Travels with haRVy

While viewing my Facebook feed one evening earlier this month, I noted that our former Oregon based Boondockers Welcome hosts Sheila and Earl were not far from us at the Owl Canyon Campground a few miles north of Barstow, CA. I made contact and learned that they would be there a few more days. It’s always fun to meet up with fellow travelers, so we decided to join them for a couple of nights.

Before we did that, we headed over to the historic Casa del Desierto in Barstow. This nicely restored building contains free museums that pay homage to its Harvey House roots as well as Route 66 and the Western American Railroad. We toured them all.

Fabulous Mary Colter designed light fixtures have been refurbished.

Our next stop was at Calico Ghost Town. A tourist trap for sure, but we enjoyed a look around with just a handful of other visitors.

School house on the hill.

A few of the buildings are original, but most were reconstructed by Walter Knott of Knott’s Berry Farm.

The five mile dirt road out to Owl Canyon was a bit rougher than Al prefers, but we went slow and easy so haRVy handled it well. The sign below welcomed us upon arrival.

Snakes in the bathroom? Oh NO! They weren’t kidding. Luckily, we didn’t see any. I think the weather was still a bit cool for their liking.

Earl and Sheila with their Casita. We had a great visit with them. Fun folks for sure.

The next day we had a very pleasant hike up Owl Canyon.

Almost felt like Utah or Arizona.

Even got to hike through a cave. Luckily we’d been told to bring our head lamps.

We then went on to spend a night camping at Castaic Lake.

Always happy to see agricultural fields in California.

We just had to get to the Pacific Ocean again, especially since the weather was hot and sunny. So we spent a delightful afternoon and evening at the Pt. Mugu military campground, which is right on the sand.

Mugu Lagoon (on the military base) is the largest remaining salt marsh in Southern California. It is home to thousands of birds and a breeding ground for harbor seals.

You can’t beat a barefoot walk on the beach in February!

Once again we are at my brother Jeff’s house in Camarillo, CA. We are so grateful that he and his wife Paula have provided us with a home base here on the West Coast. I hope we haven’t taken too much advantage of their generosity over the past three winters. Thank you both!

We are here to prepare for our next big adventure …stay tuned!

The Empire Polo Club, located just over a mile from where we are staying at our friend MaryEllen’s place in Indio, CA, hosted 20 hot air balloons during festival last weekend. We got up at the crack of dawn to watch them inflate and take off. The access was incredible and the price right…free! It was great fun.

Owlbert Einstein taking a look around.

Hang on!

First to take off.

The setting was beautiful.

Oh no!

View a short video I shot here. 

Since we couldn’t plug in at MaryEllen’s apartment complex, haRVy’s batteries needed a good charge after a week there. We headed over to nearby Lake Cahuilla to spend a night hooked up to electricity. There wasn’t a lot to do since you can’t swim or boat in the lake, but it is nice and quiet.

The campground at Lake Cahuilla.

Back at the apartment complex we took full advantage of the amenities with hot tub soaks, free stretching and water aerobic classes, a potluck dinner, and nice laundry facilities.

Al thought the warnings around the pool were a bit excessive.

MaryEllen and I partook in a second early morning outing at the The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens of which she is a member. Membership privileges include early entry so we enjoyed hunting for wild animals on our own before the public was admitted. At first it didn’t seem like many were stirring, but then we spotted this regal lady.

Lovely Leopard.

Charming Cheetah.

Yipes stripes.

This wild looking East African Crowned Crane was very curious.

Bobcat… here kitty kitty.

Bad Badger.

See ya next time!

“The Last Free Place on Earth” may very well be Slab City. Located 156 miles northeast of San Diego (as close to the middle of nowhere you can get in Southern California), the area is used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America. It takes its name from the concrete slabs that remain from the abandoned World War II Marine barracks of Camp Dunlap.

The temperatures during the summer are unforgiving (as high as 120 °F); nonetheless, there is a group of around 150 permanent residents who live in the Slabs all year round. Some of these “Slabbers” derive their living by way of government checks (SSI, Social Security, and Social Security Disability) and have been driven to the Slabs through poverty. Others have moved to The Slabs to learn how to live off the grid and to be left alone. Still others have moved there to stretch their retirement income.

It is a very provocative place to visit. First stop: Salvation Mountain.

One of the cement slabs that inspired the name for the place.

