Indio, California

We took a drive to the Salton Sea yesterday. It is a part of a California State Park that is located about 30 miles south of Indio in the middle of scores of date palm tree farms.

It’s a rather unique place on earth because it’s located at over 200 feet below sea level and it stinks to high heaven. Yet lots of people camp, boat, picnic, and visit there…

Here are a few fast facts about the Salton Sea from the California Parks Department:

Water and Geographic Facts

• The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake. It is the third largest saline lake in the nation.
• The Sea has no outlet.
• Its surface elevation is 227 feet below sea level.
• The average depth of the Salton Sea is 29.9 feet, its deepest is about 50 feet.
• The Sea’s watershed is 8,000 square miles.
• Annual inflow is 1.3 million acre-feet with an annual salt load of 4 million tons.
• About 1.3 million acre-feet of water evaporates from the Salton Sea each year.

Aviary Facts

• Located on the Pacific Flyway, about 400 different species of birds have been counted at the Salton Sea–almost half of the 900 species known to exist on the North American Continent.
• During winter migration up to four million individual birds are estimated to use the Sea each day. There is a greater species variety and more individual species here than any other place in the nation.

We saw lots of birds on our visit including a Great White Pelican and several types of herons.

The smell is caused by decaying organic matter and has a rotten-egg odor. In the recent past, massive die offs of talipia have caused an increase of the smell causing odor alerts in areas up to 150 miles away. Droughts cause an increase in the salinity of the water which causes fish to die. According to one article I read almost 8 million fish died on one day in 1999. Luckily, the day we visited the smell wasn’t that bad…

We were expecting the shoreline to be sand, but it was more than 99% full of shells and less than one percent of fish bones.

Turns out that the shells are from barnacles. According to a volunteer I talked with “The barnacles arrived at the Salton Sea during World War II because military sea planes would regularly land at the Salton Sea, thus bringing with them. The barnacles ended up flourishing in the Salton Sea environment.” And they die off by the millions…

While the Salton Sea is not the most pleasant place to visit, it is one of the most interesting I’ve been to. 
This is not my photo, but you can see why the Salton Sea is a bird watcher’s paradise!

Indio, California

We did the most touristy thing available for the city of Indio yesterday by visiting the Shields Date Garden.

The company was founded in 1924 by Floyd and Bess Shields. Floyd Shields was one of the pioneering date farmers in the still-young date industry of the Coachella Valley.

The buildings definitely have an early 1940’s feel…

Posters advertise what’s available inside. I love how the poster advertising the “Romance & Sex Life of the Date” movie states that it is “in sound & color”. That is a good clue that this establishment has been here a while…

There’s a garden to walk around, but we skipped on that because Sophie was in the car.

I came really close to buying some of this pottery. The dots were added so that they are all raised. Very cute and colorful!

We ordered a couple of beverages for our ‘dinner’.

Rich isn’t a huge date fan so he opted for a Root Beer Float. He hadn’t had one in years, and he’s had three in the past two months. He declared this one was the best.

The young woman making the date shakes makes them three at a time, and she never stops making them.

I had the quintessential drink for the store: a date shake. It was very good. The shake wasn’t saturated with dates and had just a hint of the date flavor until I got to the bottom where most of the date pieces had settled. Then it was very datey tasting–perfect for someone like me who likes dates.

Of course, I had to Google to learn all about dates…

From How to Grow Dates

Dates are grown on a date palm tree. Date palms are either male or female, and you will need one of each in order to have any fruit.

Date palms are not pollinated by insects or birds, but by the wind. With only a few trees, you are taking a risk that nothing will pollinate and therefore will produce no fruit. That means part of your annual gardening routine will have to be hand-pollinating your date trees.

Early each year, the male trees will produce sheaths of pollen. You will have to collect it (it’s just a fine powder) and then dust it over the female flowers once your female trees are in bloom. A sheath weighs about ten pounds.

The female flowers are quite pretty.

Here’s a bunch of dates that are ripening.

As the dates ripen, they are often covered with muslin to protect them from insects and birds. The dates are heavy, so the bags are stuck between the fronds to help hold the weight.

After seeing how labor intensive it is to grow dates, I now understand why they are so expensive!

Indio, California

We drove through and explored the Joshua Tree National Park yesterday. It’s an amazingly diverse park that encompasses two distinct desert ecosystems: Colorado and Mojave.

The Mojave Desert is the western half of the park and is at elevations above 3000 feet. Joshua trees, which aren’t really trees but a type of yucca plant, grow in this desert at about an inch a year.

The trees bloom from February through April. We saw blooms at the highest elevations, but I didn’t get a picture of one in bloom because there was no place to stop where they were blooming. Here’s what the blooms look like.

The Colorado Desert is the eastern half of the park and lies below 3000 feet. It’s a part of the Sonoran Desert which covers southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico.

My favorite plant here is the Ocotillo (awk-oh-tea-yo).

