Circle of Art

Twenty-five years ago the first Circle of Art event was held in the Christmas Circle Park and today we got to shop and enjoy the over 70 artists displaying their wares.  I really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful pieces.  There was some great photography, metal art, pottery of all sorts as well as jewelry of all sorts, water color, oils and acrylic paintings and more.  John, of course, suffered through it all.

At 2 PM, in the heat of the day, we walked and played 9 holes of golf.  Not a bad course and we both had some good holes and some very bad holes but not that bad considering we haven’t played since last October.

Pi Day and Palms

{π = 3.14}  So March 14 is 3/14 - get it??

We got a lot of things accomplished today such as doing the laundry, shopping at the Farmer’s Market, dumping the tanks, getting fresh water and moving the RV to a new site.  Granted, the move was only 100 feet up the hill but John thinks its a much better site.

The metalwork statue just across the road from our RV site.

Since we bought a day pass at the State Park so that we could dump our tanks there, I thought it would be nice to hike up Palm Canyon again and see if much had changed since we hiked it two years ago.  And the answer is ‘Yes’ there were some changes.  Remember the storm I mentioned in yesterday’s blog?  It washed out this canyon too.  The rock climbing part was better marked but the palm grove was blocked off to give new palms a chance to grow.  There were also many more downed palm trees and brush piles.  An alternate route was available for our hike back down so we took it.  It traversed the side of the mountain to the far side of the canyon before dropping down into a wash and back to the parking lot.  We estimate it to be a 4-5 mile round trip hike.

From a distance these mountains look like an easy walk over dirt and sand with some big rocks but that is not the case at all!  They are encrusted with many rocks of all sizes and textures, mostly rough!  Then sprinkle in cacti, scrub bushes and boulders.  Put all together, they make for a very rough walk.

Coyote Canyon

Our four-wheeling guide book indicated that Coyote Canyon trail had one section that was a real rock- climber so we were ready to meet that challenge.

But first John had the opportunity to be a Good Samaritan.  A man had tried to turn his van around on the plowed out, sand road and got his rear wheels stuck in a sand bank and not just stuck but dug in!!  Another man had stopped to try to help but they hadn’t gotten very far when we drove up.  The winch on our bumper got them both excited but it wasn’t going to help them as there was nothing on which to anchor.  After several minutes of contemplation, John asked if any one had a shovel.  The next thing we knew, two shovels appeared, the guys started digging while I gathered wood to put in front of the tires and voila!  The man was out of the sand and away with a grateful handshake.

 

Now on to our own adventure.  We continued on down the sandy road towards a steep hill that promised to be a bit of a challenge but the challenge never appeared.  It seems that this area received a severe storm earlier this year and there were a lot of wash outs down most of the canyons, this one included.  We found out later that the road had to be plowed and they moved the rocks at the same time.  So no challenging run today.

It was still a pretty drive into the valley, across a dry wash and then across two small creeks which our guide book said would have water up to our hub caps.  I guess once the storm passed there was no more rain to supply the creeks as we could have jumped over them.  We spotted two palm tree oasis in the valley. One set of palm trees was up in a canyon and appeared to be an easy hike but it was deceivingly hard so we gave up.  Then we tried to find the road to the other oasis we had seen but due to the size of the valley we were unable to find it once we left the canyon.  We enjoyed a nice ride through the brush and cacti then turned around to drive out of the valley.  That is when we spotted the larger oasis again.

Later this afternoon we loaded up our golf clubs and practiced hitting balls on the driving range.  It was pretty ugly.

Glorietta Canyon

Our move to this campsite put us on the access road to Glorietta Canyon where one can take a couple of hikes into the canyon.  There are only about 5 campsites along this road and one of them was taken by a single lady from Oregon.  She is staying in her mini van with a tent.  As we walked up she met us and we had a nice visit.  One of the first things she told us was that she had to shoo a couple of scorpions out of her tent this morning!  Eek!  That’s enough for us to be happy we are in the RV!

That’s our RV in the lower left corner.

After that walk we ran some errands in town, came back for lunch and then John left me and rode his bike into town. I had a wonderfully quiet afternoon in the RV while John about killed himself riding back 7 miles, up hill and into the wind!

