HOME AT LAST

 May 5, 2021

We left Palm Springs May 1st and got home May 5th.  Denny  doesn't really drive very far each day so it takes us 4 nights and 5 days of traveling to get home.  Driving  an RV is very stressful and we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere, one of the benefits of retirement. We usually go anyway from 200-300 miles in one day, that's about 4-6 hours

This will be my last blog post because, as many of you know, we bought a house in El Mirage, AZ. After 12 years of snowbirding in our RV, we decided on a another life style change. I really enjoyed the RV lifestyle of traveling, but on to new adventures. It will really be quite a change this coming season.  Next season we will drive the truck and a small UHaul down to AZ. While there, we will buy a car suitable to drive into the desert and leave  it at our house. The following seasons we will fly back and forth.  

We were very lucky to sell our RV while we were still in AZ. My sister in law's son, who lives in Bellingham,  bought it. We still needed it after we sold it but that was fine with him because he still needs to buy a truck to haul it with. We will clean it up and drive  it to Bellingham, probably in late June. 

Synopsis  of our trip

Miles traveled: 8081

Stayed in 9 RV parks: 5 on the way to AZ and  4 on the way back from Palm Springs

Since Denny was getting tired of driving to so many parks, we stayed 4 months at the same park  in Buckeye, AZ and 1 month at the same park  in Palm Springs.  

Spent $3523.26 on campgrounds

Diesel: $1880.62

It was kind of a bittersweet going down  memory lane this season. We were in some campgrounds that we have stayed in every year of our travels. Every time we stopped we talked about previous years there. 

I have really enjoyed writing the blog, hope you all enjoyed it too. It was a great way to stay in touch with friends and family to let them know where we were

Our last 2 Happy Hours on the way home. The first picture is in Weed, CA. The 2nd picture is in Albany, Or. We have been to both of these parks since the beginning of our travels

                                        

Desert X 2017

April 30, 2021

In my previous blog I wrote about the Desert X installations. Most of them we didn't really like. Our first Desert X installation that we went to was The Glass House in 2017. We were really liked this one. The entire house inside and out was glass. Can't imagine the work it took to build it, then take it down in a couple of months.  We were with some friends. 

 

DESERT X 2021

 April 27, 2021

Every year in Coachella Valley, there are several Desert X art installations. They pop up from mid April to mid May, then disappear. This year there were 11 so we decided to see them all. They say art is in the eye of the beholder, but, let me say, this was not art as far as these two beholders think. 

What Lies Behind These Walls by Zahrah Alghamdi from Saudi Arabia. Looks like a lot of rugs stacked up

ParaPivot by Alicja Kwade from Poland. The white styrofoam represents clouds in the sky. To get to it we had to climb a very steep hill. At first, we weren't going to do it, but we met some ladies at another Desert X and they said it was the most fun. After seeing it, we wondered why they thought that. We were there at 9: 30 to start the climb, but, it was already 90 degrees.

Wishing Well by Serge Attukwei Clottey from Ghana.  This was made from yellow plastic jerrycans that were used to carry water in Africa

The Art of Taming Horses by Christoper Meyers from New York. This was a collection of  6 horses along the road so only took pictures of a few. This was one of two  that we really liked. These horses are telling the story of 2 ranchers that eventually founded Palm Springs

Never Forget by Nicholas Galanin from Sitka, Alaska. He is a Tlingit and Unangax artist. Alot of the Coachella valley is on Indian Land

Because You Know Ultimately We Will Band a Milita by Xaviera Simmons from New York. This was 6 billboards along Gene Autry Drive.  Being on a busy road made it hard to read the signs

Women's Qualities by Ghana Amer from Egypt. The words are on the ground in metal containers so hard to take a picture of the whole installation. The words are all in circle-Resilient, Strong, Nurturing, Loving, beautiful, Determined and Caring. We really liked this installation. It was on the grounds of Sunnyland, a Presidential Retreat that was used by any Presidents. It is a beautiful place

I included this picture of the grounds because it's amazing to us how the water is perfectly level and never runs over. 

Jackrabbit Homestead by Kim Stringfellow from California. This was typical of a 1950's proletariat kit home. There was a video that played the experiences of Catherine  Venn Peterson's homesteading experience in a house like this. It is 112 sq ft.

The Passenger by Eduardo Sarabia from Mexico. The walls are made from petates, traditional rugs made from palm fibers. It is a maze 

Now that you have seen most of them, you can decide for yourself.  All of these artists are very talented, just not our cup of tea. The ones we liked  are The Women's Qualities and The Art of Taming Horses

EXPLORING

 April 22, 2012

There are so many places to see and things to do in the Coachella valley that we decided to do go to some area we have never been to. 

Out first destination was Civic center Park in Palm Desert. We have been by it many times but never stopped to explore. It is 70 acres, the largest park in the Coachella valley. It is absolutely  the most beautiful park we have ever seen.  There are tennis courts, baseball fields, ponds with fountains in the middle, lots of ducks, several colorful whimsical sculptures and several picnic areas, covered and uncovered. There is the Holocaust Memorial and a War Memorial. Such beautiful grounds

This is the parking lot. Palm tress between the lanes

The Holocaust Memorial. it was very moving to read all of the plaques

Our next stop was the Old Town Square in La Quinta. So cute. I could easily see me walking to the town square for coffee or dinner.