090324 - Poker

Tuesday March 24, 2009
Indio

The weather has cooled about 10 degrees to the high 70s and with a mild breeze, it is comfortable.
Tonight was a dinner night and of course our motto is … if someone wants to cook for us, we’ll be there.
With a large juicy chicken breast, spaghetti and vegetables and chocolate cake for dessert, it was a great meal There was enough to share with Peter. He loved the chicken, but declined the vegetables and salad, and of course the chocolate cake is not on his diet.

Following dinner, the tables were cleared and the cards and poker chips came out for a $5 buy in game of Texas hold’em.
Obviously a friendly game, and none of the players appeared to be hustlers or shills, but I lost a few bucks anyway. Peter always wants to play but his does not have a poker face and when he gets a good hand he wags his tail, so he had to settle for Just kibitzing. His major concern was that I not loss any money that would affect his food allowance.
All in all, it was a good day.

090323 - Surcharges

March 23, 2009

When we first checked into our current RVP (Indian Waters), we were told that there had been a sudden change in campground fees effective immediately. Now we all know that the RV Industry has been hit hard with the rest of the economy in the past few months, and many motorhome and trailer manufacturers have either gone out of business or have sought bankruptcy protection. In addition, many RV dealers and resale lots have closed their doors due to lack of customers. It is only natural that the places RV people go to would also be financially hurt by the lack of new RV owners or the current ones staying at home.

However, the particular company that owns this park, Western Horizons Resorts, has taken a bold step to try to recoup losses in revenue from half empty campgrounds. The current daily rate has been $8. As of March 17, the president of Western Horizons Resorts has decided to raise the daily to $9 and added on a $5 energy surcharge. I can tell you that this does not sit well with the members I have spoken with, but there doesn't seem to be any recourse other than protest. Western Horizons Resorts is a family run company out of Colorado, and it appears the president has a lot of family members’ mouths to feed and is using his membership as his personal bailout fund.
This action seems similar to that of the State of California and the federal government in this time of crisis – raise taxes and squeeze every nickel out of the people who still have some money left, instead of cutting taxes and encouraging more spending at the consumer level. In my humble opinion, if Mr. Luken would lower park fees or offer incentives to new and old members to use his parks longer or more often, he would create more business and generate a good income stream to improve his bottom line.

I suspect this company may soon be added to the list of casualties along side the others in the RV industry that have fallen by the wayside because of the financial crisis and lack of consumer confidence. As for Peter and myself, we will adjust our travel budget accordingly and maintain our lifestyle. So far this will only be a TOPES (speed-bump) in the road.

090317 - St PATRICK'S DAY

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Indio

Of course, being Saint Patrick’s Day, dinner was corned beef and cabbage, with redskin potatoes and some kind of green cake that tasted better than it looked.

As we were finding a table to sit at, a couple approached us (Robin and Blaine) and reminded us that we had met at a Washington campground (Soap Lake) 2 years ago. Of course they recognized and remembered Peter and I am always remembered as "that guy with Peter". He has quite a fan club.

Our tablemates were dog lovers but Peter still had a hard time getting them to part with any food.
However, at the end of the meal, there were some leftovers donated to him. He made a mental note of who they were for future reference.

Dinnertime is always entertaining and frequently educational. Everyone has had an experience or lesson to share and even the most seasoned veteran Full timer pays attention. Places to not miss, as well as what to avoid are important points and often written down for future reference. Humorous stories about RV travel bounce back and forth across the table in what might almost seem like a contest of “Can you top this”?

This particular RV Park is very popular this time of year, and although we did make reservation, out site is quite a distance from the clubhouse and pool. Our little red scooter has been very active and useful here. Our previous scooter was dubbed the Batmobile because it was hidden in a cave (lower RV compartment) and could be unfolded and ready for action in a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, that scooter bit the dust last year and its replacement is more differcult and time consuming to set up, but once it is ready it does a good job of transportation for me and exercise for Peter.

090313 - SALVATION MOUNTAIN

Salvation Mountain

Friday, March 13, 2009

There is probably a long list of people who have done things in the name of God, and although he is no Mother Teresa, Leonard Knight has earned his place on that list.

