A side trip home - to 3/4/26

I'm not sure where I heard about it or perhaps I read something in a magazine, e.g., AARP, but since we were already "in the neighborhood," why not stop by?  I'm referring to Trona Pinnacles, a "unique geological feature" located about 170 miles north of Desert Hot Springs and 28 miles east of Ridgecrest in the Mojave Desert.  While we've been all around this area, we'd never been to Trona or Ridgecrest.  Because it's BLM land, dispersed camping is allowed and I thought it would be grand to camp below one of those tufa spires.

We found it easily.  At the entry, a sign read that the 5-mile-long dirt/gravel road is generally accessible to passenger vehicles (if you're willing to drive on a washboard), but after a rain, the road may be impassable, even to four-wheel drive vehicles.  Rain had fallen two weeks earlier; we figured we were safe. 

With Smartie in tow, Tergel started down what used to be a dirt road, transformed into a dried mud (like cement) track, with deep, irregular ruts.  We made it possibly a quarter mile before crying Uncle!  Then we had to turn around and make our way back toward the entrance.  Truly, that was an awful experience for Tergel, Smartie and us.  Nearer the entrance we found level ground and, since camping was allowed, we decided to stay where we were.  Too bad we were still five miles away from the pinnacles.  And we said, ain't no way we're walking that far!  Well, at least we could see them.  

Tergel sits all by herself with the pinnacles in the distance and train cars parked on a siding.  (Can you see her?) We'd taken Smartie for a spin so we could check out the ghost town of Trona.  Not much to see there.  The town is still functioning, but only barely.  A huge chemical complex closed down years ago, and we all know what happens then.  A new outfit is pulling sodium and potassium minerals out of Searles dry lake, but Trona is floundering.

This train was moving toward Trona (at a snail's pace),

going to pick up some raw material?  Flashy cars.

We went for a walk to the siding with the rail cars,

looking, examining, supposing ....

Toward dusk, I climbed a ridge behind Tergel and found a treasure trove of wildflowers.  The bottom two are Brown-eyed Primrose and Desert Five-Spot.

I took this picture of the pinnacles from atop the ridge.  Isn't it fantastic?  I'm glad we stopped here even if we couldn't get any closer.

In 2016, the BLM designated Trona Pinnacles as part of the California Desert National Conservation Lands due to the area’s significant scientific and ecological values; this means that the area will be managed to protect those values and will be permanently protected from development.  Good.  (They could work on that road, however!)

This pic is from Wiki.  As you see, people were closer to the spires.

There's Tergel/Smartie (and my shadow where I stood on the ridge).  Being camped here was extra-special, and with no one else around the silence was pervasive and so welcome.  Aside from the pinnacles, the area isn't particularly scenic, but we appreciated both the vastness and the tiny wildflowers at our feet.  I didn't fret that we couldn't camp at the base of a monolith tufa, nope.  Just happy.  Period.

And the sky!  We saw the breath-taking full moon rise above yonder mountain -- what a sight!  We didn't expect this which made it even better.  For sure, we wouldn't see many stars nor the Milky Way, not with the super bright moon filling the sky.  Alone as we were, there wasn't any need to close our windshield curtains.  We watched the moon climb in the sky.  I got up once in the night to look around, and it was like daylight out there.  So quiet.

The next morning was cool and sunny, blue skies all 'round.  Whoa, I looked out our dinette window and saw this black smoke.  We didn't hear anything, but China Lake Naval Weapons Station is beyond the hills.  The smoke continued and spread eastward in the sky.  It looked like a plane had crashed, but, like I said, we heard nothing.  Just about the time you think you're alone in the world, bang, a reminder you're not.

We left the site after breakfast, heading for Tehachapi (the -ugh- wind tunnel) and eventually I-5.  It didn't take us long to reach Hwy 58, the road to Tehachapi.  Meanwhile, we were treated to mountains and flats blanketed with blooms, the yellow you see on the peak above.

And here!

Yellows and purples and masses of white,

but hard to get a great photo at 60mph!

I'd also hoped to stop at Red Rock Canyon, but the entrance came upon us too quickly and we missed the turn in.  Nowhere to turn around!  Well, okay, two for two: we came, we saw, we almost conquered!

From the road, the place looked stupendous.  Maybe next time.

We moved on, with a headwind in our face, through Tehachapi, down to Bakersfield and on to the Baker Museum in Coalinga, a Harvest Host site we used a couple of years ago.  After a delicious meal at Los Reyes Mexican Grill, we enjoyed a peaceful night at the museum.  No dinosaurs disturbed us.  We shared our site with one other camper, a lady from Oregon named Eileen.  Always lovely to meet fellow travelers, especially when they become friends!

