TRAVEL DAY
From: Oxbow Recreation Area BLM Campground, Cibola, AZ – Cibola NWR.
To: Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA Campground, Desert Hot Springs, CA.
Day 126 – We got up at 7:25 a.m. It was 36 degrees and sunny. It seems that the hot spell may be cooling off. If that’s the case, we REALLY hate to leave!
We departed Oxbow at 9:50 a.m. (AZ time) after saying good-bye (for now) to Cathie & Pete. They are heading south; we are heading west. We’ll meet up on the road again. It was 52 degrees and sunny.
First we went northwest to Blythe, CA to dump our tanks, then headed east back into AZ to get gas in both vehicles. We wanted to fill up before traveling into southern CA. The gas was alot cheaper across the border in Arizona. We said good-bye to AZ and crossed into CA, changing more permanently into Pacific Standard Time, therefore gaining an hour. We never complain about gaining an hour!
At least the first half of the trip was through desolate desert. Then as we approached more populated areas, there were mountains, a few with snow on top. The lands below were still desert. We were getting to Coachella, Indio, Palm Springs, and Desert Hot Springs: very populated desert cities filled with fancy housing developments, casinos, shopping centers, etc., all fairly modern. The streets were named after celebrities/famous people: Frank Sinatra, Ginger Rogers, Gene Autry, Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, etc. We were officially in southern California. Almost all the homes, and there were many of them, were fancy, spanish/italian style, with tile roofs. Ah, life in the CA desert. There was lots of traffic, but most of it was moving along. Everything appeared to be quite modern, clean, and nicely maintained.
We arrived at our campground, Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA in Desert Hot Springs, at 12:20 p.m. (CA time). It was 83 degrees and there was hazy sunlight. Since it was an hour later than the time we were used to, we were starving; we made lunch right away, then set up and unpacked. The girls settled in immediately. We had site #69 with full hook-ups, a pull-through site with ample space, and it worked out well.
As soon as we were settled in, we left and drove into Palm Springs and several other surrounding cities to pick up some cat food. We’d called around to check availability on Saturday and although most stores did not have any of the desired cat food, we did find two that carried it and had stock. After the cat food shopping, we stopped at a fresh juice place and had very refreshing fresh carrot, green apple, ginger, and lemon drinks. So good! Then we finished our shopping expedition for the day at Whole Foods with a food stock-up trip. And we rewarded ourselves with a stop at Jersey Mike’s for tomorrow’s lunch. Having lunch already prepared makes a travel day easier, and tomorrow we leave this area to travel on to a different part of southern California. We will be continuing our shopping and restocking on Tuesday after arriving at the next campground, followed on Wednesday with a visit with close friends for lunch and a trip to meet their new puppy, Luca. A busy day today, but all went well. The high today was 85 degrees. People have said it’s warmer than usual here for this time of year.
For more detailed information about Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA Campground, click here.