Jeanette Goes To Hollywood

Along with five other friends, Jeanette left our RV park at 6:00 am for a long day of touring Los Angeles and Hollywood. 

The photos will tell the story.......along with some odd bits of information.

They viewed some of the set up for the Oscars

They walked along the 'Walk of Fame'

Jeanette had to be thinking about our son, Deni who loves Ferrari automobiles.

More 'Walk of Fame'

That must be 'Oscar' standing by himself.....

The LA hype is alive and thriving.

The six amigos.....on their LA tour

Touring some of the fancy or odd homes in the Hollywood Hills.

The staircase in the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars will be held.

Another Beverly Hills home

Trying on some shoes...

....and more shoes.  Daughter, Ginette would have loved to be there too.

Traipsing in and around the textile district.

And the L.A warehouse district where textiles and flowers are sold to retailers.

It was a fun trip, according to all.  And it was a long day too; 16 hours in total.

Thanks for looking in.

A Nice Balance of Activities

The photo collage that follows tells the story of our lives since our last post.

Cruising

Interesting roads

Riding with good friends:  Lucky & Trena

Touring a real life western movie set

We chose to have lunch here and it did not disappoint

Friend, Hector on a ride with one of his sisters

A break on the side of the road...

More Pioneer Town

Jeanette is desperately trying to gain access

Another view

Stunning scenery through Joshua Tree Park

Impressive landscape

Enjoying the scenery

Get together....

High heat sun shade to keep us cool.

Awesome sunsets.

Interesting colours

Birthday celebration

And that is how we spent the past several days.  No complaints!

Great Weather / Great Activities

The wonderful desert weather has kept us busy: So busy, in fact, that we have to book days off to enjoy our RV park and the facilities it offers.

Mt. San Jacinto

The view of Mt. San Jacinto (photo above) is seen from our RV spot at Caliente' Springs Resort.  One does not tire from seeing that view.  Every day, less and less snow can be seen.  Another day or two and all of the snow will have melted away.

Cruising around Palm Desert

Jeanette and I did some touring around in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert cites.  We were more focused on completing some needed errands. But riding along these nice boulevards is pleasurable.

Super Bowl Sunday.....at the pool

Hector's family is quite large.  Several siblings were gathered in the desert and we were invited to join them on Super Bowl Sunday for a round of golf, followed by some pool time and closing out the evening with a five star dinner. They are a fun group!  And dinner?  Well, it was five star.  And the hospitality?  Top class!

Super Bowl Sunday dinner at Roz and Stan's home..... (the ladies are seated at the table further back)

Heading over the San Jacinto mountain range

This past Monday had the motorcycle riding group gathering at the RV Outdoor resort (Cathedral City) before heading out on a long ride.  The temperature reached a balmy 91 degrees.  And that kind of heat is so enjoyable on a motorcycle.  And what a fun bunch of motorcyclists......!

A roadside break

 At 3,000 feet up from the desert floor, some riders were putting on their jackets.  The temperature up there dropped several degrees.  Soon after reaching the summit, the jackets came off.

High desert

The overlook on the way down Highway 74

Easton is learning to skate....and he's learning from the expert figure skater; his mom

Face Time got us caught up with our kids in grand kids in Langley, BC and Edmonton, Alberta.  Our daughter, Ginette sent a few photos along.  Easton is truly enjoying learning how to skate.  And some play time in the forest is an activity they relish.

Brie and Easton playing in the forest

Golfing partner, Fred had planned a Tuesday golf round.  We met at the Shadow Hills golf resort in Indio, CA for our 10:10 am tee off.  Picture perfect weather and luscious green space was met with enthusiasm.  And we did have a great time plying our golf prowess.  This golf course offered a lot of challenges.  

Awesome day of golf

Golfing partners: L-R  Fred, Frank and Hector.

We had planned for a resort day, yesterday (Wednesday).  Jeanette was working the telephone when I left for a brisk morning walk around the resort.  With my iPod and ear buds, I chose a series of fast beats to walk to.

Back at our RV site, Jeanette told me that Lucky (a fellow motorcyclist) had called and offered to have me join a 'guy ride'.  Calling him back, he said they would wait for me to catch up with them.  I quickly changed out into riding clothes and headed off.  And what a ride!

Without passengers, the guy ride is quicker, longer and much more challenging.  We found tight twists and turns, up and down mountain roads, stunning wine country, and a good lunch place too.  What a day.  We were in the saddle for well over seven hours.  It was a five star ride.  I rode through countryside I had not been through before.  Awesome!

Now, with all of these activities, sleep comes very quickly.  As a result, I am up well before sun up. And catching early morning sun ups is something to cherish here in the desert. What a treat!

