Oasis in the Desert

 November 16-20, 2020

We escaped to the Mohave Desert for a quick get-away in the Lundcruiser.   Palm Desert is a beautiful area we haven't been to before.  We needed a change of scenery and found a nice RV Resort, so booked it for 4 nights!

I wasn't going to do a blog, but there are so many things to share, I couldn't resist!

Palm Desert is a beautiful place, and a paradise for golfers--everywhere you look there is a golf course.  We stayed at Emerald Desert RV Resort, which is usually full, but thanks to COVID, we were able to snag a spot.  The rv park had two putting greens, as well as a beautiful pool, and we found some pretty good pickleball players too!  We were told that pre-Covid, all 8 courts were full with people waiting; we met a group of 6 players each morning at 8am and got some good games in.

Palm Springs is just a few exits away, with scenery just a beautiful, and more golf courses everywhere.  We did some exploring through the downtown, stopped for lunch and enjoyed Mahi Mahi Tacos on Taco Tuesday--the special included a beer, so of course, we had to indulge. 

We found the Star Walk,  which extended for several blocks....

 

...and also found See's Candies, (which we visited twice because we received a request for a special order of Maple Cashew Brittle.)  

We capped off the day with a visit to Shields Date Garden --a local iconic market, famous for its date shakes.  We tried one of the milkshakes, and it was delicious! Southern California produces 90% of the date production in the US!  We are bringing home some Barhi dates (another special request from a sister) .  They are yummy--like eating a caramel with real health benefits!

We  scheduled a Windmill Tour to find out about the thousands of windmills we could see along the interstate.  (The tour was suggested by a sister who has visited here.)  We were literally "blown away" (pun intended) by the fascinating facts and things we learned about wind power. Palm Springs is situated in a pass between two mountains, that directs the wind through the area.  It's one of the windiest places in the country, and a perfect spot for windmills!  There are about 2100 windmills in the area that generate all of the electricity for the valley.

The windmills are magnificent machines.  Each blade is 144ft long, made of carbon fiber.  The post is a thick metal tube, constructed in 3 pieces, and is 262 ft high!  The base foundation is 15-20 ft deep, made with 50 loads of concrete!

As you stand among the windmills, all you can hear is the whoosh of the blades as they turn through the air.  The electricity is transferred through underground cables and provides power for all of the surrounding valley.  What an amazing way to harness energy.  

We saved our last adventure for the final day--Joshua Tree National Park. 

It is a huge park--800,000 acres-- and different than anything we've seen before.  The Doctor Seuss-like trees, and gigantic boulders and rock formations are everywhere. Joshua trees are slow growing, adding only 2-3 inches of growth each year.  They only grow between elevations of 2,000 and 6,000 feet, and are found only in the Mohave Desert.  They live about 500 years!  The old guy in the picture is a baby compared to this tree!

 We didn't realize it, but the park is a mecca for rock climbing enthusiasts, and we saw several of them in action when we visited today!  These people camp in tents at the bottom of the rocks, and get up early to avoid the heat and begin their climb up the face of the rocks. I could have watched all day.  Look for the arrows to find the climbers!  

These people are really really brave (and fit!)

And check out this very impressive rock climber!  

 The ginormous boulders and rocks actually developed from volcanic activity.  The magma rose from underground and pushed up the ground and granite, resulting in piles of rocks.  When it came into contact with groundwater cracks appeared which provide the perfect rock climbing opportunities.  

Skull Rock is one of the well-known formations, aptly named!

Joshua Tree National Park is yet another example of nature's wonderful work.  We are so glad we got the opportunity to experience this magnificent treasure!

It's been a great get-away!

Now we have to get home so we can decorate for Christmas!

Hot time in Scottdale

 Wednesday-Thursday, October 14-15, 2020

Well, we made it to Scottsdale.  We tried to get an overnight reservation at Westworld to unload and clean, but they were full. (Not sure what's going on there.)  So, we parked in the nearby Office Max parking lot to unload.

It was 100 degrees!  Scottsdale just broke the record for the most 100 degree days...144 days so far this year!  Now that's hot!   Here is our patio thermometer at 5pm in the shade.

But it's good to be able to settle down in one place.  Spot is thrilled to be here too. 

After a dip in the pool to cool off....

We had a dinner of grilled salmon....

And we were treated to a beautiful sunset for dessert!

