Monday 27th April 2020

We are still at the campground in Indio California. There are only a few people left so it’s pretty quiet. I have been enjoying all the well maintained flower beds on our daily walk around the park.

I have also had fun with my 6 flower baskets over the last 5 months. I almost feel like I have a real garden with all the watering and trimming.

The desert is starting to bloom.

It always amazes me how all these colorful flowers can thrive in such an arid climate.

I matched this flowery Ocotillo perfectly.

A decent sized Rattlesnake lay across our path. I think he was having a nap as he looked a bit chunky around the middle and might have been digesting his last meal.

As we got a bit closer he gave us the classic warning to give him some room. A little tail shake and we got the message to move on.

It started getting pretty warm so we took to the higher hills for a nice hike on a bit of the PCT. This trail is 2653 miles long. It starts at a the border of Mexico and ends at the border of Canada. The lowest part of the trail is 140 ft in Oregon and the highest tops out at 13,153 ft in California. Over the years we have hiked many miles on stretches of the PCT in Oregon, Washington and California.

Manzanita shrubs were busting out.

It would be a bit gnarly if one of these pine cones landed on your noggin.

This rock was a Lichen magnet.

A great hike on a cool sunny day.

We were thrilled to have Jay come down for a couple of days. Southern California is still masking up. Kinda hard to drink your wine but where there’s a will there’s a way.

Since we hardly see anyone in the desert it was a good “Social Distancing” place to take Jay and Maya. We took them on our secret slot canyon hike.

I think Jay got a real workout.

Maya was a champ getting lugged up the ladders.

One last pull out of the slot.

We found some comfy rocks for our snack. There was even a view of the Salton Sea.

We all needed a shower after the dusty hike.

The next day we were back in the same area doing a ladder hike. Jay! Only 13 more ladders to go.

The rock formations are so varied.

Maya might have been wishing her legs were a bit longer.

Finally coming out of the canyon.

Thanks for a great couple of hiking days Jay. I think he was surprised at the agility of his old codger parents.

We have made friends with another couple stranded at our campground. It’s good to latch up with people that like to hike and explore. Leslie and Stuart wanted to check out our slot canyon.

They had never seen a rattle snake so one showed up and nicely rattled for them.

The heat has got pretty bad now in Indio. Over 103 degrees every day. It was time for a higher elevation hike. This rock kinda looked like a toadstool.

We even found a patch or two of snow. Ahhh sweet relief for my sweaty body.

We had another lovely day with our new hiking buddies. We hope to meet up back at the same park this winter. Leslie and Stuart we are up for more great hiking.

We hope you are all staying safe and healthy. “Keep Calm and Carry On” is our mantra. The shops now have an abundance of toilet paper but can I buy a bag of flour to make some bread? Flour and yeast it seems are the latest items on the “all sold out” shelves

I guess people finally started figuring out that you could have toilet paper and paper towels up the kazoo but it might be more sensible to start prioritizing and buy actual food to eat instead of paper products.

It’s time to leave for higher ground. Our 2 rooftop air conditioners are working non stop to keep the camper somewhat comfortable in this triple digit temperature. All the blinds are down, doors are closed and I feel like I am in a cave. Not good for Rose. Dean take me to the light, or at least drive me to a more comfortable elevation.

We are packing up today and heading toward northern Arizona tomorrow. Some campgrounds are now starting to open although all the facilities are closed. Since we are fully self contained we can still keep our social distancing. We just want the hookups. Higher elevations and lower temps here we come.