Pokey Bloggin'...

28-March-11
So Dear Reader, where were we last… oh ya, Joshua Tree. So we found some awesome BLM land right outside the park itself and proceeded to set up camp. The place was perfect and if you’re looking to go cheap then this is the spot! Staying in the park itself might be appealing to some, but honestly, why pay to park somewhere with no services for $15+ a night when you can be literally 20 yards from the park for free! We had a nice little spot with a tree. Trust me… a tree is a big deal! And to our surprize in our tree was a nest of 2 sweet little hummingbird babies. They were only a week or so from flying when we parked so we got to watch then getting fed and loved everyday. What a treat that was. Then, we enjoyed them taking their first flights and trust me, that was special! Funny how you get attached to little things around you. Even the Mama didn’t mind us peeking in and getting some amazing pictures and video. An awesome treat for us. So, we spent close to 3 weeks in and around Joshua Tree. We scooted around the park and found some fun trails, got lost… (or so I felt). Hopefully I can get some pictures sorted out and posted here or on facebook.
We did a day trip down around Saltan Sea and saw some interesting towns. Apparently we went on the wrong side to see Slab City, but I know we will be back and it will be there.
Gary spent a lot of time working on his remote solar lift system thingy and I think it‘s actually looking promising! He’s got a video on his facebook page I think… o and um, I’ll get one up somewhere near here too…
So after almost 3 weeks near the park, we decided it was time to move along. We took the scenic route and drove the road through the park and headed to Barstow, CA. Spent a couple days at a KOA and cleaned up. We didn’t see much around there, if there is much to see LOL We wanted to spend more time but when we went to pay for a couple more days were told we had to leave as the park was booked solid the next day. Not the same story we got when we checked in… KOA got an email from me and I await (haha) a reply.
Since we didn’t have any immediate plans we decided to head to Death Valley early. And let me say, the weather it threw at us was definitely death worthy. Our first day it was above 90F. The next day was in the 80s with winds over 40 mph! then more wind. We had it with the wind so we headed out and drove through a snow storm!! Like I said an appropriately named park for sure. We did tour around the jeep trails and down through the salt flats. It was very different, it looked like dirty snow drifts but was just salty crusty drift things. Worth seeing and worth going back, maybe once more. We did find a great BLM spot that I would rather have stayed at, so next time!!
So off we went trying to get away from the wind. We weren’t exactly sure where we headed other than towards Bakersfield…ish… We did have an idea of a park near Mojave, so we punched that in and thought we’d play it by ear as to how we felt. Needless to say, after driving though the Death Valley mountains in snow and rain, the park with full hook-ups was certainly enticing. We arrived to the neat little park and paid for a week and settled in. Funny how a week with services and cable TV can seem like an RV Hilton! We had spent most of the last 2 ½ months boon-docking so this seemed like heaven! Not having really looked into much for the area, we just spent some time cleaning and organizing and staying out of the cold wind. It wasn’t much fun to say the least. The weather just wasn’t being very cooperative, so indoor activities prevailed.
With our week in Jackson, CA for the Montana rally creeping up, we thought we would see what was on the other side of the mountains. So here we are just south of Fresno between Kingsburg and Selma. Selma looks like an interesting little place. The park…ooo the park! LOL Nothing overly special but it has GRASS!! And for those of you who are chuckling over my excitement over California grass… I mean LAWN not weed :P It’s warm and sunny with just enough humidity to be pleasant. I’m hoping that this weather stay with us until we head to the border.
So, that’s us, updated, for what it’s worth LOL And with that Dear Reader, loving you and missing you as always xox