February 20, 2024 (Tue)
More days of lounging, lounging, lounging.
We are staying at an RV “resort” (meaning, apparently, that it has a pool and tennis courts—and a golf course) called The Springs at Borrego, located in the town of Borrego Springs.
All this is way more fun once you learn that “borrego” is Spanish for “sheep.” Guess those early settlers liked to spring at their sheep!
10:15 am The Springs at Borrego, (Borrego Springs, CA)
We sleep in, because for the first time in a week we don’t have to leap into Harvey and put some miles between us and where we start. This must be the “vacating” part of our “vacation.”
We have breakfast outdoors—because it’s 68°, and although it’s overcast, we’ll take this temperature over the 45° they have back in Washington! Ahh!
Breakfast a la carte
In between reading and lounging, Robert finds time to go do our laundry at the Resort’s laundry room. Once again, this is a 21st century RV park with a 20th century laundry room: it needs quarters! (If you haven’t been to a laundromat in the last 20 years, they all take credit cards now—even the ones in run-down apartment buildings like where Robert used to live.)
As a result, Robert has to head to the RV office to get quarters. In an amazing display of directional dysphoria, Robert manages to get lost. You should know that the RV park is about the size of a city block (“But a confusing city block!”). Somehow he took a wrong turn and after a mile or so of wandering, it occurs to him that maybe an RV park wouldn’t have so many houses in it.
Fortunately, he’s got his phone and Siri knows which end is up (and which way is north), so Siri guides Robert back to the RV office. Quarters are acquired and laundry is done. As always, Robert takes his shirts out after the wash and hangs them up to dry. This cuts down on wrinkles.
5:00 pm
There’s a hot dog roast!
This RV park has a lot of long-term guests (many folks stay for a couple of months) and they come back every year. As a result, the park spends some effort at creating community by having events where guests can mingle and meet each other.
At today’s event, they provide the hot dogs and garnishes, and we provide the appetite. Also, we have to roast our own hot dogs.
Talking to other residents (some of whom have been coming here for many years) we learn that the biggest effect of all this rain is there’s lots of weeds in the campsites. Although a “super bloom” of flowers is expected in the desert, it won’t happen until March or April, so it looks like we’ll miss it. Although some cactuses (yes, we looked it up—“cacti” is preferable when you’re addressing The Pope; although there’s some priests on our mailing list, we have no Vatican e-mail addresses, so we’re going with non-Pope grammar) are blooming already.
Gini roasting hot dogs
Day 7 Travel
From our campsite to the hot dog roast
(Editor Gini says, “Why is this newsworthy? Robert says, “Every newsletter gets a map!)
February 21, 2024 (Wed)
5:00 am The Springs at Borrego
Remember how yesterday, Robert did laundry and then hung his shirts out to dry on Harvey?
How Robert dries his shirts
When we went to bed last night, there was some consideration to bringing things inside. The shirts weren’t quite dry and “It’s a desert,” said Robert, “It doesn’t rain in deserts!”
Turns out the son of a meteorologist wasn’t entirely correct. About 5:00 am, the skies open up and it starts pouring down rain for an hour or two.
“Guess my shirts are getting an extra rinse,” mutters Robert as he turns over in bed.
Moral of our story: Don’t trust the desert to act like a desert.
Speaking of storms and rain, we checked on the news and it looks like Western California is getting well soaked. But all the maps that show oodles of puddles all stop well before they get here. If you were wondering, we’re fine (Robert’s shirts less so). No flash flooding, or even slow flooding. It was overcast yesterday, but today is lovely!
View from our campsite
While we wander around the campsite, we see some wildlife! Nothing as exciting as bears, but different for us.
A Chipmunk outside his house; notice all those weeds in his lawn—not typical for this time of year
Road Runners, just like in the cartoon, except they didn’t go “meep meep”; they didn’t say anything
Gini says that road runners are pretty common here. In fact, Gini’s mother (who lived here for many years) used to feed frozen meatballs to them. We have no idea where road runners find naturally occurring frozen meatballs, but they look pretty healthy, so they must be around somewhere.
A Decision is made
After several days of consideration, Gini has reached a conclusion:
“We spent so much time getting here, that it seems a shame to turn around and go back. So we’re going to stay another month!”
Instead of returning around the first of March, we are now planning on returning the first week or so of April. Gini talked to the RV park people, and they were able to squeeze us in (this is “high” season). We’ll have to move our campsite once, but we break camp whenever we go into town, so no big deal.
Another month of lounging in warm temperatures! How will we bear it??
Well, one way is by visiting the pool, which has four hot tubs. One is a regular-size hot tub that can handle a dozen people or so. The other three are teeny tubs for two, called “hot mineral baths.” They look and feel like teeny hot tubs, but it’s possible they are full of minerals (or “tap water” as the locals say).
The mineral spa (closer) and the “cold” spa
After a strenuous day, we decide to take in the local cuisine and visit Red Ocotillo for a margarita and dinner. The staff is attentive and the margaritas are tasty. We decide we are happy to stay another month.
Day 8 Travel
Our travel on Day 8 (Wednesday)
Gini & Robert
Harvey Staff
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