On toward home the next morning, we endured a vicious headwind, the kind where you feel like you may as well simply pour gasoline straight onto the road. ** sigh **.  We made it home late Thursday afternoon in one piece, glad to see the homestead still standing, having sustained no damage from the snowstorm.  

Five weeks away, loved it all.

Out and About to 2/6/26

Greetings from Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, CA.  Jimmy and I left our home in Nevada City, roughly 600 miles north, on Friday, 1/30, making our usual overnight stop at Minter Field Air Museum, a Harvest Host site, in Shafter.  Our original arrival date was a week earlier, but Jimmy's hernia flared up again before Christmas (remember Madeira two years ago?), and he needed surgery. The surgeon's first opening (heh, sorry) wasn't till Jan 14th.  So, he's been on the "sick list" for a while, and what could be better than recovering in the desert with those wonderful mineral swimming pools?

Since he's been healing from not one, but two hernia incisions, we've been taking life easier than usual. Taking easy walks and spending quality time in the pools.  He's now three-plus weeks post-op, and Nurse Ratched (me) is officially declaring him on the "almost as good as new" list.

This will be our home for the month of February.

We are snug-as-bugs in our site. 

Our friends, Sue and "Mo" from Oregon are also here at the RV park, fun for all of us.  On Wednesday the 4th, we tried a new-to-us Mexican restaurant in Desert Hot Springs (DHS from now on) named Delicias, which we all enjoyed.  Thursday, they wanted to drive down to Anza Borrego St Pk, roughly 80 miles south, "to see the spring wildflowers," and we joined them (in separate cars).  By gum, we scored, too!

In 2009, Jimmy and I hiked the Palm Canyon Trail, remembered it fondly, and decided to do it again today.  Sue and Mo went off on their own, and we'd meet up later.  Above, you see Jimmy on the trail.

Brittlebush was the prize winner for its sheer numbers -- great blocks of yellow flowers.  Nice photo mix with Beavertail Cactus, above.

We encountered several large bushes with The. Most. Fragrant. Flowers., each alive with buzzing bees.  Lo and behold, they were Desert Lavender, left.  Spotted a couple of (also large) Chuparosas covered with their red tubular flowers, top, and the spectacular Desert Sand Verbena, bottom, with a Dune Evening Primrose plopped in the middle.  Did you know the Spanish word for hummingbird is Chuparosa?  Now you do.

If a person got tired of eyeballing flowers, they could gaze at interesting rock formations.  Like Joshua Tree Nat'l Pk, Anza Borrego has rocks.  Lots and lots.  Check out the angled rocks, above.

Now, you know I'm going to find a barrel cactus if possible!  See the red x, above?  A cute li'l barrel cactus has found a foothold.  That's it in the inset.

How many flower pictures are too many?  How many did I take?  Way more than I'll post.  Clockwise from top left:  Bigelow's Monkey Flower, Pigmy Gold Poppy, Desert Sunflower, and Desert Chicory.  Each was a beauty.

Here we found and crossed Borrego Palm Canyon Creek -- a perennial, shallow stream which originates from springs in the canyon and which, in turn, creates a lush oasis for/of native California fan palms.  The stream also disappears as the water flows downstream.

Here the stream makes a shallow pool.

More and more and more, oh lucky me!  Clockwise from top left:  Dune Evening Primrose, close up of a Desert Sand Verbena flower, Brown-eyed Primrose, and a critter on a Desert Sunflower.  All in great numbers.  I think my identifications are correct, but don't sue me if I'm wrong.

The rocky trail is three miles R/T, with an elevation gain of about 700 feet.  We found it to be a bit more strenuous this time around, can't imagine why. 😄. The palm grove oasis (yellow x) is closed until further notice due to a fire in January 2020 -- a grove of roughly 60 mature California Fan Palms went up in a fiery ball of flame, but ecologists say the trees will regrow.  Anyhoot, the 1.5-mile trail leads to an overlook, above, where you can see the post-fire recovery of the palms.

Oh sure, we saw many of these ant hills. Harvester Ants march out on warm days to collect seeds from nearby wildflowers and bushes which they bring back to the nest and hull. They then discard the seed chaff outside their hole, building a crater. These ants act as gardeners, planting seeds across the desert. I gave each hill plenty of room.

Datura.  Beautiful. 💕

I remember seeing these animals back in 2009, wondering who? why? and so on.  They're still here, more have been added, and they're remarkable to see.  We didn't get out of the car to show you size, but believe me, they are very large!