Coachwhip Canyon

Our book of 100 Hikes in Anza-Borrego showed a 3.5 miles hike up this canyon was fairly strenuous.  John and I think they lied!  It was VERY strenuous!  But it may have had something to do with John leading us off the trail and up onto the ridge.  Most of the desert and mountains and canyons in this park are rough rocks and very little vegetation other than cacti and ocotillo (a very thorny bush).  This canyon was no different.  The path is was mostly sand but as we reached into the depth of the passage it became more boulder strewn and then a complete rock fall.  At that point we took off up the side that appeared easily climbed. But the rough rocks were slippery.  We made it to the top of the ridge and walked along it for a ways looking for an alternate way back down into the canyon but the further down we walked the steeper the sides became.  We tried to take a picture of our predicament but both batteries for the camera were dead.  We eventually creeped back down into the canyon and made it safely out.  

This afternoon we decided to change campsites and moved to the south and east of Borrego Springs but we are still in the desert.  Here we have better cell service which John was missing as he could not read his Wall Street Journal!

Calcite Canyon and 17 Palms

We wanted to take advantage of the cool morning to go off-roading with a bit of a hike but the cool morning warmed up rather quickly!  The off-roading trail was only 2 miles long but it was interesting and challenging.  We drove up to the Calcite Mines.  Calcite is a mineral that was used to make telescope lens and was extensively used during WWII to make gun scopes.  The trail took us above many slot canyons, ravines and drop-offs.  At the top was a down-and-up run that we just had to try! It was REALLY steep!

Salton Sea

Across the highway and 3-4 miles down a wash is 17 Palms Oasis.  There is obviously water in this spot or there wouldn’t be palm trees.  Back in the old days of caravans and mining, this spot was used to send and collect messages.  The spring was not too reliable so people would leave jars of water with a message attached.  Today that “post office” is a barrel attached to a couple of palm trees with notebooks inside where we could leave a short message. But no jars of water.

We have struggled getting cell service at our campsite as it comes and goes and we needed to get some internet so we went to the library for a couple of hours. Later we stopped at one of the golf courses to hit range balls and to practice putting.  It’s a good thing we did this as our swings were pretty ugly!

Sea Monsters and Scorpions and Jeeps

About six years ago, Borrego Springs became the home of a menagerie of freestanding life-size sculptures of creatures like Sea Monsters, oversized scorpions and grasshoppers, dinosaurs, wild horses, camels and many more real and imaginary animals.  A local gentleman, Dennis Avery, owns several parcels of land known as Galleta Meadows in and around Borrego Springs.  Between him and the sculptor Ricardo Breceda of Temecula, CA they have created a magical landscape that we were amazed with as we drove into town last Friday.  Today we rode our bikes around the area so that we could examine these creations closely.  They are truly unique and life like.  For instance, the sculpture of the jeep shows creases in the leather seats, the woman’s hand is obviously tightly gripping the rail, and the tires have off-roading tread while the sea monster has a frightening but fascinating head.

After lunch at Carlee’s in town we checked out all three golf courses in town where all the good tee times are taken until next week!  We couldn’t wait to take showers and relax at the RV watching the sun set behind the mountains.

Slot Canyon, Borrego Mountain

We spent most of the morning trying to decide where to hike.  We visited the State Park visitor center and the Anza Borrego Historical Society to get maps and books on the area for hiking and off-roading.  

We chose the Slot Canyon trail which was about 10 miles from town.  The 2 mile hike started off along a jeep road, down a steep hill and then back into the canyon.  Then the fun begins as the canyon gets narrower and narrower until we have to squeeze through the rocks and at one point I had to take off my backpack to get through one slot.  Fallen rocks made overhead arches and the sides were so steep and tall that the sun never reached the floor. I would love to do this with my grandkids!

After we got out of the canyon we drove the Jeep down the road we had walked and were debating whether we could drive it down the steep hill and then through the desert back to our campsite.  Three men enjoying a beer at the top of the hill convinced us we could make the run and even gave us some suggestions on other routes to take out in the desert.  It was the right thing to do!  The off-road trails are not well marked and so at times we weren’t sure we were on the right one or if it would take us out of the desert but we eventually made it back.  Now I’m ready to do it again!

Just before sunset we drove over to Fonts Point.  We were shocked at the awesome site awaiting us as we topped the hill.  We were looking out over the Badlands of Anza Borrego with very rugged canyons and valleys right under our feet and a view of the desert we had driven through.  Then the sun began to set behind the San Ysidro Mountains to the west with the last rays lighting up the Coyote Mountain ridges to the east.  We will have to pack in some Jack Daniels and some vodka and enjoy this sight again another night.

From One Desert to Another

We spent Thursday doing laundry and other miscellaneous chores then visited with a Dish satellite salesman and another solar panel dealer but have decided to wait on those decisions.  We also checked out an RV redecorator about possibly replacing our vinyl floors but that’s more than we want to spend on our almost new coach.

