WE ALMOST HAD TO RETURN TO CONGRESS TODAY……’ALMOST’

MORNING SUNRISE OVER ANZA-BORREGO

(This is Wednesday’s post)

She tries so hard to climb up into my over the cab bunk for a morning snuggle but it is just too high for her.  Pheebs could get up into the Sunseeker’s bunk but Winnie’s configuration is just too high & difficult for her.  But every morning she tries.  I half tumble & slide my way down to the rig’s floor & we have us our big morning tussle on the sofa.  Morning scruffles are always a highlight of our day.  

RV’ERS AT PEG LEG SMITH’S ARE DWARFED BY THE MIGHTY SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS

Our plan this morning was to Jeep ourselves down to the other end of Rock House road right alongside the Clark Dry Lake Bed.  Been a few years since we have been down that way.  Those plans ended abruptly when the Jeep wouldn’t start.  Our 3 week old new battery was stone dead.  Luckily we generally always park the engine compartments of the Jeep & our RV close together.  That was a big advantage this morning when I was able to stretch the jumper cables across & start the Jeep.  But now we had a dilemma & some decisions to make. 

KELLY GATHERS FIREWOOD ON OUR MORNING WALK

 

OUR BORREGO NEIGHBORHOOD

 

 

Was it a battery problem, a starter problem, or an alternator problem??  Turned the Jeeps key off & tried to start it again but no go.  Re-jumped it & decided to take a drive into Borrego Springs to see if it would charge the battery plus Kelly had some DVD’s to return.

In front of the library she spotted someone we knew from our first trip to Borrego Springs back in 07.  We rode in Linda & her husband Bill’s Jeep Cherokee on a group tour of Grapevine Canyon which runs between Montezuma’s Grade & the Tamarisk Grove campground.  It was our first ride in a Jeep ever.  Linda remembered us.

LINDA & HUSBAND BILL TOOK US ON OUR FIRST EVER JEEP RIDE…4 WHEELING IN GRAPEVINE CANYON  PHOTOS FROM THAT DAY HERE

From the Library we headed out of Borrego & back to our campsite.  Parked the Jeep’s engine compartment close to Winnies & turned the Jeep off.  Luckily it started again so we loaded up Pheebs & drove back into Borrego Springs.  Farmer’s market was underway on Christmas Circle.  Kelly was wanting to pick up some things so Pheebs & I stayed with the Jeep & kept it running to re-charge the battery in case that was the problem.  Had a feeling a CD we had been playing Tuesday may have not stopped playing when I took the key out of the ignition.  Not sure how that could have happened but it was the only thing we could think of that would have killed the battery…..if indeed that was our problem.

LITTLE JEEPERS (WITH HEADLIGHTS ON) GOT TO MEET A FEW OF HER BEEFIER COUSINS THIS MORNING…IT WAS A JEEP TOUR JUST HEADING OUT

 

Sitting across from Christmas Circle waiting for Kelly at the Market I saw her walking across the road with a couple people I didn’t recognize.  Didn’t pay much attention because it’s not unusual for Kelly to chat people up.  Lady walked over to my driver’s window & said, “do you recognize me”?  Oh Oh, I didn’t.  She said, “it’s Cheryl”.  I then made the connection & knew instantly it was indeed Cheryl from DESERT DIVA:))  How nice to meet another fellow RV Blogger.  We had a feeling she was in the area & probably camped over at Peg Leg Smiths.  She was.  Large group of WIN’S (Wandering Individuals Network) there for the week-end.  With another member Al she had come in to browse the Farmer’s Market.  Cheryl & Pheebs hit it right off & there were a lot of hugs & smooches going on there.  A true animal person I could tell:))  Coincidentally we met in the exact same spot where I met Nina from WHEELING IT a couple years ago as well.