Sue and Mo were waiting for us at Coyote Canyon.  We would pile into their car (4x4) and see how far we could go on this rocky, sandy trail before getting stopped by a water crossing.  Lots of wildflowers on this drive, plenty of cholla cactus and ocotillos, etc.  I looked it up to see how long this "trail" is -- 18.3 out-and-back, but some upper sections have vehicle restrictions.  We were glad we didn't take Smartie!  Sue, above, is testing the Second Crossing, and it was deemed too deep for their Tracker car. We turned around at this point.  

Aglow with Desert Dandelions.

Finally, we parted, they needed an RV part in Indio, and Jimmy and I would drive along Henderson Canyon Rd on our way out of the park.  Henderson Canyon is a premier location for wildflowers.  We were awed by the display of primarily Desert Sunflowers, Desert Sand Verbena and Dune Evening Primrose.

Purple and white as far as the eye can see.  Wow!

And this -- THIS is Jimmy's contribution.  No, neither of us knows what it is, except it's tiny.  Jimmy!  You're not supposed to pick the ... flowers?

Yup, it was a long day, but we had a grand time.  Jimmy drove us to Anza Borrego and I drove us home.  We made it back by 5pm, Sue and Mo got caught in Indio traffic and were an hour behind us.

One more thing -- the pools, odorless, mineral hot springs are still heavenly.

Over and out, Friday 2/21/25

 

Our month at Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs is over, and it's time to go home, some 560 miles away and a two-day drive with an overnight stop at Minter Field Air Museum (Harvest Host).  We have so enjoyed this time in the desert, happily avoiding those atmospheric rivers of rain pummeling our lonely home in the foothills of Nevada City ... and the cold, and the damp, and the gray.  Jimmy and I packed a lot into this month, going and doing, living life to the fullest we could.  Out and About -- hiking and biking and playing, and swimming -- oh, the pools!  I will miss swimming the most.  (I swam every day but one.)

The places we've gone, the fantastic sights we've seen, most of it new to us this year, and seeing San Jacinto in all its glory every morning when opening the front window curtains, ah, what a way to begin a day!

Being with friends made the time extra-special.  When we first arrived at Catalina, we were greeted by our friends, Betty and Wayne, from Newfoundland.  After they left, we met a pair of Oregonians named Nancy and Doug and formed a fast friendship.  Then our dear friends, Sue and Mo, arrived from Oregon, accompanied by their friends, Joanne and Phil in their RV, also from Oregon.  We were surrounded by Beavers and Ducks!  Wonderful seeing and being with y'all.

Last Monday, Jimmy and I finally met our goal to hike in the Whitewater Preserve, choosing the amazing Canyon Loop Trail, five miles for us, and a 600' elevation gain switchback to where you see us, above, part of it on the PCT.  We started way down below at the V/C, on the other side of the white riverbed (wash).  Quite the hike.  I have many more pics, but I'll keep it down today. 

On Tuesday, we hopped in Smartie and circumnavigated Joshua Tree NP, beginning at the southern entry in Cottonwood Spring and V/C, driving all the way through the park, out the northern end, and back to Desert Hot Springs.  This wasn't our initial intention, but that's the way the day rocked!  Above, Jimmy is being swallowed by Very Sharp Cholla in the cactus garden!  Thousands of cholla line both sides of the road, right up to the mountains.

After that, we parked Smartie and set out to find arch rock.  We saw every other kind of rock, but we couldn't find arch rock.  I added what I considered appropriate captions. 😃

Lucky us, of course, to find heart rock!  We put 141 miles on Smartie and were tired when we returned to Tergel.  This year we've certainly explored much of Joshua Tree NP and enjoyed every minute.

Wednesday was a change of pace and a visit to Living Desert and Zoo.  Though we lost sight of our four friends, we had a delightful time.  The zoo is planning a Glow at the Park function, hence the dragon.  You know I've been hankering to see a Desert Big Horn sheep, and -- yeehaw! -- I saw four here at the zoo!

Thursday afternoon the six of us (in three cars) made it to downtown Palm Springs.  We wanted to share dinner at Tommy Bahama's and then cruise the Thursday night street fair, featuring arts, crafts, food, and entertainment!  Something for everybody, and it's fun.  The restaurant is a block away from iconic Marilyn Monroe -- and it was my turn for a photo op.

Here are the six of us in a selfie, taken just before we pulled out.  Clockwise from me, you see Joanne, Jimmy, Phil, Mo, and Sue.  Impromptu and everyone is smiling!

