NEIGHBOR BUTCH & HIS DOG KAPEESH DROP BY THIS MORNINGIf some fellow partying RVers out here in the desert hadn't leaned on their big diesel air horns at midnight last night I probably wouldn't be as tired as I am right now. The same jeep club is here again this year & they have about 20 or 30 big rigs all parked in a circle. Last year they were a lot quieter but this year they were whooping it up pretty good for New Years. I had been asleep for a couple of hours before the horn blowing blew me out of bed!!!! Oh well, I always figure it's just pay back for me because of all the lives that I disrupted many years ago in my drinking & partying days too. Better them with the hangovers than me. It was a comforting thought this morning to know this was my 29th sober New Years morn:))))
Figured I'd tear apart the firepit & re-build it first thing this morning while it was still cool. Some folks just don't know diddly about making a firepit & the one that was here sure must have been made by some kinda diddly alright. Plus, it was full of broken glass so I dug a hole & buried the glass & old ashes. Makes me soooooooooo mad to always find broken glass wherever we go. Why is there such an obsession with humanoids to smash their beer bottles all over the place all the time!!!! Ok, better not get myself started on that.........
A HERD OF TORTOISES
Packed up some peanut butter sandwiches & headed out in search of some local hiking trails later this morning but didn't find the one we were looking for, but in the process of looking we came across a herd of tortoises. Big 3 foot high tortoises off to the side of the road. I've heard tortoises were slow but these guys weren't moving at all. And then we saw the dinosaurs....and they weren't moving either. Had we entered the Jurassic age?? ( The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the "Age of Reptiles".) 
A MOTHER DINOSAUR CARRYING HER BABY
Butch had told us earlier about these sculptures that are located randomly around the outskirts of Borrego Springs along the roadsides. A local land owner with a lot of properties around the area recently commissioned Mexican artist & sculptor, Ricardo Breceda to create, "Sky Art" of vertebrates which inhabited the Anza-Borrego region during the Pliocene-Pleistocene & Miocene eras. We spent about an hour driving around & stopping to look at all these marvelous sculptures stretched out for 3 or 4 miles in natural desert settings. They are all made of metal & spot welded to-gether & each one must have taken an enormous amount of time & effort. Some of the works are still in the process of being installed. One had just been anchored in a fresh cement pad & another large bird sculpture was just in the process of being assembled on the spot. Lots of photos for the web album. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ 
SABRE TOOTH TIGERS
In the process of driving around looking at the sculptures I took some pictures from the car of some swanky-do houses in the neighborhood. My photos don't do them justice but some of the homes & architecture here in Borrego Springs is just beautiful. No high rise stuff & very few places have a second story. Everything is low profile ranch style with some of the greatest desert landscaping I've ever seen. Palm trees, orange trees, & all kinds of flowers & cacti in the yards. Just love it!! What a beautiful little town this is. 
FEEDING TIME IN THE JURASSIC AGE
We were back to the rig by 2 & spent the rest of the day lazing around again enjoying the warm sunshine. To-morrow morning we'll be up early because we have to be in town to catch a free jeep tour. It's another great thing the town does. The local nature club people put free tours to-gether for anyone interested & local people provide the transportation with their jeeps & 4 wheel drive vehicles. Last year we went on a jeep tour with the same group up through a place nearby called Grapevine Canyon. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/444WHEELINGINGRAPEVINECANYON When we were in Borrego to-day Kelly went into the Nature Center & signed us up for a tour to-morrow to some canyons east of here. We also put Butch's name down because we knew he would want to go as well. We will probably be doing some more tours next week because the nature club have a lot of things on the go. Like I said, this is a great little town with lots of stuff going on & lots of things to do for everybody. 
The coyotes are really kicking up a fuss outside to-night & are the closest we've ever heard them. Checkers really gets to growling when she hears them but they don't bother Max or The Motormouse. It sure gives the West it's authenticity when you hear the coyotes howling at night. What a great place this is & don't forget to check out our links at the end of yesterday's blog about our time spent here last year at this same time........................ 
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
We have discovered many favorite places in our short travels these past few years & for me, Borrego Springs is one of them. It's a quaint & quiet laid back little town with no hustle or bustle. One main street, no traffic lights, & a lush green perfectly round island of grass & palm trees that leads you right into town. And they call that large round island, Christmas Circle. This morning after our desert doggy walk, we headed into town to have a look around the small farmer's type market they had set up there. Kelly immediately spotted a table full of doggy beds so that's where she headed to do some browsing. I spent my time snapping a few pics here & there...
THE CHRISTMAS ISLAND
HANGIN AT THE FUDGE FACTORY
THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE TRYING OUT CHECKERS BIG NEW COMFY BED
NEIGHBOR'S RIGS DECKED OUT IN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS FOR NEW YEARS EVE
LOTS OF OFF ROAD VEHICLES IN THE DESERT
A CIRCUS LIKE ATMOSPHERE OF RV'S, TRAILERS, ATV'S & DIRT BIKES
BUTCH, KELLY, & AL FROM LAST YEAR'S SLOT CANYON HIKE