So, this is how we waste our time, here in the southern California desert.  And what a great way to waste it.

Thanks for dropping in.

A Series of Firsts En Route To Palm Springs

Caliente Springs RV Resort - Desert Hot Springs, California

We arrived at Caliente Springs by noon, yesterday (Monday, Feb. 1).  We are settled here for the months of February and March. It's our 5th year here....and it's nice to be back.  Click on the link to view the WEB site:   Caliente Springs Resort | RV Resorts Palm Springs

To get here from the Phoenix, Arizona area presented us with a series of firsts:
1. First time driving west on I-10  (we have driven east before and we've taken other routes to the Phoenix area but we had never, ever driven east to west).
2. The first time we overnighted in the Hidden Beaches RV Park, situated approximately 3 miles north and 4 miles east from I-10 and the small town of Blythe, CA.
3.  The first time we have driven through a near white out sand storm while fighting strong head winds.

Readying to leave Canyon Vista RV Resort, Gold Canyon, Arizona

With only the motorcycle to load onto the swivel-wheel, Jeanette and I were rolling out of the Gold Canyon, AZ, Canyon Vista RV resort by 10:00, this past Sunday.

Leaving Gold Canyon

We really like this area of southern Arizona.....and we'll be back.  Motorcycling here is but one of the attractions.  The desert, its offerings, golf, hikes, entertainment, dining opportunities, good friends and the climate are reason enough to return.

Heading west on I-10

Jeanette and I noted that driving west from Gold Canyon, past Apache Junction, Mesa, Gilbert, Phoenix, Glendale, Goodyear, Buckeye and more, took well over one hour.  That involved driving through the greater Phoenix metropolitan area on US 60 to I-10.  It took a full 70 minutes to get away from city traffic!

Still heading west on I-10

With a one day gap between our departure from Canyon Vista RV Park and our arrival at Caliente Springs RV Resort, we needed one overnight spot along the 5.5 hr. route.  We had never been to Hidden Beaches RV on the west shore of the Colorado River.  Checking their WEB site, it offered several, long pull through sites, about 3.5 hours into our westward drive.  We booked in for one night.

One of the many interesting places in Blythe.

We chose to pull into the large Pilot Diesel truck stop in Quartzsite for fuel before heading only about 1/2 hr. into Blythe, CA and into the Hidden Beaches RV park.

Northbound through the town of Blythe - Farming country

One interesting tid-bit was how the countryside changed from desert (Quartzsite, AZ) into green fields of vegetables, hay and other crops once we crossed into the state of California.

Vegetable crops

Arriving at Hidden Beaches RV park.

Although an older RV park, with several full-timers who appear to live here, the long pull through sites are most suitable for a short stay. Water and power are offered and there is a dump site available.

Nestled into a long pull-through site for one overnight.

We only required water and power so a one night stay suited us.

Level grass sites - No need to unhook

We were aware of a storm that was forecast to bring high winds and rain in the area.  We were set up well before the storm hit.  By morning, the grounds were dry and the wind had abated.

The Colorado River from the RV Park

The river appears to be quite low here.  So much water is diverted to water crops all over central and southern California and the southwestern area of Arizona.

Photo of the picture taker

The Colorado River looking northbound

 I would have enjoyed taking our Sea Eagle kayak out on the river but the strong, gusting winds made that journey uninviting.  The kayak stayed dry.

Blowing winds....and blowing sand.

Monday morning, I checked three weather services before continuing our westward, 2.5 hour drive from Blythe to Desert Hot Springs.  The intense wind advisories had been withdrawn and there was no mention of strong, gusting winds with blowing sand.  So, imagine our surprise when the winds gusted strong and we found ourselves in a sand storm for the better part of 40 minutes.

Increasing winds and blowing sand.

Sand was not accumulating on the Interstate.  Good thing!  Plows would have been needed to push the sand off - similar to snow plows that clear roads in the snow belts.

Near white out conditions.

We did learn that one north/south road - Gene Autry Trail, on the extreme west side of Palm Springs - was closed due to sand accumulations from the blowing winds.

Finally out of the sand storm

Approaching the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs country)

Although the winds persisted, and with the sand storms behind us, we arrived into the Palms Springs area (Coachella Valley) before lunch.

A snow view on top of Mount San Jacinto, CA

With the sand, dust and rain that we faced, the motorcycle and truck are in need of a wash.  We will tend to that today.  The RV will get some detailing in the days ahead too. 

The winds are gone, the sun is bright and the temperatures are rising.  By late this week, temperatures will return to the most pleasant mid-70's.

More to come in the days and weeks ahead.  thanks for dropping by.