Friday morning we took off for California.  We are staying in the desert about 8 miles east of Borrego Springs in the  Anza Borrego State Park.  Actually, we think we are camped on private land near the park but it is open to anyone who wants to boondock.  There are so few people out here that we feel we are by ourselves.

Our intentions are to stay here 5-6 days, then a commercial campground to recharge and refill and then go back out into the desert at a different location for several more days. The weather is fantastic with highs in the low 90’s tempered by wind in the afternoons and cooling off into the 60’s at night.  The stars are magical as there is no light pollution except for the almost full moon. 

Down Time in Quartzsite

Last Friday we made an appointment to have a LP gas heater installed in the RV but they could not get us in until Wednesday morning so for the last two days we have been doing a lot of nothing as there is a lot of nothing to do in Quartzsite.  We rode our bikes into the desert one day.  I went for 3.5 miles one way and said that was enough bumps for me, but John continued on for another 1.5 miles before turning around.  Tuesday we rode the bikes into town and did some exploring of the back streets and some tent/junk store shopping.  We ate lunch at a small cafe, nothing exciting.

This morning, Wednesday, we had the RV at the service center before our appointed 9 AM time slot.  We left the service center after 3 PM!  No one worked to install the heater until after lunch and then they said it would only take an hour and two hours later they finished.  At least it looks like they did a professional installation.

We drove to Yuma, then, and are staying in commercial campground called Shangri-La.  The people here are really nice. 

Junk, Stuff and a Bar

Saturday morning it rained for a short while and then the rainbow in the north put an end to it, at least for a while.  We puttered around the RV, took a 5K fast walk into the desert, then got in the Jeep and went into town to “shop”.  

This place does not have many stores to shop in but it does have lots of tents with lots of junk and stuff.  Many, many tents sell gems and stones and beads, none of which are of any interest to us.  Several other tents have all kinds of men’s tools, wiring supplies, scissors of all sorts, dental tools, screws, nuts and bolts, rugs, and t-shirts. Then there are the women’s tools like kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, second hand groceries and health and beauty aides and jewelry of every variety.  

The home cranked ice cream guy was still hanging around as were some RV surplus places but all the other tents that one would find during RV Week in January are closed up or gone.  The rain finally arrived late afternoon and into the evening.

Sunday morning found us headed north about 35 miles from Quartzsite to Parker, AZ on the Colorado River just below the Parker Dam. John had read about a fun bar built in the mountains east of Parker and open only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from November thru March.  It is open only one night a year and that is on New Year’s Eve and then only if it falls on a weekend.  The Desert Bar has been around for about 30 years but the guy who owns it keeps adding on to it as it started out as a small shack and is now several large buildings and patios.  All power is solar and not too many years ago he drilled a well for water. They have two bars, one grill and one cafe and a live band and dance area. 

There are two routes to drive to The Desert Bar, one is a gravel road and one is a 4-wheel only 5-mile road.  Bet you can guess which one we took!  Our shake-down cruise for the new Jeep and we had so much fun! It was a pretty challenging route, especially since we did not air down the tires on the way in.  Wow, it was bumpy!  But it was a pretty drive through very rugged mountains, narrow canyons and on steep shelf roads.  We arrived just after a helicopter landed, that’s how remote this place is and yet the parking lot was full and there were lines for burgers and beer.  A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Quartzsite Desert

Yesterday we drove to Quartzsite, parked the RV in a parking lot and drove the Jeep around to scout for the perfect site to camp in the desert.  West of town was a popular area according to some blogs John reads but we could still see the interstate and it was a rocky, rough area. North of town was nice but a lot of other people thought that too.

So we  parked in our tried and true area east and south of town.  We felt we had the perfect site, situated close to some willow trees that blocked the southern winds but still got some sun. Turns out we are on a short cut along the main south road so about 20 cars a day drive past us. According to John that is a “super highway”!  Ha!

We spent most of the afternoon researching solar panel and satellite dish installations.  After talking with a couple of installers then doing some research on the internet John decided that Quartzsite is not the place to have that work done. Then while riding our bikes today we found an RV service place that has portable gas heaters for RVs. Since it was the gas furnace that was taking all our power and got us to thinking we needed solar panels, supplementing our heating with a portable heater may prevent us from needing the solar panels. And its less than half the price. Unfortunately they can’t install the gas line until Wednesday so we will be here a while.

