Our Road Trips: July 2016

7/29/2016 7/25-28/2016

We got an early start to try to beat the heat. Our friend George Didiot had told us a short cut to I-10 from our location at Lake Pleasant, and how sweet it was. Straight shot to I-10 without the traffic was perfect, put us at the border before lunch. We stopped at the last exit before California and filled up the MH, got a couple of burgers, an let a couple of 20 somethings wash the MH & car, which it needed badly. Then it was on to the border and the only state line we know of that stops everyone and asks if they have any fruits & vegetables. We passed without an inspection, so we didn't understand the reason for the hassle, but we moved on. The topography is very similar to Arizona (and New Mexico for that matter) and it was just as hot. We arrived at Emerald Desert in Palm Desert about 130 & checked in, it was virtually vacant, 6 campers in the whole place. We went for a ride and found the area of town with all the restaurants and had some dinner. It was still 108 when we got back to the camper, glad we have 2 air conditioners again. We got a good night's rest.

The next morning, it was over 100 before we went outside. But we decided to ride the tram to the top of Mt San Jicinto in Palm Springs anyway, figure it will be cooler a mile up. So we went and got our tickets and up we went. It is a pretty cool ride in a gondola that rotates, so you get a pretty good view all the way up. Palm Springs is at roughly 500' above sea level. The road to the base of the tram takes you up to 2643' above sea level. The tram then takes you to 8516' above sea level, a neat ride of 5873' in 11 minutes with 2 complete revolutions on the way. So you are roughly 8000' above the valley, so the temperature is about 40 degrees cooler on top, quite a nice change. We spent an hour or so up there, took a bunch of pictures and went back down. The ride down was pretty neat too. We went back to the camper, caught up on laundry and got some sleep, big day tomorrow.

We were up early (me, way too early) and on a day to remember, off on a road trip to San Diego & back, first along the east shore of the Salton Sea, 228 feet below sea level. A very stark contrast of what we will see before the day is over, very much similar to Great Salt Lake in Utah, Very little life on the east side of the accidental lake, formed in 1908 by the Colorado River overflowing its banks and flowing for 2 years before it could be stopped. It is an interesting story of boom & bust over the years and it is today, very much on the bust cycle. We continued on our way around the south end and west across the desert to Julian, 4000+ feet in the air, then down the hill to San Diego at about 200'. When we got downtown, we found a place to park, as it was almost 6 pm. We walked a couple blocks to a place called The Local and had a burger & a couple of beers. Then it was back across the street to the San Diego Civic Theater for a Bonnie Raitt concert. An opening Richard Thompson Trio and Bonnie & her 4 guys put on a fun evening. About 1130, we headed back to the camper in Palm Desert. We were counting on our GPS to get us home, and off we went, north on I-15. About 1/2 way to I-10, the GPS took us off I-15 and we spent the next hour+ on 2 lane roads up and over a 4000' mountain and back down on the very road we were supposed to be on to get back to the camper, amazing. We got home about 2 am, tired, but very happy we had spent this day the way we did...beautiful scenery, beautiful music, fun times with our best friends...what a day.

We got some sleep and both woke up a bit groggy, and ready for a few hours of doing nothing. About noon, we set off first west then north to visit the very amazing Joshua Tree National Park just to our north. It ended up being about 60 miles to the entrance of the park, but it is a pretty interesting place, lots of wind mills, solar farms, up steep mountains and 3 small towns that are the only civilization surrounding the entrance to Joshua Tree & 29 Palms US Marine Corps training center. Gas was cheaper up on the mountain than down in the valley, that sort of surprised us, but we filled the car up. The trip though Joshua Tree was similar to the other deserts we have been through except for the trees, lots of trees & lots of rocks. It wasn't very crowded, so it was a peaceful cruise. We went back down the hill and went back to the camper. On the way back, we were surrounded by all kinds of cops on a high speed chase on I-10 and into Palm Desert...found out later that they shot & killed their suspect...we know no other details. Early to bed & early to rise, off to San Diego with the Motor Home for a 2 week stay, so tomorrow will be another busy day...then 2 weeks of exploration.

Steve & Barb Larson