IT WAS GREAT MEETING CHERYL FROM ‘DESERT DIVA’ THIS MORNING

  

CHERYL & PHEEBS INSTANTLY BECAME FAST PALS

 

AW COME ON MOM, DAD SAID I CAN DRIVE BACK TO THE RIG…IT’LL BE OK

In the meantime JEAN & SKIP rolled into town & we had a chat with them later on as well.  Skip’s one of those fellas that’s knowledgeable about stuff & offered to come over later & have a look at the Jeep if we were still having problems starting it.  We came back to our rig, parked next to Winnie, shut it off & tried re-starting it again.  It fired right up so we’re hopeful it was the CD player that was the culprit.  We’ll see.  But until we know for sure what the problem is we won’t be going too far in the Jeep.  If push comes to shove we will just hook up the Jeep & head back to Congress if it doesn’t start again.  Maybe the starter is shot.  Maybe the alternator.  We’ll see what happens in the morning.

PHEEBS CHATS IT UP WITH JEAN & SKIP ON CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

It’s not usual for us to have lunch.  We just kinda go from breakfast to supper with maybe a few peanut butter & honey sandwiches thrown in between.  Today was the exception.  Kelly found a couple legs of Turkey at the Market on Christmas circle.  Soon as we got home she fired up the BBQ & it wasn’t long before we had greasy fingers & full tummies.  Washed that all down with a couple pieces of Pumpkin pie & whipped cream.  Some days are just better than others.

 

BARBEQUED PUMPKIN PIE…..YUM:))

Normally here at the Clark Dry Lake Bed we park our rig with the side doors facing down the canyon towards the mighty Santa Rosa mountains.  This time we are parked facing the Pinyon & Vallecito mountains to our South-West & the San Ysidro mountains to the West.  That puts our side door & awning facing South-West.  Found the sun to hot this afternoon so sat around on the north side of the rig with a blanket over my head.  Why a blanket?  To cut down on the reflection when I am outside with my laptop.  Blanket acts like a tent & I am able to see the screen just fine.  And besides, it’s kinda neat……like being a kid again.  Oh & my Bose IPod under my chair with my favorite ambient tunes’ lulling me to sleep between key strokes. It all works very nicely for me:))

 

VIEW FROM INSIDE MY LITTLE PUTER TENT

Had been thinking about heading over to Ghost Mountain this morning but with the Jeep thing I decided not to go.  Being the long Thanksgiving week-end there will be too much San Diego off-roader traffic clogging the roads in that area so have decided to put off my annual Ghost Mountain hike.  Besides I was just there this past February & that makes for this year’s hike.  We think we just may return here to Borrego Springs again in March when all the flowers are in bloom & everything is greening up so nicely.  So for right now that is the plan.

THIS SMALL GROUP OF RV FRIENDS ROLLED IN TODAY BUT ARE FAR ENOUGH AWAY NOT TO BOTHER US

BEHIND THEM ARE THE TOWERING SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS

The area on this side of highway S22 where we are was acquired by the Anza-Borrego State Park system a few years ago & ‘off-roading’ has been discouraged.  But across the highway from us it is all open territory for the off roaders to rip & tear.  This whole area which includes thousands upon thousands of acres is a large playground for the off-road crowd.  Fortunately the area is so big that it is generally not a problem but we have been here on long week-ends when the air has been so full of dust it was hard to see the town of Borrego Springs.  The most popular spot for the ‘off-road’ gang is Ocotillo Wells just South-East of us.

LOTS OF DUNE BUGGIES RACING AROUND ACROSS THE HIGHWAY FROM US BUT THESE 2 PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITH A TELEPHOTO LENS MAKING THEM APPEAR CLOSER

OFF-ROADERS ARE POURING IN FOR THE LONG WEEK-END

AND SPEAKING OF A TELEPHOTO LENS, THERE’S JEAN & SKIP NEARLY A MILE AWAY SITTING OUTSIDE SOAKING UP SOME RAYS:))

Finished our day with a campfire sitting outside until old Sol slipped down behind the San Ysidro mountains.  Soon as night is upon us we slip from summer clothes to winter clothes.  It’s just the way it is here in the desert……………..

 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.