This guys was protecting his belongings with barbed wire, stop, and stay out signs.

This business helps residents live off the grid.

Think so?

Some residents are pretty creative about reusing discards as yard art. There is no trash service here. No water, sewer system, or electricity either.

Sorry we missed the weekly swap meet.

And the Thursday afternoon concert.

Shoe tree.

Message signboard as you depart Slab City.

On our way from Slab City to Indio, CA we made a brief stop along the shore of the Salton Sea. This body of water was part of the Gulf of California until about 4.4 million years ago.  The Colorado River silt eventually blocked off the gulf and separated the region from the Pacific Ocean.

The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault. Its surface is 234 feet below sea level. The sea is fed by the New,Whitewater, and Alamo rivers, as well as agricultural runoff, drainage systems, and creeks, but it has no outlet. The lake’s salinity is greater than that of the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Very few species of fish can survive here.

The sea, which is California’s largest inland lake, supports a spectacular bird population that is among the most concentrated and most diverse in the world. Sadly, this crucial stopover along the Pacific Flyway for migratory and wintering shorebirds, land birds, and waterfowl is dangerously close to collapse from several environmental threats. More than 400 species and subspecies in all have been spotted here.

“The Beach” on the northeast shore of the Salton Sea.

The “sand” is made up of millions of crustacean shells.

Next stop: “Civilization.”

Once the rain storms cleared out we headed out to the Anza Borrego Desert for a change of scenery. With abundant acreage to explore, hikes aplenty, starry skies, broad vistas, hot springs, and lots of FREE camping opportunities, this is now officially my favorite California State Park.

The most beautiful palm canyon I’ve ever seen…with flowing water!

Perfect 3-mile round trip hike up to canyon and back.

Nice desert color variations.

Breakfast view from free campsite at Yaqui Pass.

Hike from free campsite that climbed to a beautiful overlook.

LOTS of agave around here.

The late Dennis Avery (of Avery Labels) envisioned the idea of adding ‘free standing art’ to his extensive Borrego Springs property. He commissioned artist/welder Ricardo Breceda to create steel welded sculptures. There are now over 130 spread out across the land. It’s fun to hunt for them.

This 350-foot-long fanciful serpent is mighty impressive.

Lots of detail on this horse and gold panner.

Borrego sheep

Tapirs

And for something different, an indian head.

Farmers in the field.

Much larger than life grasshopper and scorpion.

The surfing scene is alive and well in Southern California. Facing the ocean with feet in sand, you can almost forget about the megalopolis (and horrendous traffic congestion) behind you. The beautiful clear blue water, sunny skies, and colorful characters appear much as they did 50 to 60 years ago. We visited many famous surf spots as we meandered down the coast.

San Onofre

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U. S. A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like Californi-a.

Day parking right on the beach.

We’ll all be planning that route
We’re gonna take real soon
We’re waxing down our surfboards
We can’t wait for June
We’ll all be gone for the summer
We’re on surfari to stay
Tell the teacher we’re surfin’
Surfin’ U. S. A.

Overnight camp site with panoramic view.

Rustic outdoor shower (not currently operational likely due to drought)

This surfboard bench was an Eagle Scout project.

Not sure how this weather vane got erected.

Long live the VW Vanagon!

A short walk from the campground is Trestles where this placard explains what sort of waves to expect, what type of board to use, and what skill level is required.

A young surfer waxes up his board behind his father’s classic wagon at Seaside Beach.

Classic surf stickers too.

Lots of father-son (a few daughters too) activity around.

Water conservation efforts were evident.

Various efforts to hold back erosion were also apparent.

Solana Beach just 2 blocks from our boondocking spot.

Everybody’s gone surfin’
Surfin’ U.S. A.

The Torrey Pines cliffs have featured soaring aircraft since the 1930s with many famous aviators earning their wings on the strong ocean breezes. Too windy to fly the day of our visit, but the view was nice.
See photos of the usual para- and hang- gliding excitement here.

One night we camped a few miles inland at Ronald Caspers Wilderness Park.

Despite the warnings above, we took a nice hike.

It’s tough for me to pass a California Oak without photographing it.

With four storms predicted with measurable rain (!) across all of Southern California, we headed for a friend’s house in Murrieta. Until further notice we will be comfortably residing in his guest quarters. Thank you, Bob!