Good Bye Borrego

 

This week we said good-bye to Borrego Springs.  However, we did not leave without making a few trips into some back country.

We started off by a final trip up Grapevine Canyon, but first we took a little hike on Cactus Loop Trail. 

It was an easy hike and finally we found some cactus starting to bloom.  It’s always amazing to see a rough  and prickly plant (here it is the hedgehog cactus) have such a show of flowers. 

Even the bright colours of the barrel cactus is pretty.

Back on the trail and as always, the views were outstanding, and everyone got to play on some big rocks. 

The real icing on the cake was the sighting of some bighorn sheep on our way back home.  One doesn’t often get to see these animals as they are usually back in the mountains.

One last trip out to Coyote Canyon to see if there is any sort of recovery of the trail but the water was still running.  Apparently the park service has plans to rebuild the trail which was destroyed by Hurricane Hilary last summer but until then, we get to see some great scenery.

Our friends, Reto and Shelley, wanted to go on one last ride and we managed to lead them on a couple that they have not been on before.  Reto has spent many years in this area so it was very unusual to show him something new.   We went out to Mine Wash and visited an ancient Indian Village.  Many large rocks have morteros which are areas that are worn out from grinding grain on the rocks – that would mean a lot of grinding has taken place.

The scenery was beautiful and while there were really no flowers to speak of, we did find a century plant which will soon be blooming (I love how they look like a giant asparagus).

One has to marvel at the hardiness and resiliency of some desert plants.

On our way home, we stopped by Quartz Vein Wash and lo and behold, another sighting of bighorn sheep.  These sheep were a bit further up the mountain but again, we were thrilled to see them.

It's always sad to leave Borrego Springs but it is time to visit some old friends.  Have a great week and I'll be back next week!!

Back on Track

Here it is Saturday evening and I'm back telling of our weekly activities just as I have intended to always do.  Somehow, I got a little off track.

We had a pretty relaxed week and spent much of the time enjoying the weather and enjoying friends.

We started off by making a quick trip into Yuma to do some visiting.  On the way, we pass by the Algodones Sand Dunes which I find quite amazing as well as beautiful.  It is often very hard to get a photo that is not filled with dune buggies, atvs, and other types of off road and sand buggies.  Plus, a photo doesn't always turn out when taken out of the window at highway speeds!  For some reason, this year does not seem to have the same traffic.

While in Yuma, our friends discovered that their motorhome had a broken door latch - only to be opened from the inside.  Fortunately, there was someone young, and lithe, to get in and get things working again.

I did get to spend a day inside, mostly in bed, because I was feeling somewhat punky and extremely tired.  I did catch up on some sleep (I didn't even know was needed some) and recovered pretty quickly.

As a group, we all go for a daily walk.  One day, back at some of the rock art that is displayed up the mountain, I saw a couple of new creations.  Actually, the artwork wasn't new, but it was new to me.

Our trip this week was to the pumpkin patch.  They are actually concretions which are  concrete balls formed from the sand.  We see them scattered here and there and sometimes jut out from wash walls but in this particular spot, they are very numerous.

  On our way, we stopped at 5 palms, a spot that there werefive5 palm trees; however there are now only four left.

And of course, no week is complete without a repair job on someone's motorhome.  And for once, it isn't even ours.  But the say many hands make work light so that must be true as the job was quickly done.

This week was valentines so all went out for a late lunch at Ram's Hill, a local golf course.  We sat on the patio and overlooked the golf course with is a lovely view.

Another week has come to an end.  May you all have a great week and I'll be back in seven days!!

 

I Didn't Forget

 I didn't forget - I'm just a bit late.  As I wrote last week, we spent most our week back home.  It's unfortunate that there are no direct flights between Regina and Palm Springs which makes the trip a bit tiring.

We had a great trip home - no snow and mild temperatures (as least for Saskatchewan).  We were able to visit the kids, some friends, as well as watch 2 basketball games, 4 volleyball games, a curling game and a cheer practice.  I can add one more volleyball game that we were fortunate to watch online.  The kids are absolutely amazing in theirs skills in the various sports.

As I said, we arrived to no snow but that was not to be the norm as mid week we did get some snow - not a lot but enough to create some ice and make for slippery (as well as mucky) roads.

The trip back was rather tiring.  We didn't have to be at the airport terribly early but because we had an offer of a ride, we chose to go   a couple of hours earlier (doesn't matter where one sits and waits), but the flight was an hour and a half late which just made for a long wait.  The Regina airport has quite an interesting Lego display so we could pass a bit of time. 

But the rest of the trip was right on (we had a little longer connection time) and arrived safe and sound.  Pick up the car, get some groceries, and we were back at the motorhome in the early evening.

I know, not a real interesting week but it sure was a great week.  Until next week, take care.

A Little Late

 

This week was a busy week.  The week started with sunny skies, nice temperatures, and no wind.

We started off doing the necessary, but mundane chores.  The fridge needed defrosting, and since it looked like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, it was a good time to get it done.  Then it was also time for some outside work to be done so off we went to dump and get water.  Now we are ready for another several weeks!

We did take a small hike up the mountain behind us to look at some stone art.  The snake has been here for years and over time it has been enhanced with addition of such things as a tongue, and diamonds on it’s back.  There also have been some new pictures added.  I am always amazed at the creativity of some folks as they make amazing pictures out of random rocks just picked up in the area.

Our friends were busy the first couple of days because they were touring the countryside in his rental car.  Such smiles as they drove in and out of the camp.  Now this is sporty!!

With such great weather, it was time to go on a little off road trip.  Some we had been on before, and some we hadn’t. In all areas the scenery was great.  There has been very little traffic in the area so no dust, although some areas were a tad soft from the rain the previous week.

The nice weather was coming to an end as was our time in the desert (at least for this week).  The rains came, and we left.  Thursday morning we drove into Palm Springs and met a couple, Robbie and Louise, for lunch.  I, particularly, go back a long, long way with these two as I went to high school with the two of them.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of them, but it was wonderful to catch up.  That afternoon we were scheduled to fly out to come back home for a few days.  I did have some concerns as it was pouring rain, but no problem, the planes were close to being on schedule.  How relaxing when the plane from Palm Springs to Calgary was only a quarter full so we could sit wherever we liked!!

We arrived at the early hour of 1:45 a.m. on Friday morning, right on time, and got home an hour later after a dear son-in-law picked us up.  Come home in February in plus temps is pretty nice.

Now it was time to enjoy some sports so we spent the past couple of days at a couple of basketball games, and more than a couple of volleyball games.  I do have to admit that I am nursing a grooved buttocks from the time spent on metal bleachers!!  We still have some curling to watch as well as some cheer practice. It is great to see the kids, young and not so young.

Hopefully I will be a bit earlier in posting next week, but then again, one never knows what happens.  We will be back in the desert by then.  I hope you have a great week and may the current temperatures continue.