Wal Mart, Salton Sea, Quartzite desert & Yuma

Those are the "sights" (read stops) we have encountered since my last blog from Travis AFB, and there will be one more when we move on to Casa Grande on Thursday.

We spent one night in the parking lot at the Wal Mart in Bakersfield before moving on to the Salton Sea and the Fountain of Youth. While in Bakersfield we went to Buck Owens' Crystal Palace for dinner and to have a look around at all the memorabilia from his musical career. We also spent a few hours at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield which is a sixty-acre outdoor facility with lots of little historical houses that have been moved to the property and set up as various businesses with everything from a harness shop to a blacksmith shop. There was a great emphasis on the oil, and I didn't realize what a huge impact it had on the area.

The most interesting stop on this trip was our two-day stay at the Fountain of Youth near the Salton Sea. That entire area is very desolate and foresaken, but this park was most enjoyable with its mineral water spa. We drove through Bombay Beach which had been a desirable resort area when the Salton Sea was created, but after a massive flood some twenty years ago, most everyone just picked up and abandoned their properties. But with great surprise, we found by looking closer that a number of those ramshackle places were occupied by what to look like squatters.

Rod and Karen drove to Slab City which was originally a military base that the government razed and just left the concrete slabs. That too has taken on a life of its own with numerous societal misfits taking up residence there living in everything from tents to big motor homes.

While on the desert, we endured the worst storm of twenty years with howling winds and driving rain. We pulled the slides in for the better part of one day and all night to protect the awnings from the wind. There were a number of folks who saw their slide awnings blow away. There was some sunshine for our last day before coming to Yuma yesterday. And on Thursday it is on to Casa Grande.

Cooper is doing well, and with his incredibly expensive dog food, his coat looks gorgeous. We never fail to have folks stop and ask about him or comment on him when we are out walking.

Karen and I need a quilting fix since we have been on the desert with no power for our machines so we are off today for pedicures and quilt shop hopping. I am also keeping my eyes open for a different machine since I have come to the conclusion that mine is underpowered and the source of a lot of frustration.

Unitl next time.............ciao.