When it’s in bloom, most of it here was just starting to bloom this week, it’s spectacular. The tips turn a brilliant orange.

We drove to the top of the Keys View lookout point to take in stunning views of the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea.

Another highlight was the Jumbo Rocks area with it’s  Flinstone-like rocks. There are other rocks like these that reside in the Hidden Valley which was a legendary cattle-rustlers hideout.

There are a lot of campers and rock climbers in the area. And by one group of climbers we saw this amazing car that warranted a picture. The customization includes a spider web door and bicycle chain welded to the fender wells.  

Indio, California

The Coachella (co-chell-a) Valley is 300 square miles and includes multiple cities including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, and Indio.

The valley population is just below 500,000 which grows by 100,000 during the winter months with ‘snow birds’.

From Wikipedia:

The area is surrounded by three mountain ranges (Santa Rosa Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, and Little San Bernardino Mountains) and the San Gorgonio Mountain. These mountains peak at around 11,000 feet and tend to average between 5,000 to 7,000 feet.

Elevations on the Valley floor range from 1600 ft above sea level at the north end of the Valley to 250 ft below sea level around Mecca.

In the summer months daytime temperatures range from 104 to 112 °F and nighttime lows from 75 to 86 °F. During winter, the daytime temperatures range from 68 to 88 °F and corresponding nights range from 46 to 65 °F making it a popular winter resort destination.

Due to its warm year-round climate the region’s agricultural sector produces fruits such as mangoes, figs and dates.

We went for a walk in the nearby city of La Quinta along a paved trail.

This tree’s flowers look like super-buttered popcorn.

While much of the vegetation was similar to that we saw in the Phoenix area, we didn’t see any cacti here.

Believe it or not, we actually saw a bit of snow on the top of this mountain. What a surprise! Later in the day it snowed even more up in the mountain ranges.

On the other side of the valley we drove along the south side of the Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge contains the majority of critical habitat for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard. This threatened species is restricted to the refuge dune system and a few other small areas.

The refuge is almost entirely closed to the public to protect the lizard. However, there is a trail that runs through a section of the refuge available for horseback riders.

The Coachella Fringe-toed Lizard escapes the heat by “swimming” or burrowing beneath the sand. That’s one awesome looking lizard!

The refuge, at least the part of it we saw, was sand dune upon sand dune upon sand dune…

I have to admit that the sand reminded me of Fallon, and that’s one part of living in Fallon I don’t miss.

The sand is about to overtake the fence and cross the road…

We had a great day exploring these two parts of the valley. And we’re looking forward to exploring even more in the days to follow. 🙂

Indio, California

We’re in California. The 11th state we’ve stayed in in Homer.

Remember this old song?

California here I come
Right back where I started from

That’s approptiate for me now because Carol and I were born in California. So in a way, I’m back home.

It was raining so much yesterday that I didn’t get a chance to take pictures. It’s beautiful today, and here are a few photos from our park…

Sophie’s in heaven because there is GRASS!

After being in the Phoenix area where almost all grass is reserved for golf courses, grass in RV spaces feels decadent!

On our morning walk, Sophie and I were rewarded with a couple of road runner sightings. The female was camera shy.

Apparently these must be common sights here because I was the only one intrigued by them.

When I saw this azalea bush last night, all the branches were upright. This morning they are heavily laden with raindrops.

I love the canoe and its occupants in this license plate.

We’ve only seen two of these off road RVs in our travels. This couple has their own travel blog: traveljoy.ch.

And, of course I checked out the pickleball courts as soon as I could.

The great thing about our spot is that I can hear that heavenly sound of balls bouncing so I know when to head over for play. 🙂

Gold Canyon, Arizona

We went for a hike yesterday up the Peralta Trail to Fremont Saddle. It’s a great hike that is a 4.8 mile out and back trail with 1340 feet of elevation gain. The trail is rated as moderate and offers very scenic views.

The rock formations are varied and stunning.

Not sure what this flower is called, but it looks like the perfect fly fishing dry fly.

The top of the trail, at Fremont Saddle, offers a stunning view of Weavers Needle.

From Wikipedia:

Weavers Needle is a 1,000-foot-high column of rock that forms a distinctive peak visible for many miles around. Located in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, Arizona, Weavers Needle was created when a thick layer of tuff (fused volcanic ash) was heavily eroded, creating the spire as an erosional remnant with a summit elevation of 4,555 feet. It is set in a desert landscape of cactus and mesquite bush, with large Saguaro cacti particularly prominent. The peak was named after mountain man Pauline Weaver .

Weavers Needle has played a significant role in the stories of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. The Needle’s shadow reportedly indicates the location of a rich vein of gold, and many treasure hunters have searched for it. The hunt for gold around Weavers Needle has been pursued by hundreds (possibly thousands) of people. Weavers Needle has a large split in the side that makes it look like it has two tops, not one. This can only be viewed from the side.

