Year 3 Week 30

January 7 to 13, 2007

Desert Hot Springs, California

Year 3 week 30

 

Sunday ; Today was sunny and warm.

I have just returned ( 7:00 P.M. ) from another unsuccessful, hour long attempt to obtain a workable Wi-Fi signal. I'm really frustrated, and I don't know for sure whether the problem is Tengo Internet, or my computer, which has admittedly been operating at less than peak performance recently, since the hard drive crashed. I can't get Wi-Fi to work in the trailer, or sitting in the truck in front of the campground office, or even in the campground office. Tomorrow I'm going to drive to the last RV park we stayed at, Tamarisk, where I know a resident has a private Wi-Fi satellite signal around her mobile home. If I get a good working Wi-Fi signal there, then I'll know that the problem is with Tengo, and I'll be tearing strips off Tengo ! If I can't get a good working Wi-Fi signal there, then the problem must be with my computer.

Today was another lazy, unproductive day. We had booked 2 tickets on a Palm Springs tour this morning, "Homes Of The Rich And Famous". Early this morning the tour company phoned to advise us that the tour had to be cancelled. One of their tour guides phoned in sick. So we blew off the morning lazing around, mostly trying to end a domestic dispute that started last night.

We spent much of the afternoon relaxing in the hot mineral water spas ( this resort has four of them ), and lounging around the swimming pool deck. While in the hot tubs, we chatted with a couple from Montana who have traveled the Baja California peninsula of Mexico by RV, our dream / objective for next winter. We took Bo for an obedience walk around the campground, and chatted with a couple from Victoria, B.C., who have a pristine condition old VW bus. All of the old VW buses in Canada seem to have gone to Vancouver Island, and the B.C. Gulf Islands, and are now serving as the retirement vehicles for old hippies. We also chatted with a woman walking 2 old terriers, who have one good eye between the two of them. HA HA HA ! The 11 year old Cairn Terrier has such severe cataracts in both eyes that he has no vision. And the 11 year old West Highland Terrier is missing one eye.

 

Monday ; Today was a gorgeous, sunny, hot day, temperature in the low 80's. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same.

To take advantage of the great weather, we planned a day trip to Indian Canyons. First we drove into Desert Hot Springs where I shopped at an RV parts and service business for some RV parts I want. Then we stopped at the Desert Hot Springs Post Office to check for our mail at General Delivery. The line up was way too long, so I didn't wait. I knew that only one of the batches of mail I'm expecting would have arrived by now, and I would have to return another time anyway for the other batch.

We drove from Desert Hot Springs to Palm Springs fashionable downtown, then through Palm Springs and out to the south. We found our way to Indian Canyons, then found out at the entrance fee booth that dogs are not allowed. Oh, well, I guess we'll have to return another day without Bo. We began to drive back through Palm Springs when Joanne decided on impulse that we should make a day trip to the Salton Sea. We had a picnic lunch, we were prepared for a day trip outing ... okay, here we go.

Palm Springs is a busy place for the month of January, with lots of celebrities in town. The first half of the month is the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the second half of the month is the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic pro-am golf tournament

We found our way back to Interstate 10, then drove east towards Indio. At Indio we turned south on Hwy. 86S, then onto Hwy. 111 leading around to the east side of the Salton Sea. Joanne had been planning a trip to the Salton Sea on another day, so we didn't have swim suits with us. Joanne was a bit disappointed as she wanted to go swimming in the very saline, and buoyant Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is below sea level, and is more saline than the ocean.

We entered the Salton Sea State Recreation Area, and found our way to the Visitor Centre. We looked around the Visitor Centre before having our picnic lunch. After lunch we walked to the water front and checked out the Salton Sea up close. YUCK ! The wide expanse of beach was comprised of broken and crushed barnacles. The water was filled with a stinky algae bloom. There were small dead fish all over the "beach". Bo was quite eager to either eat or roll on dead fish. No, Bo, I don't think so. And not having our swim suits was not a problem. Swimming in the Salton Sea did not seem all that enticing.

We drove around the small state park campground, then left. We decided to stay on Hwy. 111 all the way back into the east side suburbs of Palm Springs. As we drove along Hwy. 111 we passed orange groves, red pepperfarms, vineyards, spinach farms, and ... and ... AND ... WOO-HOO ... Oasis Date Gardens ! We stopped at Oasis Date Gardens, browsed, sampled ( mmmmm ), and each had a small date shake while we watched a short movie about date farming. Joanne saved a small amount of her date shake for Bo, who was waiting in the truck. Bo loooooves date shakes ! Well, as do we !

Bo has very eclectic tastes, doesn't he ? Dead fish and date shakes. HA HA HA HA HA !