Leaving our Salton Sea campsite, we headed south on hwy 111 in search of a dot on the map known
as Niland which is at the southeastern tip of the Sea. It’s a tiny town, and as we turn east on Main Street, there are no stores or even sidewalks and 500 feet later we find ourselves “out of town”. From our map, we guess our destination will be about 3 miles into the desert, across two railroad tracks, in the foothills of the Chocolate Mountains.

As we wonder where this desolate road is taking us, we suddenly see in the distance what may be Salvation Mountain. There is a splash of color rising from the drab desert floor and as we get closer, it is indeed all that we expected and more.

The story is that Leonard Knight, a religious and God fearing man, for reasons only known to him, decided he should start painting the hillside as a tribute to God. The various sections of artwork are too differcult to explain, so pictures will have to tell the rest of the story. I took many shots of the same areas from different angles out the window of The Beast, but there were a handful of people walking around and even climbing the side of the hillside to the very top. In fact there are steps cut into the “mountain” for that very purpose. To see all the photos I took, go to

http://picasaweb.google.com/thehighwayguys/SALVATIONMOUNTAIN

At the base of the mountain are a few vehicles, one of which is the Salvation Truck, converted into a small house where Leonard actually lives. Unfortunately, he was not home today. Supposedly, this is an ongoing project with no end in sight, and visitors are asked to make donations in the form of paint. Preferably acrylic.

A camping couple, Frank and Barbara, from Walnut Creek, CA were in the site next to ours at Salton Sea campground. They were heading to Yuma and breaking camp the same day as us so I told them about Salvation Mountain and encouraged them not to pass it up. I hope they found it.

090313 - The Salton Sea

The Salton Sea

March 13, 2009

After leaving “The Center Of The World”, we spent a couple of restful days in El Centro, California, which I am told means The Center in Spanish. Hmmmm.

We did some chores that had to be done, some shopping at Costco for those things they have no competition with, including gas. But Of course, we still had to stock up on groceries at Wal-Mart and while we were there it was time for an oil change and lube. They have an express lane for RVs but somehow it took them an hour and a half. No complaints though, that’s how long it took us to shop, and they did a good job of checking everything for fluid levels, tire pressure, fluid levels, etc. The weather has been comfortable at nights, no heater needed but a warm sweatshirt is comfortable, so we decided to boondock it at Wal-Mart.
The next day we set the Garmin GPS for The Salton Sea and in less than 2 hours we were there.
For those of you unfamiliar with this body of water, it is California’s version of Arizona’s Great Salt Lake. Although it is much smaller than the Great Salt Lake, it is the largest lake in California and the salt content is higher than the Pacific Ocean.

History tells us that there had been a basin here for thousands of years caused by the motion of two earthquake faults on either side and it was called the Salton Sink. It had been initially flooded by water from the Gulf of California, which is where the initial salt came from.

Over thousands of years it has drained and filled many times and became a land locked portion of the Gulf. Flooding from the Colorado River has filled it often until the river changed its course. For long stretches of time it has been just a dry salt bed because the evaporation process triumphed over the minimal rainfall.

As One of the world’s largest inland seas, The Salton Sea as we know it today was created by accident when a dike broke during the construction of the All-American Canal in 1905. The resulting 360-square-mile basin became today’s Salton Sea State Recreation Area. It provides a unique desert oasis for boaters, water-skiers and anglers.

It is actually about 227 feet below sea level and seems to have stabilized at that. Most of its water supply now is from agriculture run offs since rain only accounts for about 3 inches a year in the southern California south west desert. A government study resulted in The Salton Sea Restoration Act, which was spearheaded by Congressman Sonny Bono, and a southern area of the lake is dedicated to him known as the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Reserve. In the winter months, millions of birds … over 400 species use the Sea as a stop over in their migration to other areas.

We spent a quiet and peaceful week here, watching people actually catch fish from the shore. Peter thought it looked like fun and a great way to get some free fish to eat, but we couldn’t find a rod and reel he could handle and then there was the matter of a fishing license. He refused to pay for one. The weather was warm and sunny and the sunsets were beautiful. From here we are heading to Indio, but will take a detour to Niland to search for Salvation Mountain.

