Sunny days in Borrego

There has been golf, two or three times a week. 

Yesterday was really the first day we could all go into the desert and explore, what with the sickness and the rain and the golf.

We decided to drive on the Borrego Mountain loop which sounded like it would include some familiar areas and some brand new places to check out.     We were unhappily surprised almost immediately after leaving the paved road.   We drove down our sandy road and right into a large group of people and little tents and tables and port-a-pottys  set up in the desert before us.   I took no pictures, hoping that if I didn't look at them, they wouldn't be there.    Evidently it was an  Orienteering Festival doing their organized thing for the weekend.     We continued past (through) them and turned into Hawk Canyon where we encountered more Orienteers and then a Boy Scout Troop group camp out.    Ugh.      After turning around we continued along the agreed upon route hoping that these were the last folks we'd meet.    They were.

no one as far as the eye can see....see our little Jeep?

  We had a wonderful time driving down sticky, wet San Felipe wash (think clods of mud flying past my open window and sticking to the back of my legs when we got out at to explore), driving down the barren looking Hills of the Moon wash and then the tipsy (not as in tipsy drunk, but tipsy as in precariously tilted road) Rainbow Wash to it's ending point.

too gooey, too narrow?

John and Dave check out the wash from above

?

Hills of the Moon wash turned out to be just too wet for us to chance this day.   The recent rains had not had enough time to soak in and the going was slippery and deep.

Rainbow Wash, however, was just perfect, albeit narrow and uneven in many spots.   All the more fun!     Last year we tried this wash and couldn't get very far before we had to get out and walk.    This time we made it all the way to it's end and had lunch there.

Font's point as seen from below (point at the top right)

We were directly below Font's Point, a favorite viewpoint over these badlands.

Mona Lisa took this picture of us up on Font's Point, looking down into the badlands in 2017

turn around point at the end of Rainbow Wash

lunch spot in the badlands

After lunch we retraced our "steps" back down Rainbow Wash to the wide San Felipe Wash to find our next point, Blow Sand Canyon.    After many, many back and forth's (Dave is so very patient) we finally found the correct exit into Blow Sand canyon.    The way was deep, dry sand and filled with wildflowers!   The view from the top, standing in a drift of fragrant desert verbenas was so worth the bumbling to find it.

At the end of the canyon we followed Goat Trail along a narrow spine and eventually came back out into the mass of Orienteers.    Time to head home.

We finished our fun day with wood fired pizza at Keslings Kitchen in "downtown" Borrego Springs.   It was good, but we all decided not as good as Calico's pizza and more expensive to boot.

We drove into our RV Park to find out that they had a power outage earlier in the day (our phones were turned off so we missed their notification) and it still wasn't resolved.    Oh well.   Dave and I read awhile but then gave in and went to bed very early figuring we had had a busy day!    Power was restored sometime near midnight as near as we can figure.

Today is football day, and haircut day and pork chop/sauerkraut day and lunar eclipse day.    Hope the sky stays clear!

small pleasures

a short post on a small pleasure....

In between bouts of rain and rain and rain, a sucker hole appeared.

We took advantage of whatever lull we would have, piled in the Jeep and went looking for the sweet Desert Lily.  It was reported to be blooming, early, out in the desert near Arroyo Salado.

The desert is just beginning to bloom, this rain has whispered "spring" to the waiting flowers. 

We saw the tell-tail foliage of the Desert Lily in one area but no plants near flowering.

We walked along the wet sandy hills, following the wavy foliage clusters until we found a few that were beginning to show their beautiful trumpet like flowers.

almost open

at last, an enthusiastically blooming Desert Lily

Small pleasures.

Hello from Borrego Springs

Greetings from our beautiful site at The Springs at Borrego in Borrego Springs, south of our holiday digs in Palm Springs.    Pam and John are one site away and Lewis is enjoying the run back and forth to visit his good friends.

We just got here on Monday so we haven't done much exciting, but that's really the whole idea.    A month in one spot gives us time to do something or simply do nothing. 

three layers of mountains 

Dave and John played golf yesterday.

 Dave had a good 9 hole round and kept his back happy.   More golf will happen tomorrow.

my view

Pam caddied for John and I drove the trolley.    And enjoyed the spectacular scenery and provided support.

We all enjoyed a local Mexican dinner last night. 

 Today, however, our dear friends drove us up, over the mountains and into Ramona for a visit to the nearest Urgent Care (over an hour away).   Our colds, especially Dave's, just aren't getting any better, worse even.   One look at Dave this morning and Pam wouldn't hear of us driving ourselves.....can you believe how good they are?   A beautiful day spent driving sick friends around and waiting for prescriptions to be filled instead of hiking or golfing or Jeeping.       Long story short, we both came away with some stronger meds. (and maybe a little ice cream to speed healing) and we expect they will succeed in driving this bug away for good.

Holidays in Palm Springs

We arrived and got settled into our Palm Springs rental house on my birthday.   This is a fun house and suits us all well.

front door's view

hot tub's view....ahhhh

  I was too tired from putting up the Christmas tree (tee hee) and filling the house with food and Christmas cheer to go out for our scheduled dinner at Le Vallaurus, so we ordered pizza in, shared a bottle of wine and floated in the hot tub.   Not too bad for a birthday celebration!

Lewis enjoys this house as well, the entire back/side yards are walled in and we keep the large slider door open so he can come and go at his leisure.

are you coming guys?   guys, it's really nice out here, guys, guys?

He enjoys following the pool shark most of all, sometimes he even "catches" it!

But, if you know Lewis you know that most of his days are spent in keeping a close eye on our whereabouts (everyone's whereabouts, which sometimes leaves him exhausted at the end of the day.....) or comfortably snoozing.

we see you out there Lewis, we see you....

watching from under the mistletoe, you know.....just in case.
(keeping the ball in view also is his forte)

zzzzzzz

Jesse, Erin and Susan (Erin's mother) arrived on the 23rd and we all enjoyed the house and our time together.

Lew gives this "new" person his complete attention

As has become our tradition, Erin (with Susan's help this year) prepared Christmas morning's meal - baked Apple Pancake and Mimosas - Mmmmm.

We had one day of cloudy weather....Christmas.....but the "boys" found something to keep them busy until our retro style Christmas dinner.

the watching of the football game

the careful watching of the baking Alaskas....

We decided to make a dinner in keeping with this house's age and style so we all prepared and enjoyed surf and turf (Lobster tails and Steak Diane Flambe) with individual Baked Alaska for dessert. 

they turned out well, delicious and oh so easy!

my favorite picture

wild sunset!

We all had a lovely Christmas together but the next morning things changed.

waterside breakfast for Erin

Susan was admitted to the hospital with a recurrence of a previous, serious situation and was there until the Dr.'s felt she was stable enough to travel home (January 2).   Erin spent every minute at the hospital by her side and we held down the fort here providing as much support as we could.   She is back at her home in Casper, Wyoming being evaluated.   Erin is with her.






In addition, our dear friend Judi was to arrive here on New Year's Eve but had to cancel at the last minute due to illness.     We all just ignored New Year's eve and were in bed by 9 (hey, that's New Year's in New York isn't it?).

Now Dave and I have good old fashioned colds so we're laying low til it's time to leave.

And we've sunken to a new low.   No more gourmet meals.   Comfort food has been in order.   Don't judge, we're sick.



Today is our last day at the house.    Tomorrow morning we pack up and move back into Beluga.    We'll do some serious shopping to fill her refrigerator/freezer and Monday we move down to Borrego Springs for a month of golfing and Jeeping (finger's crossed for Dave's back.....).    Stay tuned.