Once back in Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, I stopped at 3 more RV parts and supply dealers looking for parts. As soon as we arrived back at the trailer, I grabbed the computer and drove over to Tamarisk Mobile Home & RV Park, parked by the mobile home that has a Wi-Fi satellite connection, and signed on. AHA ... not a thing wrong with my computer and Wi-Fi card. Perfect Wi-Fi connection. I sent and retrieved e-mail, and updated my blog. So ... the problem is Tengo Internet. I sent a second request for a refund to them, and strongly suggested that they process the refund before I have an opportunity to meet with their company President here in 3 days !

Uh-oh ... big wildfire in Malibu tonight.

 

Tuesday ; Today was sunny and hot again.

We're trying to take advantage of the great weather by getting out and doing things while the weather stays great. It's forecast to deteriorate a lot in a few days. Today we went to visit Indian Canyons ... without Bo. We drove across Palm Springs to the Agua ( ah whaw ) Caliente ( kal lee yen tee ) Cahuilla ( kaw wee ah ) Reservation where Indian Canyons are. There are three Indian Canyons ; Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon, and Murray Canyon. We visited two of them. First we drove to Palm Canyon. We had to pass through a narrow canyon where the vertical cliff walls were barely far enough apart to get through with Lanoire. We parked at Palm Canyon and visited the gift shop before hiking down into the canyon for a picnic lunch. At the bottom of the canyon is a small stream, and therefore, an oasis of Fan Palms. Quite spectacular.

We had our picnic lunch, hiked around a bit, then climbed back up out of the canyon. We drove over to Andreas Canyon. Once again, because of Andreas Creek, a California Fan Palm oasis sprouts up out of the barren desert mountain sides. We hiked around the Bent Palm Picnic Area, then hiked part way down the Murray Canyon Trail. The trail became steep, my knee started to hurt, so we decided to turn around and return to the Andreas Canyon parking area.

Back at the parking area we explored an area of bedrock mortars. There are bowl shaped mortars worn into the flat rocks where Indians used to grind food using pestles. We drove out of Indian Canyons, across Palm Springs, and back to our RV park in Desert Hot Springs.

We spent the late afternoon in the cool pool, the mineral hot spas, and the sauna. The 4 mineral water spas are fed by 3 deep wells. One well has water coming up at 105 degrees, one well has water coming up at 127 degrees, and one well has water coming up at 140 degrees. They cool the water before pumping it into the spas. This entire area is on a hot water aquifer. All wells come up hot water. Weird ! As the sun set we took Bo for a walk. We walked around the park with the couple with the two dogs that have one good eye between the two of them < snicker >. We went to the playground and had what we call a "Bo-gility" session, letting Bo slide down the slides, jump in and out of, and run around the top of the big tractor tires, etc..

 

Wednesday ; Today was overcast and mild. It's the beginning of a few days of weather deterioration.

This morning we headed for downtown Palm Springs, to go on a tour of Palm Springs homes of the rich and famous. We parked at the Spa Resort & Casino, walked through the casino, and found the concierge desk at the hotel, where we met out tour guide. The tour lasted an hour and a half, and was in an "open air" jeep tour bus. I was cold ! We drove around "old" Palm Springs and saw the homes previously occupied by Bob Hope ( still occupied by his wife, Dolores ), Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Liberace ( still occupied by his "partner" ), Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio, Dinah Shore & Burt Reynolds, Elvis Presley's winter home, and homes currently occupied by Cher Bono, Kirk Douglas, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, George Hamilton, Kenny Rogers, Barry Manilow, film and TV directors and producers, music composers, Mafioso ( known locally as "the Italian boys" ) etc.. We also learned some interesting facts about Palm Springs and area. The Desert Hot Springs area, where we currently "live", has hot water wells because the molten lava earth core, which is usually more than 25 miles below the earth's surface, is less than 5 miles below the earth's surface here in Desert Hot Springs. And today's news reports say that the San Andreas fault running through the Coachella Valley ( again, where we currently "live" ) is so overdue for a major earthquake that's it's being called "ten months pregnant". YIKES ! Joanne wonders if we should leave ? NAHHH ... "the curse of Joanne" never hits until after we've left an area. HA HA HA HA HA !

After the tour we walked to one of the downtown Palm Springs restaurants that the tour guide recommended. We had a great Jewish lunch at Sherman's Deli. Joanne had Matzo Ball Soup and Stuffed Cabbage Roll. I had Sweet & Sour Cabbage Soup and a Chopped Liver Sandwich. Great pickle spears ! After lunch we drove to Rancho Mirage, the "new" Palm Springs, where we drove slowly down the very chic shopping street, El Paseo, checking out the upscale, trendy shops. Joanne thought that the upscale shopping districts of Rome, Italy ( Via Veneto ) and Paris, France ( Rue St. Honoré ) are nicer. What a shopaholic ! We drove back to Desert Hot Springs, picked up our mail at the Post Office, and bought groceries at Stater Bros..

 

Thursday ; Today was sunny, mild, and windy. A good day for doing nothing.