Ooh-Ahh

 Tuesday, October 13, 2020

It was cold again this morning--about 30 degrees!  Jim did a test last night and left a pail of water out, and sure enough, we had ice this morning! But it quickly warmed up and reached 79 by late afternoon.

We woke up expecting to be a bit sore from yesterday's bike ride, but felt pretty good...Some sore shoulders and arms (I think from gripping the handlebars?)   We took off today with a goal of exploring areas of the park we haven't seen.

 We drove the Desert View Trail--heading east for 22 miles from the Visitor Center.   We  used the "gypsy guide" app to guide us through the area.  It a pretty neat app that uses GPS to follow the route, and narrates history and information about the area you are passing through.  We used this app at Moab, and really liked it.  

Duck on a Rock

This section of the park allows cars, and you can just pull off anywhere and peer over the rim.  We stopped at Grandview Point, which is where Hearst built a hotel to compete with El Tovar, the main hotel in Grand Canyon Village.  Unfortunately, the depression hit, and the Grandview Hotel went down with it.  There are no remnants of the hotel, other than the grand view from the point, including the good view of the river winding through the canyon. 

We were only able to drive as far as Navajo Point.  The rest of the road was closed  due to curfews and lockdowns on the Navajo Nation.  Therefore, we didn't get to go in the Desert View Watchtower; but we were able to see it from a distance.  We learned from our Gypsy guide, the tower was designed by a woman architect Mary Colter, and was built in 1932.  She also designed  Hermits Rest that we saw yesterday, and a few other architectural features in the Canyon.  They say from the Watchtower you can see across the canyon to the other end!  We'll have to put that on our list for the next visit.  How unusual in that day to have a female architect involved in such high profile projects...you go girl!

The highlight of our day was a hike down the South Kaibab trail.  The trailhead does not allow cars, so we parked on the road and walked the 1/2 mile or so to the trailhead.   This trail goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon and ends up at Phantom Ranch, where the North Kaibab trail begins, and you can follow it to the North Rim of the canyon.  This is the shortest route to get from rim to rim...7 miles on the south trail and 14 miles on the north trail, but takes 2-3 days to hike it!  Driving to the north rim is about 210 miles, almost a 4 hr drive!  We opted for a much shorter hike.  It was steep and narrow, and all downhill, but what a thrill to go down into the canyon where the scenery changes once again. 

 The first milestone was Ooh-Ahh Point!  What a great description of a beautiful vista.

From this viewpoint, we oohed and ahhed at the mule caravan below us.

We decided to continue on to the next milestone, and got about half way there, but stopped when we saw the mule train coming our way.  What a treat to see these beasts, following nose to tail, pick their way along the rocky path and maneuver the switchbacks.  Their saddlebags were loaded with supplies from the camp below.  Ooh-Ahh ---what a sight!  And Ooh-Ahh what a smell!

Check out the video:

Mule Train coming up the trail

After watching them pass by, we decided we should begin our return trip up the canyon.  The hiking guide suggested the hike up is slow and strenuous and may take twice as long as the trip down....they were right!  But after seeing the mules, I told myself--if they can do it, I can do it!

It was neat to see how the view changes from inside the canyon.  We had plenty of opportunity to look, because we stopped multiple times to rest and quit huffing and puffing.  Instead of Ooh-Ahh, it was Gasp-Rasp!

Once we reached the top, there was station to refill your water bottle with water from Canyon springs.

And there was an elk waiting to welcome us back!

Our hike was about 4 miles long, and elevation change was about 1000 ft. down and 1000 ft. up!

We've seen almost every overlook in the park, and have experienced walking, biking and hiking, and have taken in some awe inspiring views during our stay.  It's easy to see why this is one of the Wonders of the World.   It's hard to leave the Grand Canyon, but we decided to pack up early and head on to Scottsdale tomorrow.  

Our Canyon Selfie

As we crawl into bed tonight, I'm sure you'll hear some Oohs and Ahhs (from our aching bones and muscles!)

P.S. Sending wishes for a speedy recovery to brother Greg and Aunt Marie--we're thinking of you.

Breath - taking.....literally!!

 Monday, October 12, 2020

Brrrr...we woke up to 32 degree weather...cold enough to take your breath away!  (Spot has not adjusted to the time change, so we are usually up at 5am due to his demands.)

