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Sunrise: 6.47 a.m. Sunset: 4.45 p.m
Average Daytime Temperature: 63 - 80 degrees
Average Nighttime Temperature: 30 - 55 degrees
Humidity: 15% - 40%
Monthly Rainfall: 0.06" This fell on the morning of December 11th
Borrego Springs is situated in the southern Californian desert. The village is nestled in a beautiful valley bordered by colourful mountain peaks that climb nearly 9,000 feet. Many natural springs give water for the large Grapefruit orchards and Date palms in the valley. The vast areas of the rich green colour of the citrus and palms is quite an unusual sight in such a hot and dry desert area. With the nearest large town of Escondido a mere 65 miles away, and San Diego nearly 90 miles away, it does not suffer pollution caused by industry or traffic. Clear blue skies, a wonderful temperature, very low humidity and rain fall, what more could you ask for!. All in all, it seems to be a pretty healthy place to spend a month (or more), of ones winter retirement. Little wonder we are surrounded by people who return here year after year for this wonderful climate.
Palm Canyon Resort & RV Park has all the amenities we require. Swimming pool, hot pool, fitness room, restaurant and bar, and good Internet access in the hotel. It's within walking distance of the village, Anza-Borrego State Park, and has miles and miles of country roads to meander along. What a great choice this turned out to be!!
Anza-Borrego State Park - is reputed to be America's largest State Park at 600,000 acres. Which ever way you choose to enter Borrego Springs you must travel on one of the highways though this park. All offer a completely different perspective of the desert as they weave up and down mountain sides. It also has miles and miles of rough sandy roads throughout the park, making it a favorite weekend spot for the dune-buggie and motor bike set, cyclists, and hiker alike. The park is also one of the last refuges of the Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. From an estimated 1.5 million sheep in the early 1800's there are only about 300 left today. We were fortunate enough to see, and photograph some while on a hike in the park.
The 15,000 mile big service on the truck was due, so we made this our first job once we were settled in. Desert Auto in Borrego carried out the task. On completion, they advised us that we had a minor transmission fluid leak which should be rectified soon but not to panic. The next evening the manager of Desert Auto visited us at our RV- he had consulted a friend who was a Ford expert who suggested we get the problem seen to ASAP by a Ford dealer as it may be more serious than normal. Heller Ford, Escondido was the nearest Ford dealer so we contacted them and arranged a suitable time to take it in. We were advised that the repair could take 2 - 3 days depending on what was wrong. They could arrange a rental car for that period at $10 a day - at that price we agreed.
We arrived at Heller Ford at 10.00 a.m. Their efficiency was outstanding. All the paperwork for both repair and rental was completed and we were on the road again within thirty minutes. While waiting for the rental car we chatted to a guy who told us that Heller Ford have a great reputation for efficiency. That proved to be very true over the next two days with the phone calls we received advising us of the progress.
As we were not far from Anaheim we decided to use the next two days to visit Disneyland and Crystal Cathedral, as they were not far from Escondido. Dana Point on the Pacific Coast was our chosen area for a Motel. Arriving early afternoon after a very pleasant coastal drive, we ate a late lunch in a bar which overlooked the large marina. After eating far too much once again, we needed some exercise so took a stroll along the boardwalk by the marina, stopping to admire hundreds of luxurious yachts, and wondering what type we would buy if we were not pensioners. Oh to dream!
Disneyland - Next morning we were up early as we were a bit apprehensive about the road system and volume of traffic around L.A.. This turned out to be no heavier than travelling to Edinburgh in rush hour, the only difference was the sun was shinning and their are five lanes to contend with, and not two. Even with the detours around Disneyland we arrived at opening time and without getting lost. We're getting better!!