We spent a lot of this morning riding our bikes around town but on the way back to the RV we butted heads with a 30 mph southernly wind.  Enough of that kind of work! For a while this afternoon the wind was really strong & we were forced to close up the RV and turn on the generator to run the AC otherwise the entire RV would be full of dust.

It was supposed to rain this afternoon and evening so we planned on eating out.  So far only one short shower at 8:30.

White Tank Mountains

We left Mesa yesterday and drove a whole 65 miles from the east side of Phoenix to the west side of Phoenix.  The dividing line between the Phoenix Basin of the Salt River Valley and west AZ Hassayampa Plain is the White Tank Mountains west of Sun City and Luke AFB.  We are still in Maricopa County and staying in their White Tank Mountains Regional Park.  This is a very large park with lots of hiking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds and horse riding trails but only 40 campsites.  Luckily they just recently added electricity to each site and people haven’t learned about it yet so we were able to get a very nice site.  

The giant saguaro guarding our campsite.

Yesterday afternoon John rode his bike all over the park while I hiked a short 1.5 mile trail out of the campground.  This is a very pretty desert area with lots of cacti, desert bushes and flowers. We especially enjoy  the humming birds buzzing John’s orange shirt and mocking birds serenading us as the sun is setting and illuminating the Phoenix valley.

Today I convinced John that we could hike an 8 mile loop trail.  We geared up with back packs and hiking poles but probably didn’t bring enough water.  It was a fairly arduous trail that went up over 2,000 foot elevation.  We hiked around Mesquite Mountain and along Willow Canyon.  No water, lots of cacti and brush, rough path in places and quite a few people.  According to my hiking app on my iPhone we hiked 8.2 miles over 3. 45 hours ( with rest stops and lunch it was over 5 1/2 hours) with a pace between 21 minutes per mile to over 30 minutes per mile the last three miles.  Imagine that!

Val Vista Village

VVV is where John’s mom spends part of the fall, all winter and part of the spring, its nice and warm or at least warmer than in Missouri.  It’s a nice retirement community with spaces for RV’s of all sizes as well as park model homes like the one Marje owns.   They have lots of outside planned activities such as card clubs, arts and crafts classes, computer club, golf, tennis, shuffle board and pickle ball and the list goes on.  There are three pools plus one indoor pool, spas, massages, exercise rooms, hair salon, cafe, and daily music at the courtyard gathering place.

Being in the middle of Mesa we were able to take care of the small repairs and purchases needed in an RV.  Plus we enjoyed being with John’s mom as well as enjoying the warm weather and warm atmosphere of the park.  We took daily walks and bike rides, ate out a few times and shopped at REI.  A very relaxing 5 days.

City of Rocks

We opted to take four days to get to Mesa so we stopped early on Tuesday at City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico. As we drove over the hill towards to park entrance we saw how the park got its name. 

 

Look close on the left & you will see our RV parked right up against the rocks.

 

Once we got the RV nestled up against a rock we explored the area some before supper. The night sky was gloriously full of stars, the air clear and cool and the night sounds lulled us to sleep.  Wednesday morning found us geared up for a 5 mile hike around the perimeter of the rock formations in dry, winter desert. 

Towards the end of the hike we decided to shower and then move on down the road a ways to Roper State Park in Arizona so we would have a short drive into Mesa on Thursday.  We have stayed at Roper before.  It's located on a small lake stocked with trout, has a couple of hiking trails and a natural hot spring spa. 

We arrived at Val Vista Village shortly after lunch. The first order of business will be to wash the RV!

Here We Go Again

A family tradition when camping was to eat hamburgers and baked beans on our first night out.  Now that it is just John and I the tradition has change to steak and a good wine on our first night out.  Granted, we left home last Thursday and have been visiting our daughter and family for three days but now we are on the road headed west.  And the wine and steak are really good!

Thankfully the weather is very nice for Feb. in Texas so grilling outdoors was pleasant forJohn.  We are camped in a city park in a town near Lubbock. Just as John is about to finish the steak our ancient neighbor comes over to borrow a pair of pliers so he can unhook a stuck connection and depart. Note: Never, never ask a 75 year old man how he is doing!  He will tell you more than you really want to know!

Cry for me Argentina

Or better - I’m crying because I have to go home! Thursday was our last day in Buenos Aires and we all agree that we have enjoyed visiting this lovely city and we would like to come back and explore more of Argentina.

It poured down rain most of the morning so we stayed in, played bridge and read books. Lunch was at a small cafe around the block from the apartment and across the street from the fine restaurant where we dined last night. John had seen news crews with cameras on this street a few days ago so he asked the owners, who speak English, if they knew why. Three men tried to rob the restaurant but one of them got punched in the face by a waiter. The owner laughed and said she thought it must have been a very slow news day!