Today was our first day to really explore the Canyon.  This year it is celebrating 101 years as a national park!  The Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world...and truly a land of wonder!  The canyon size is immense--277 miles long, one mile deep, and covers a total of 1,900 square miles.  Wow!  We drove in and parked at the visitor center (which is closed due to Covid) and ventured out to Mather Point, which is the most frequented overlook in the park, due to the scenic vistas and easy access.  The views are breathtaking.  

We walked along the Rim Trail for about a mile, taking in the scenery and also watching crazy people get so close to the edge for pictures--what are they thinking?   

I discovered I might be afraid of heights...at times I had butterflies just looking over the edge with a guardrail in front of me.

That's me by the guardrail!

We began shedding layers as the sun warmed the day.  It eventually got up to 75 degrees!  The shuttles are not running from the visitor center to the Village (Covid) , so we drove the few miles to the village, and were lucky to find a parking spot right in front of Bright Angel Lodge.  We visited the Lodge, and checked out the Trail but didn't go far.  Things have changed a lot since our last visit.   It is definitely busier, and they have made a lot of improvements in trails, traffic flow, overlooks, etc.  We extracted the bikes from the back seat of the car (since we don't have a working bike rack) put them together and loaded them up on the front of the shuttle bus.

We rode the shuttle for 9 miles--all the way to the end of the line--Hermit's Rest.  It is a structure built in 1914 as a resting spot for travelers, and is now a historic landmark.  This arch would greet visitors as they arrived.

After a rest stop at the rest stop, we began our bike trip back.  It's the hardest ride I've ever done, but also the most spectacular ride I've ever done!  We thought it would be mostly down hill...but that was a serious misconception.  There were so many steep hills, we were gasping for breath by the first stop! 

 We stopped at every major overlook along the way, taking in the unbelievable sights (and trying to catch our breath).  At one point, it was so quiet you could hear the roar of the rapids from the Colorado River below.  Jim thought to bring binoculars, and we were able to pick out hikers along the trail, and see rafts on the river, and see the suspension bridge; but it was all too far away to get pictures. 

Two and a half hours later we were back in the Village, out of breath, but so glad we decided to do the ride. Here is a schematic from Jim's garmin activity watch that shows our route.  We travelled 6,000 ft. of elevation--that's the up and down I mentioned that took our breath away! What a day!

A Grand Day!

 Sunday October 11, 2020

We arrived at Grand Canyon Camper's Village in Tusayan, just outside the South entrance to the Park.  We're excited again about being old...our senior pass will save us the $35 entry fee!   

The East entrance is closed due to Covid-19 lockdowns on the neighboring Navajo Nation.  In fact, the Navajo Nation had a complete lockdown this weekend! It's hard to determine whether the closure has affected the traffic at the South entrance.  To us it looks pretty calm. 

Our campground is rustic, but has all of the important things close by...A Chocolate Factory for Connie and a Starbucks for Jim!  You walk down the path by the office, and can reach both places in less than a minute!  How handy is that?😉  Cell service isn't great and there's no wifi, so I may have to join Jim at Starbucks in the morning to get the blog posted!

We arrived early at the campground today so we could watch the NASCAR race, and we're glad we did, because Chase was the winner!  Way to go #9 team!  

We caught up on laundry and cleaning while watching the race, and took inventory of our food situation.  Before we left Indy, we packed the freezer full, and Jim commented today that he was impressed that we have not had to go to the grocery store since we left!

It's been more than 20 years since we were at the canyon (Spring Break when the kids were in high school!) so we were interested to see what has changed.  We decided to go experience a sunset at the canyon which is something new for both of us.   We found what hasn't changed is the magnificence of the canyon!  It was as magnificent today as when we saw it 20+ years ago.

What has changed is the protocol.  Everyone was masked up, and the shuttle buses were limited to 15 passengers, with every other seat roped off.  It's interesting to note that Grand Canyon Village has had only 21 positive cases, and Tusayan (where we are staying) has had only 47 positive cases.

Shuttle bus seats restricted

We watched the sunset at Mohave Point...(a tip from the ranger at the gate to avoid a crowd). 

Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon at sunset

 It was absolutely beautiful!

Sunset at Mohave Point

"It is never the same, even from day to day, or even from hour to hour...Every passing cloud, every change in the position of the sun recasts the whole."  --Clarence Dutton, US Geological Survey, 1882