Till next time,

090313 - Smart GPS

Smart GPS

You know my belief system … there are no accidents … everything happens for a reason…. Well … From Niland to our next RV Park at Indio, we set our GPS and headed north. It was a straightforward route and I wasn’t paying attention to the turn-by-turn directions. As we neared out designation, the GPS told us to turn at the next intersection and so I moved over to the left hand lane and made the turn. Somehow, it did not seem right because I expected to go straight for a while longer so I pulled off the road at the next corner, into a small parking lot with a small white square building on it. Now I had made out a letter to mail last week and expected to drop it at our next campground. As I stopped the Beast to review a map, I noticed that there was a mailbox directly in front of us. As I got out to drop off my letter, I looked more closely at the small white building, and it was actually a local post office. Of course, I was in need of stamps. Coincidence, I think not. Apparently, my GPS knew exactly what I needed and where to go … could it have been reading my mind?

Getting back to the map – it appears that the route our GPS had chosen was actually a good shortcut and I elected to follow its advice. As we got closer to Indio, Peter went over to sniff his bag of dog food and discovered it was less than a ¼ full, which to him was reason to be concerned. He has been insisting that I put an electronic warning device on the bag to alert us when it is dangerously low. I consulted Google Maps on my Palm Treo Smart Phone and found a Petsmart Store nearby and bought another large bag. He was one happy dog.

We finally arrived at Indian Waters RVP and Peter was happy with what he saw out the window.
Instead of the weird green trees (cactus) and brown grass, he was looking at familiar brown trees with green leaves and green grass. He was obviously anxious to get outside to survey the area and search for P-mail.

The park is large, with lots of amenities, including a nice pool, dining room, social room, poolroom and shaded patio when we need to get out of the direct path of the hot afternoon sun. It may not be officially summer yet, but the weather is warm (in the 80’s) with cool nights (in the 60’s). We can live with it.

So far our only complaint about the park is its size and our location in it. – It is very big and we are far away from the clubhouse and pool. Too far to walk – therefore I must use the scooter. Peter walks slowly due to the heat and the arthritis in his paw joints, but the doggie Vioxx seems to keep him from limping and hopefully reduces pain. When he wants to, he manages to jump up on the bed or the couch if he thinks theres a cookie there or he has the possibility of getting a belly rub.

090309-FELICITY, CA

March 9,2009

Center of the World

Like I have always said … people are always telling me what to do and where to go. This time, Tom, one of my RV friends suggested that I stop at a roadside attraction called “The Center of the World”. It happened to be just around the bend from where we were camping, and on the way to our next stop. I had seen it on the map but had no idea what it was and didn’t plan on checking it out. I should know by now, that I should be more curious and investigate everything, regardless of my initial impression.

In the town of Felicity, with a population of less than 300, there is a very unusually collection of buildings and structures.

Felicity was founded on 11.May.1986 and is named for a town mentioned in Jacques-Andre Istel's book Coe the Good Dragon.
Monsieur Istel lives in Felicity and serves as mayor of the town

At first glance, two 2 story buildings, one a restaurant and the other a general store, sit on either side of a small pyramid. In the distance is a small church on a hill and in a vast field before it are rows of low granite walls with various inscriptions. The triangular structure is on a grassy area and has a door on one side.
Peter wants to go to the restaurant first (he’s always hungry but usually has no money) but I choose the general store first as I pull firmly on his leash and bribe him with a cookie.. It is an attractive gift shop, not unlike many we have been to and displays the usual collection of touristy knick-knacks and items indigenous to souvenir shops.

I usually gravitate to the postcards and bookracks to find out the main theme of the location and while browsing, the salesgirl asked if I would like to see a 7 minute video describing the area.

As the story goes, some French geological society selected the site that the pyramid sat on as THE CENTER OF THE WORLD. When Peter heard that he had an alternative title that he whispered to me … THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”,.. but I chose not to repeat it.