We were advised to start our journey on the Disneyland Railway which circles the park, as this would tell us where everything was. Mickey's Toontown was our first stop. We saw Minnie on her doorstep entertaining children before we went into Mickey's house. This turned out to be the highlight of Linda's day as she got a kiss from him, while Wullie, after careful consideration declined the offer. Most of the rides had very long queues so we decided to take in as many sights as possible. New Orleans Square our next stop recaptured the city of a century ago as Dixieland jazz minstrels join the jazz band aboard the Mississippi ferry boat. After lunch the queues for rides was reducing so we entered Tomorrowland and became children once again. Linda excited but apprehensive, gripped onto the seat and tried to video the rides for the children back home. Sometimes this became impossible as she either had her head between her hands or her eyes were closed. After most rides she admitted she had enjoyed it. Wullie enjoyed them all. Our favorite was a simulation spacecraft ride. Strapped into our spacecraft seats, we were launched into space by our novice pilot!. We had to take evasive action as meteorites and flying objects crashed into us, making our journey to the moon very rough. With no thanks to the learner pilot we landed safe and sound and Linda still managed to get a good video film.
At 5.0 p.m. all came to a stop (even Santa had to disappear) as the American flag was removed from the standard. Parents and children alike waited for the re-appearance of Father Christmas to his sleigh. Photo's were taken as excited children talked to Santa while he handed them a present. The Christmas tree lights in the square were lit at 5.30 p.m.. Main Street, U.S. came alive with carol singers and a barber shop quartet, both singing lots of seasonal songs. One day is not long enough see all the parades and visit the many different themes, and queues make it impossible to take advantage of all the rides available. This was a very enjoyable day.
Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove - is an all glass cathedral with seating for 3,000 people. Our first glimpse of this unusual building was the large unusual mirrored steeple in the distance. If you are in this area and have enough time, visit this fantastic building, you will be pleasantly surprised, as we were. November/December must be one of the best times to visit as it is decorated for the nightly performance of the Nativity play.
We returned to Heller Ford, Escondido. Our truck was ready and waiting. Paperwork completed, with no labour or repair cost incurred. Lease car keys were handed in, then we were on our way home. Once again, a painless event. This garage can certainly teach others how to run a business. The homeward journey was completed in the dark. Coyotes and rodents dodging in front of our headlights as we approached the desert.
December 11th - for us, a memorable day. 0.06 inches of rain fell in the morning, the first we had seen for months. We're sure we heard the plant life around us, saying 'thank you'.
We completed a couple of hikes in the State Park, both within walking distance from the RV site, and one scenic drive. This does not mean we were idle for the month. We wandered into the village and the surrounding area on numerous occasions. We don't want you to think we are getting lazy!
The beauty of staying a long time on one RV site is that you don't mind venturing away for a couple of days, with the knowledge the RV will be safe. We decided to visit the beautiful city of San Diego. Choosing a downtown motel for our two night stay enabled us to see as much of the city as possible, without having to take the truck.
San Diego - It is very hard to imagine that just over 150 years ago this whole area was a baron dusty desert, with very little vegetation. Since then, thousands of trees and shrubs have been imported from all over the world, lawns sown, and all given their own irrigation system to keep them alive, making this a very beautiful plush area to visit and live. We took the Old Town Trolley Tour which enabled us to see and learn as much as possible in the short time we were there. This narrated tour can take as little as two hours if you stay on the same trolley, or all day if you get on and off at the stops of your choice, as we did. We had a wonderful day in a city we both found beautiful and interesting, but did not have nearly enough time to do and see all we hoped too. Our Downtown Motel enabled us to walk out in the evenings for dinner. The second evening we dined at the nearby Elephant & Castle, a British type pub that served great food and a great pint of Tetley's Real Ale. Tonight Wullie had difficulty getting Linda out of the bar for a change. This was the best pint she has tasted since her arrival in April. We will definitely be returning to San Diego, and not just for the wonderful city.
Our route back to Borrego Springs was taken via Cabrillo National Monument and Point Loma Lighthouse, where you experience a wonderful view of the entire San Diego Bay, plus the mountains of Mexico. From mid December the annual migration of the gray whale begins as they arrive from Alaska to the warm breeding grounds of Baja. Sightings have already been seen off the shores, which made this a busy area for hopeful spotters. Our journey continued up the coastal road that hugged the Pacific. We stopped at Pacific Beach, wondered on the pier to watch the surfers trying to combat the very large waves, then continued to La Jolla where we stopped for lunch at Karl Strauss Brew Pub. A very different menu and a wide variety of Microbrews, made this Wullie's favorite so far. We have even added a Hyperlink below, that's how much we enjoyed it. The remaining part of our homeward journey across mountain roads and down into the valley was completed under a very large bright moon.