As I gazed up at the rocks, I was wondering how often there are earthquakes in Arizona…

Here’s a closeup of the seed pod of a dead Century Plant.

Past this balancing rock, you can see mountain range after range after range…

Sophie was getting mighty tired until she found WATER. She was refreshed and energized after a short swim. 🙂

Throughout the trail there are pockets of shade. Ever so lovely to take a break from the bright Arizona sunshine.

Early wildflowers are just starting to bloom.

Parts of the trail are quite rocky and challenging.

I loved the upside down sign on this Jeep: “If you can read this… Roll me over!”

At the end of the trail, something happened that has never happened before. NEVER EVER!

While we stopped to look at the map, Sophie laid down even though there were other people around. She’s never laid down when there are new friends to meet!

She’s one tired puppy…

Here she is back at home sleeping on her pillow on Homer’s dash.

That’s how we know it was a successful outing.

A tired dog is a good dog. 🙂

Gold Canyon, Arizona

We went to a Renaissance Festival that’s down the highway a bit.

It has come every year to the Phoenix area for the last 27 years.

It was an amazing spectacle of period costumes, games, food, and more.

We weren’t the only ones who decided to take advantage of today’s two for the price of one special. Felt like bazillions of people…

All of the workers and many of the visitors were in period costume.

This guy on stilts was amazing.

It’s hard to see in this picture, but all of the rides were human powered. There were four guys in the middle of this ride and they pushed the levers to make the ride go round and round.

I’m not sure there were elephants at true Renaissance Fairs, but there were several here.

Who knew? Elephants’ nipples are under their front legs, not the back legs like a beef cow. I sure didn’t know until I got up close and way too personal with “Eliza”…

The belly dancers reminded me of the fire poi dancers at Burning Man. Mesmerizing…

All sorts of food carts, even healthy food, were scattered throughout the fair.

Jugglers performed for crowds.

Artisans produced their wares for sale.

Just for me, Ye Pop Inn so I could buy Diet Pepsi. 🙂

My favorite part of the fair was where artisans demonstrated how things were made and cooked during the time period.

My favorite booth was where a man demonstrated Brass Rubbings.

Brass rubbings are made by attaching special paper to the selected monumental brass, and then rubbing the surface with a colored wax. Where the brass is flat, the color of the wax is picked up and where a line is engraved, the color of the paper remains. The resultant image is a Brass Rubbing of the monumental brass.

These were at least four feet tall.

Simply beautiful.

Look closely at the breasts of the woman selling Henna Tattooing. They are shoved up by a bustier and literally flowing out of her top.

After looking at some impressive cleavages throughout the fair, I realized that there’s no way I would get a job there.

I’m too flat chested, and there’s no room for A cups. 🙂

Gold Canyon, Arizona

Sophie and I went for a walk along a trail that’s not far from our RV resort. It wanders around the edge of a subdivision and offers a continual view of the Superstition Mountains.

We happened upon all of these images on our walk…

I love this trail because it’s dirt (there’s something about walking on dirt that’s so much more grounding–no pun intended–than walking on asphalt or cement).

I don’t know much about cacti, so I’m not sure if this is going to be a flower or new growth. 

It’s surprising how varied the leaves are in their greeness. These were waxy and a very bright green. 

The wildflowers are just beginning to open up. A few days ago, this ocotillo had just teeny tiny shoots. Now the leaves are wide open and soaking in lots of sunshine. I’m not sure how long it will be before they bloom at the tips with dark orange flowers. 

Yellow seems to be the predominant color for most flowers blooming right now. 

I’m not sure if this is a native plant, but the blooms are just incredibly beautiful.

Yellow flowered bush that looks like sagebrush. 

These actually weren’t on our walk, but they were just too pretty to pass up. One of the residents here planted them near her park model home. They look like they have been varnished and are just gorgeous! 

El Mirage, Arizona

We went for a drive and walk around the Super Bowl area this morning.

It’s crazy down there, and the game is still a day away…

First visual clue we were getting close? The Dos Equis hot air balloon coming in for a landing.

Second clue? A blimp and an airplane with a banner flying around.

That’s the Goodyear blimp and advertisement for Uncle Henry’s Fly N High Cannabis Store.

Some random shots…

The University of Phoenix Stadium.

The parking lot around the stadium has been inundated with decorations and technology.

There are at least a dozen announcing booths set up with the stadium in the background.

Lots of people are trying to buy tickets.

Seahawks fans outnumbered Patriot fans fifty to one.

The Air Force Thunderbirds practiced their fly over several times.

Seahawk fans go all out. This car is from Seattle, and the owner of the VW repair Shop who owns the cat had it shipped down for the game. I’m guessing he’ll have it updated for Super Bowl 49 if they win again this year.

I have no clue who these puppets are. They were speaking in Spanish way too fast for me to catch their names as they were being filmed.

Everything in the area was super sized including this ad for my favorite drink.