We spent three lovely weeks in Indio enjoying the mild temperatures. We didn't do a whole lot other than chill out, visit with friends, and attend yoga classes. And that was just fine with us.
Mountains in the Desert
The Palm Springs area is surrounded by three mountain ranges: San Jacinto, Santa Rosa and San Bernadino. You can see a portion of the San Jacinto mountain range from our RV park. San Jacinto Peak, at 10, 834 feet, is often snow capped and very cold. So while you may be in shorts and flip flops in 80 degree temperatures on the floor of Coachella Valley, you'll want winter clothing if you decide to take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top.
We didn't take the tram up to the peak this year because the winds were too strong, but we have in the past. If you're ever in the area, we highly recommend doing so. The views are stunning. Be sure to book reservations far ahead as it's a popular attraction.
Sister Visit
Towards the end of our stay, Anne Marie's sister, Maureen, drove down from the Sacramento area to enjoy the beautiful weather and hang with us for a week. She rented a lovely home about 20 miles from our RV park in the town of La Quinta in an area called The Cove.
The Cove is one of our favorite places to go with the pups. The town has wrap-around views of the Santa Rosa Mountains and a wonderful walking/biking trail. The photo here was taken from the courtyard of Maureen's rental home. The Bougainvillea bushes were spectacular this year all around the valley due to the amount of rain over the winter.
One Sunday morning, we headed into Old Town La Quinta to the Farmer's Market. Lots of fresh produce and other delectable treats.
You Have to be Handy
One thing about RVing is you must be handy because mechanical and other maintenance issues pop up on a regular basis. Case in point...
As we were just starting to pull out of our RV site in Mesa, Anne Marie noticed our auto levelers were not retracted, so they were dragging in the crushed rock. Cliff spent the next hour trying to resolve the problem. After a lengthy call with a technician, we had to manually retract the levelers. Once we arrived in Indio, we spent several days with technical support running tests and concluded that we would need to take it into the shop after we arrived back home.
Once we get our rig back, we'll need to spend some time fixing other things like a crooked valance, a wall board that popped out its frame, and a cracked countertop by the sink. Par for the course.
Nerd side note: The cartoon here was generated by a Microsoft AI app called Copilot. Anne Marie entered the request: "Draw a cute cartoon of a man under a motor home repairing it” and it created four different cartoons. Pretty cool, huh? Or maybe "scary" is the better word.
Here then Gone
We've been back in Jackson for about a week and busy with doctor, dentist, hair, and dog grooming/vet appointments. We also came home to waist high weeds in our back yard and spent two days weeding and pruning. We decided we'll get someone in to maintain the yard the next time we're gone so long.
And speaking of being gone...
We decided not to go back to Anderson Island this year. Instead, our next journey takes us to Mendocino, California where we'll be volunteering as Park Hosts at an Historic State Park called Point Cabrillo Light Station. As part of our duties, we'll be docents providing information about the lighthouse and surrounding historical buildings in the park to visitors. We'll also work in the gift shop.
In trade for 15 hours each a week of our time, we'll have a full hookup RV site on park property.
So, it's time to bone up on the history of the area and the light station so we'll be prepared when we begin our workamping gig in mid-May.
We are excited about the opportunity and looking forward to another new adventure.
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Lighthouse are my favorite. Can’t wait to learn more.
Kim, You’d probably connect with Mendocino. Because it has such a rocky coast, it became Cabot Cove, ME for the old Murder She Wrote series.
You’re becoming full time RVers, it sounds like to me!
How long will you be in Mendo? We’ll be neighbors there, too. Let’s do some Anderson Valley wine tasting while you’re there!!
Wine-tasting with you and Mike sounds wonderful! We’ll be there from mid-May until mid-October. Just don’t come by the lighthouse our first day and asks us about lots of historical details. 😆
I miss you guys! It took me a while to get used to the fact that Thursday/Friday would roll around and I'd think, "What are we doing with the Smiths?" but you just weren't here anymore.
I think the lighthouse gig is perfect for you two. Just the fact that you said you have to study up for the area shows that you two are perfect for it!
It was great seeing you guys and we really appreciated your hospitality! Maybe you’ll make a wide detour on your way to or from Bend this summer? Otherwise, we’ll see you in Paso in the fall.
awesome my fb has been locked for someone ,though they say entered my account, tryig since 25th to get back in but no easy way for they have my emai as rg8sm@gmail.com,duh!
That sucks. I had to create a new account for myself after someone hacked into mine and changed the contact info. Hopefully, you’ll have better results.
p.s. On the plus side, at least you won’t have to see any more posts from that happy-go-lucky guy, Oliver.
I'm so glad you got the new gig. Lighthouses are cool and what a great area. Can't wait to see you, soon.
Looking forward to it!
too bad about Anderson Island because I thought you really enjoyed it . Mendo though is so much closer we will again get to see you for a bit, when I don't know. What are your time frames there?
We enjoyed it a lot, but wanted to be a bit closer to home this summer for various reasons.
We are in Mendocino mid-May through mid-October.