December 22nd - We took a drive up to a mountain viewpoint that looked across the Borrego valley so we could get a good view of the largest, brightest full moon for 130 years. The clear skies of Borrego brought a lot of people out to see this unique sight, everyone was impressed.
Christmas Day - we were up early for another leisurely walk up Palm Canyon Oasis. Because of the snow fall in the mountain ranges that supply this oasis with water, the waterfalls were flowing freely making it even more beautiful than our last visit. More photo's were taken before we returned to our RV and a wonderful BBQ cooked by Wullie, while Linda relaxed with a glass or two of wine in the brilliant sunshine. A phone call from our friends in Lochgelly made this festive day complete.
Desert Hot Springs - nestled under the Pinto Mountains of Southern California. Close to Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs, it has a beautiful winter temperature making it an ideal location as a winter retreat. Throughout this valley their are lots of complexes for the retired, and many luxury RV resorts for us snowbirds.
Sky Valley Parks - is a very large Mobile Home/RV Park with nine naturally heated jacuzzis and bubble pools, four swimming pools, a nine hole golf course, tennis courts, eight fish filled ponds. In fact, something for everyone, except good Internet access. We were not the only people who were surprised and disappointed that a site this size, and with so many amenities, had unacceptable Internet access for short stay visitors like us. This is one of the important things we look for when picking a site. We made a mistake this time, but hopefully, that will not happen again.
Desert Hot Springs is our last port of call in California until next winter. We booked into the resort on December 28th for one week. This would allow us to be settled for the millennium, visit Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs and surrounding area.
Joshua Tree National Park - The Joshua tree was given it's name in the 1850's by the Mormons who were fascinated by this strange looking tree. As they can only survive at an elevation of 3,000+ feet, they are only found in the high part of the park. We entered by the Cottonwood Spring entrance as this would enable us to drive through the park, see most points of interest, do a recommended hike, and exit at the Joshua Tree entrance where we could see the trees, making this a circular journey. Geology of the many rock formations, Cholla Cactus, and of coarse Joshua Trees make this park unique. The Ryan Mountain Trail, our chosen hike, is very popular for all ages. This three mile trail to the peak at 5,470 feet provides what many insist is the best view in the park. Views of the valley's and surrounding mountains in the distance complete this panoramic view.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - This cable car starts at the 2,643 feet Valley Station and ascends to the Mountain Station of Mt. San Jacinto State Park at 8,516 feet. If you love spectacular views without the effort of walking far, then this ride is certainly worth while. A good restaurant, short hikes, or longer trails, with more wonderful views are another reason for taking this cable car ride.
Palm Springs - Highway 111 connects Palm springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells the towns which make up the Palm Springs area. This passes by or crosses Gene Autry trail, Bob Hope drive, Frank Sinatra, Gerald Ford and many more drives that have been named after the rich and famous people that had homes in this desirable location. Plush country clubs, private golf courses, gated communities and celebrities homes, make this a popular place to own a winter retreat.
Old Years day was spent cleaning out the old dust to allow room for the new. As Big Ben in London struck midnight at 4.0 p.m. here, we welcomed the New Year in with a 'wee dram' of whisky and drank a toast to the friends back home. They even showed a 1 minute segment of the celebrations in Edinburgh! During the evening we watched the celebrations throughout the world. Finally it was our turn. Another toast to new and old friends before retiring. It is this time of year we really miss our friends and relations back home.
Miles travelled this month: 2,205
Accumulative miles: 16,704
Interesting Hyperlinks:
Old Town Trolley Tours
Seaworld
Cabrillo National Monument
Karl Strauss Micro Brewery/Restaurants
Next Month - Arizona - Cochise County home of the Navaho Apache Geronimo & Cochise, Bisbee, gunfight at the OK Corral - Tombstone, Phoenix, Tuscon, Nogales and last but not least - London Bridge?