I spent most of the day lying around, reading, and snoozing. I tried, unsuccessfully again, to get a Wi-Fi connection here in the park. When I went to the office to remind the front desk staff that I wanted to meet with Tengo's President, who is here today, I encountered "attitude". HEY ... I'm not looking for a debate ... just get my message to Eric ! ! !

While walking Bo, I chatted with our "next door neighbour" who, until today, had 2 rigs ; a Wanderlodge ( big bucks ! ) and a Prevost ( huge bucks ! ! ! ). Today the Wanderlodge left. He sold it. It was a 1983 model that he bought 4 years ago for $58,000 and sold today for $48,000. He's satisfied. He recently bought the 1994 Prevost for $200,000. It sold new in 1994 for about $750,000. Today a new Prevost is about a million, so again, he's satisfied. Actually, $200,000 for a 12 year old Prevost seems like a pretty good price to me. He made a good point when he said that somebody who can afford a new Prevost can also afford to take very good care of it, so used Prevosts are usually in superb condition.

For supper, we went to the park's "potato bake" supper. I wouldn't have thought you could make a meal out of baked potatoes, but, yes, yes, you can. Heap enough different toppings onto your baked potato, and it becomes a meal. Maybe it's an American thing, I don't know. Most of the occupants of this park are "snow birds" who have been coming back to this same park for over 20 years. That says more about peoples' resistance to change than it does about this park, which is okay, but not much more than that.

I spent the evening working on the 2 batches of December mail I picked up at the Post Office yesterday.

 

Friday ; Today was sunny and cool.

In the batch of mail that I reviewed yesterday were all the renewal documents for our driver's licenses and vehicle registrations and insurance. This morning I phoned René at Village Insurance in Lorette, Manitoba, and arranged to renew and pay for both our driver's licenses and both vehicle registrations and insurance premiums. René always makes it easy for me to deal with Autopac ( Manitoba Public Insurance ) matters by phone. His efficiency is appreciated. Some agencies and some individuals make it very difficult for us full time travelers to get business done. After speaking with René I phoned my sister Sharon to arrange for her to go down to Village Insurance, sign for and pick up our driver's licenses and insurance documents, and mail them to us here in Desert Hot Springs, so that we get them all before Joanne's driver's license expires on her birthday. Sharon and I chatted a bit about weather. Everybody here in Palm Springs / Desert Hot Springs is acting like they are going to freeze to death today. The temperature here was 56 degrees, frigid for this part of the country. In Winnipeg today, the temperature was 38 degrees below zero ! ! ! HA HA HA ! Americans here in the Southwest desert cannot comprehend temperatures that low. Mind you, I have a hard time comprehending this area’s summer temperatures of 120 degrees !

After lunch we drove over to a nearby RV parts dealer and bought a couple of replacement fridge door bins. Two of the three door bins in our fridge cracked during our Newfoundland adventure, thanks to the rough roads. Gee whiz ... one door bin was $20 and the other was $40 ! From there we drove across the highway ( Palm Springs is on the south side of Interstate 10, Desert Hot Springs is on the north side ) to find Trader Joe’s in Cathedral City. We had heard about Trader Joe’s while we were floating around the swimming pool at the RV resort in Hemet, California. Trader Joe’s is a chain of eclectic, upscale specialty grocers. We bought a couple of bottles of Trader Joe’s (in)famous Charles Shaw wine, known commonly as “Two Buck Chuck”. HA HA HA ! How can they commercially produce a wine that sells for 2 dollars a bottle ? ! ? We bought a bottle of Two Buck Chuck Chardonnay, and a bottle of Two Buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc. They were clearing out some foreign beers. Eight bottles of assorted mystery foreign beers in a reusable shopping bag, for $9. I bought a bag. From Trader Joe’s we found our way to PetsMart in Palm Desert. We needed cat food for Teddy, and Greenies ( a manufactured bone product for cleaning teeth and freshening breath ) for Bo.

 

Saturday ; Today was sunny and chilly. It seems as if all of North America is having a cold spell.

We went to the Palm Springs Dog Park this afternoon. It’s behind City Hall, sandwiched between City Hall and Palm Springs International Airport. It’s great. A large fenced park, for dogs to romp and play off leash. And it’s separated into 2 sections. A smaller section, for small dogs, and a larger section, for big dogs. Bo is comfortable in both sections. HA HA HA ... Bo’s a big dog ! He’s very well behaved around other dogs and people. He has excellent social skills with both dogs and people. He enjoyed romping around with the little dogs. He enjoyed romping around with the big dogs. He enjoyed visiting with many people.

My achievement for today was to fabricate a new roof ladder stand off stanchion. I took the broken one, bought some similar parts at a local RV parts dealer, cannibalized them, used the cannibalized parts and the broken part, and managed to fabricate a new one. I wasn't optimistic when I started, but sometimes things work out better than expected. Not often, but sometimes.

 

DSK