"COE the Good Dragon at the Center of the World," now in its 6th edition, led to the 1985 law setting The Official Center of the World at the precise point inside the pyramid at Felicity, California. The French edition was described by famed critic Professor Claude Tannery as "The American Babar."
In 1989, the law was recognized by the Institut Geographique National of the Government of France.
Historic Note: The pyramid was suggested in jest by the author's wife as he wrote the book. "It's in the desert, why not a pyramid?" As men are wont to do, he took his wife seriously . The author built the pyramid, named the town for his wife, and thereafter ran for Mayor.

The rows of plaques (The Museum of History in Granite) represent many historical periods of time as well as organizations such as The history of flight in France and the French Foreign Legion. There is also a piece of memorabilia in the form of a portion of the original spiral staircase from the Eiffel tower. Are you beginning to see a pattern here. To be fair, there is also a tribute to the Korean War Marine Veterans, a row dedicated to the evolution of the Earth’s development of Humanity as well as other themes, with many blank rows with future plans.

I suspect that there were no United States agencies or scientific groups that were interested in this particular geographic wonder and so the French probably saw an opportunity to encore their previous success of the statue of Liberty with this monument.

In fact, scientists at the Geodetic Survey have stopped calculating "centers" due to the imprecise nature of the task. Oscar S. Adams, Senior Mathematician for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, even wrote, "Since there is no definite way to locate such a point, it would be best to ignore it entirely...."

A great international honor was bestowed in 1998 upon the Town of Felicity by Ambassador Jean-Marie Daillet of France – La Medaille des Affaires Etrangeres, the medal of the State Department of France.

Felicity website http://www.felicity.us/home.html

Click to view
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=center+of+the+world&page=1&qsrc=0&zoom=Where+Is+the+Center+of+the+World+Located%7CWhere+Is+the+Center+of+the+United+States%7CWhere+Is+the+Geographic+Center+of+the+World&ab=11&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deuceofclubs.com%2Frv%2Fcal203.htm

090304 - JIM

March 4, 2009

In this age of the internet, … the information age, with instant access to almost any subject on the planet and beyond, I am always perplexed when simple questions are asked and the answer is a blank stare followed by “I don’t know.”

We are currently in Winterhaven, California, which is across the border from Yuma, Arizona. In the past month, the change in weather has been remarkable. It seems we were just trying to stay warm at night with our little heater on when the temperature was in the 40’s and now we turn on the air conditioner to combat 90 degrees in the daytime. Although it is supposed to cool down to the low 80’s next week, it sure feels good to be complaining about the heat.

Anyway, since it has been quite boring and our routine consists of sleeping in, going for a late morning walk … a late breakfast and then the afternoon by the pool reading and chatting with our constantly changing new neighbors, we have been desperately searching for some newsworthy story to pass along to you.

During one of our nature walks around the campground I happened to notice a small mound, in a fenced off area near the exit to the park, marked by a small plaque with a painting of a sleeping Mexican which had only one word on it … JIM. As you might expect, it piqued my curiosity. Could it be a grave site of some former camp owner or dweller, or perhaps an old Indian or Mexican plot that for some reason could not be disturbed or moved. No date or reference other than the marker. See photos.

Expecting either some great urban legend or old west cowboy historical story, I began to make inquiries of the local campers and employees. Some were unaware of what I was talking about but the most common expression was the classic “I don’t know”. After more than 20 inquiries, including the camp manager, I seemed to have hit a dead (pardon the expression) end.

Some assured me (although with no grounds or proof) that there was no actual body in the mound, while others seem to share some of my curiosity but not enough to pursue the thought.

Even Peter took some interest in the area for a moment, sniffing and surveying, but alas he too lost interest when the possibility of either food or sensory excitement became non-existent.

With the wealth of knowledge we all possess now from watching all the CSI TV shows, I began to imagine that some form of modern diagnostic equipment should be brought in … perhaps ground seeking x-ray, or ultrasound scanning or some soil sampling device to detect bone calcium, etc … or the ultimate task of exhumation … but alas … I refrained from going public and retreated to my computer to write this brief epitaph to JIM.

I would like to think of this site as the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN CAMPER. His place at the exit is to extend a greeting of happy trails and safe travel to all who leave the campground and venture forth.

If you ever find yourself at The Pilot Knob RV Park in Winterhaven, off the interstate 8 (Sidewinder exit_#164); look for JIM and offer a silent greeting.