Quartzsite to Anza-Borrego

 We were in Quartzsite when the blog last got updated, and there were still things to do there!  One of the things was a hike up Cunningham peak, off to the west, overlooking the Coloarado river and California.

The hike up was steeper and tougher than I remembered, but at least the weather was perfect, and almost calm.

 

Check out the video below for a great perspective! Full screen for best effect!

 

 

 

Still not a full complement of vendors in town yet, but enough to find some interesting treasures!

Really wanted one of these, but since neither I nor the vendor selling it had any idea WHAT it is, I managed to resist the temptation!  Later on, the vendor had a theory, but nothing conclusive.  If you know what it is, or what it does - leave a comment!

I also had another package from Florida that failed to deliver in Quartzsite, thanks to the efficiency and dedication of the USPS!  But amazingly, I did have one successful delivery - but only because it came via UPS instead.  It was a new 12v power supply for my Starlink dish - which I am not even using this winter.  Surprisingly, it came with two routers.  I didn't really need the routers, but never like to turn down new toys - and it was approaching Christmas after all!  Thanks Santa ;-)

After waiting around for the mostly failed deliveries (see rant in previous post) in Quartzsite, we were pushing the limits of our 2 week stay, so it was time to move on.

We headed over to the southern boundary of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, after a couple of stops in Yuma to fuel up and reprovision.

Some things are starting to get a bit too predictable :-)  When I got to 'my' spot in the desert, a nice couple from Oregon were there - much like the last 2-3 years.  Are we getting in a rut or what? When I decided to ask them when they were planning to leave, they addressed me by first name!  They were about ready to depart (as I suspected from past interactions - they are predictable too), so I got my spot after a couple days delay.   Bailey took advantage of the trees around to hone his climbing skills - which clearly could use some work, as you can tell from the video.  Luckily, I was there to catch him!

 

Christmas coyote came to visit ...

After a failing grade in Tree Climbing 101, Bailey was studying for his Pedator/Prey 101 class.  He must have missed a chapter or two there as well, because 5 seconds after I took this video of the coyote, he spotted it and proceeded to chase it away from camp.  And that wasn't the only time.  He did it twice more!

After finally camping near some good trees, it took me at least three days to find my hammock - which was hiding in the basement!  But then, it was put to good use. I even slept in it a couple times.

We had another surprising visitor one day.  This Great Egret landed in a tree right above us for a look around, then went out onto the ground to hunt.  I have never seen one before in such a dry desert environment.  They are somewhat common around Yuma however with all the canals and ponds and greenery related to irrigation.

Sure missing all the snow and frigid temperatures around home ...

Had the bike out quite a few times, including this bike/hike trip to the nearby Mountain Palm Spring oasis.

While I believe the large Border Patrol checkpoints on I-8 east of Yuma and near El Centro are now gone, I was surprised to find the small one north of Ocotillo on the Imperial highway still open on occasion.  One day, on the I-8 west of El Centro, I saw what appeared to be a single pickup truck pulled over by the border patrol.  There were SEVEN trucks there, all with lights flashing.  Further west, I saw FOUR more BP trucks headed that way code 3!  Not sure what was going on!

After two weeks in Anza-Borrego, it's back to the Yuma area for a bit ... check back later to see what we are up to ;-)