Susanna and I went shopping as we both wanted to buy souvenirs or remembrances for ourselves or our daughters. Since it is nearing the end of summer in Argentina there were lots of sales on summer clothing so we found some really nice bargains.

The check out from the apartment went smoothly and our ride arrived on time; the drive to the airport went faster than we thought it would during rush hour so we had lots of time to get checked in and then to wait. Our flight left BA at 9:30 pm and arrived 10.5 hours later in Atlanta, two hour layover, then a 2 hour flight to KC. The flight attendant welcomed us to “Alaska!” As cold as it is, it sure feels like we flew past Missouri!

Jack and Mary picked us up at the airport with a sign reading “Sedalia Four” like we were greeted in all the airports on our trip. The drive home seemed to go quickly with all the talk about our stay in BA and all the fine memories we shared of the early parts of the trip.

We have had a great experience in South America and John and I would have no problems traveling with Susanna & John or Mary & Jack in the future. But for now we can’t wait to give our kids and grandkids a big hug and then take off in the RV to warmer climes!

MALBA

Stores and museums do not open early in BA. I guess because everyone is up late at night! So a leisurely morning, walks around the neighborhood, and a bank run filled our time until the museum opened at noon.

Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) was a highly recommended museum by almost every tour book I read.  Modern art is so strange sometimes. And the artists description and reasoning for their work is highly confusing.  But we spent the requisite two hours looking at the art.  

 

It was a very hot and humid day so the walk back required us to stop for beer.  We love the corner bars and cafés. 

 

The rest of the day was spent napping, finding a place for dinner and playing bridge.  And the place we found for dinner was the perfect place for our last dinner in South America. We shared several seafood small plates which rather confused our waiter but we had fun and enjoyed our food without being stuffed.  On the way back to our apartment we stopped for a drink at an tiny eclectic bar. 

Recolota Cemetery and Tango!

Hey no rain today!

On the top of my list of places to see in BA is the Cementeria de la Recolota (Recolota Cemetery).with over 4,000 crypts there are a lot of famous Argentinians buried there but the only name I recognize is Eva Perón.   All of the crypts are above ground and one can look inside many of them to see the caskets, even the caskets below the floor of the crypts which is still above ground.  The crypts are very large and elaborate, some in black marble but most white marble, granite or even clay and brick.  Greek, Roman, and Egytian styles, modern and ancient, a pantheon and many other domes, lots of angels and personal busts.  

After leaving the cemetery we stopped for a cold drink and I realized my reading glasses were gone!  I think I dropped them in the taxi so I will never see them again. It's really hard to read indoors with prescription sunglasses!

Our next cab driver ripped us off with a meter that ran up too fast.  What should gave been a $6 ride cost us $12!  But we didn't have to walk to get to the Botanical Gardens. John had no interest in looking at trees and flowers so he walked back to the apartment while Susanna & John and I strolled through this quiet park.  It was a short walk home. 

We had a big evening with a steak dinner at a place in San Telmo Barrio before attending a Tango performance at El Viejo Almacèn, the oldest and most traditional tango show in BA. Sitting in the balcony we had a great view of the stage and not many other people around us.  These dancers are so impressive with wild kicks, fast moves and sexual inuindo.  Had a great time!  Remember I've mentioned the late nights in BA, well dinner was at 8:30 and the show didn't start until 10:15 pm.!

Barrio Norte, Retiro and Puerto Madero

It rained again this morning but stopped about the time we were ready to go exploring.  Today's tour was a walking tour of Barrio Norte, Retiro, and Puerto Madeo.  This is the very center of BA with lots of traffic, shops, restaurants, bars, colleges, and sky scrapers.  We saw old churches, palaces now used for offices, and lovely, shaded parks.  Plaza San Martin has a statue commemorting General San Martin who is to Argentina as George Washington is to the US.

We lunched beside the Rio de la Plata (La Plata River) and enjoyed the old wood ships and odd shaped pedistran bridge named Puente de la Mujere.  Its form supposedly reminds one of a male dancer pressing into his female partner in homage to the tango.  I don't see it!

We probably walked 5-6 miles before grabbing a taxi back to the apartment for naps.   It didn't help that we drank two bottles of wine with lunch.  Our new favorite white wine is called "Torrontes" (tore- rrrr-ron-tays).  Susanna and I are ready to ditch the guys and go shopping soon!