weather is a daily consideration when RVing and it requires a willingness to be flexible and ready to change plans at any given time. Safety comes first.
After leaving the RV resort, I was able to get an oil change done at a garage just down the road. I had checked several places before being told by a camper about this garage. Few garages are set up to do oil changes on motorhomes. There is an RV service centre in town but they were booked up for 2 weeks, so I have happy to find someone who could do it.
Big horn sheep live in the park but the only wildlife I saw was a chipmunk, some birds and a few small lizards. Most other animals are nocturnal and are seldom seen.
I left a few days later to drive toward Death Valley, stopping at a casino in Parhump, a small city near the border of California. Close to Las Vegas, there are many casinos in this city and I had several choices of parking spots.
That night more rain arrived and was steady for the next 2 days. I decided to stay as there were warnings of floodings and road closures in the Death Valley region.
I spent a day visiting a body shop to get the damages fixed on my RV. The owner and his family were from Montreal, Canada and, wanting to live in a warmer climate, set up their business in this area.
They were very nice and the work was completed in about 2 hrs. I felt like kicking myself for having been careless and wasting money but then remembered my book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" (by Richard Carlson) and focused on gratitude that no one was hurt.
Feeling the need to hook up for a while, I checked my Passport America catalogue of parks and found one about a block behind the casino I had parked at! The " Preferred RV resort" was one of the nicest I had ever been to, with a clubhouse, large heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, and daily activities.
It was a great place to stay during 2 more days of rain and cold temps until we could see the sun again and I met many new RVers.
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| blackbirds loving the trees at the RV resort |
I was eager to drive on to Death Valley but wanted to wait for the sky to clear in order to see the mountains in all their splendour.With the weather clearing, there would also be less chance of flooding.
Weather is a daily consideration when RVing and it requires a willingness to be flexible and ready to change plans at any given time. Safety comes first.
After leaving the RV resort, I was able to get an oil change done at a garage just down the road. I had checked several places before being told by a camper about this garage. Few garages are set up to do oil changes on motorhomes. There is an RV service centre in town but they were booked up for 2 weeks, so I have happy to find someone who could do it.
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| spring blossoms on cactus |
"To thrive in life, you need three bones:
A wish bone
A backbone
A funny bone"
--- Reba McEntire
"Happiness is not in another place, but this place,
Not for another hour, but for this hour."
--- Walt Whitman
Spring flowers are on the way!
Maria