Last, but not least by any yardstick, here I am on a rare day by myself in the pool on Thursday and loving it.  All the pools (there are four) feature odorless hot mineral springs water.  You can't believe how therapeutic it is to take a step into the nice warm water and simply let yourself melt into it, like a hand inside a warm mitten.  Jimmy favored the hot spa, feeling rejuvenated by every dip.

That's our month away from home.  Maybe to you, the desert is a barren, even desolate place.  To us, it's an opportunity and, if you've read our posts, you'll see what we mean.  Joyous opportunities abound in a landscape that is rich with surreal geologic features and critters and plants.  It's great.  We'll be back ....

January scenes, to 1/22/24

 

In early January, Nevada City received its first snow, an unremarkable two-and-a-half inches, barely enough to allow sledding down our sloped driveway.  No complaints about snow lack -- recalling last season's over-performer!  Son, Matt, and granddaughter, Evie, visited Sunday, the 7th, for a bit of snow play, and you know we had a good time!  After a couple of sled runs into the bushes, Evie decided she'd like to paint the snow!  (Huh, I've never thought of that.)  She ran into the house, got brushes and paints and commenced.

A rainbow was her aim,

and it made her happy. 😊💖

Matt (with Lucy) after dodging the bushes!  I had a few dashes myself down the driveway, before we all gravitated inside where it was warm.  I hope we're not pushing our luck ripping along over icy snow because it sure is fun.  The snow was gone in a couple of days and we haven't seen any since, but the clouds have dropped a couple of buckets of rain.

The following Sunday, Jimmy and I went for a muddy canal trail walk.  During rainy, gray days, you gotta get out of the house or risk cabin fever, so you walk when you can.  I was surprised to see this fantastic bit of Lion's Mane fungi (Hericium erinaceus) growing on a Black Oak tree, too high for us to reach and, too bad, because it's edible.  We don't carry step ladders with us on our hikes!

Then we had to climb over this large Doug Fir

littering the path.

This big guy has been hanging around.

 (he was across the street when I got his pic).

Not a bear!!

* * * * * * * * * *

A year ago when we left Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, we reserved the same site for 2024, this time for a whole month, from Jan 21 to Feb 21, oh boy!  A whole month of swimming in their odorless mineral HOT springs pools, with hopefully warmer and drier weather.  Plus, hiking and biking (we brought our E-bikes).  Desert Hot Springs is one town over from Palm Springs, and roughly 600 miles south of our house.

We packed our Tergel with yummy things to eat and all sorts of clothes, from bathing suits to parkas, such is winter weather wherever!  And we had to pack between rain storms.  In fact, we set off a day early to avoid last-minute packing in rain, departing Friday afternoon, the 19th, and driving the short distance to Matt's in Fair Oaks, where we could "camp" in front of their house.  And we did just that, because Evie was sick with a virus of some kind (think schools = petri dishes).  We visited for a while (masked), and then returned to Tergel.  It rained all night long.

Saturday, we headed south on I-5 in light traffic, and no rain!  The Kettlemen Hills always fascinate with their shapes and colors.

We planned to spend the coming night at Minter Field Air Museum, a Harvest Host site in Shafter, CA, a new place for us.

OK!  Really, Shafter?  Potato Capital of the World?

Maybe not any more!

Minter Field was the largest U.S. Army Air Force flight training base on the west coast during World War II. It's a museum now, in Shafter, which is only 15 minutes north of Bakersfield.  We arrived too late to tour the museum, but we were free to walk around.

Isn't this cute?

A look-out tower of some sort.

We had the place to ourselves,

just the way we like it.

We parked on the dirt/gravel, as instructed, but away from the mud behind Jimmy.  It didn't matter, 'cause it rained (pitter patter on the roof) most of the night again, and the entire lot was a wet mess.  Not a problem:  We pulled out into the street to unchain our bikes (for travel), and then we were on our way.  We'd spent a peaceful, quiet night camped here.  Lucky us, the rain quit by 8:30am when we pulled out and we drove the rest of the way to Catalina Spa without rain!

Sure was cloudy, though, especially here (Tehachapi, elevation 4000')!

We call this route The Tehachapi Wind Tunnel.  Guess why?

Look at this welcome to Desert Hot Springs!

We're all set up now, it's pouring, as it has off/on today.  Our friends, Sue and Mo (with Mattie, the doggie) are here for the next week.  Sue visited this morning and we made plans.  In a break after lunch, Jimmy and I donned our suits and hit that divine warm water, spending an hour in the pools.  We're ready for Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day, so we can go out and play!

You'll be seeing more posts in the upcoming weeks from our California desert adventures!