Heading Home

 Here's my baby boy, snoozing away.  I've noticed he sleeps a lot, which is probably a symptom of the problem.  Of course we were once again up most of the night.  Lucky for me I don't need much sleep.

BUT WAIT ... there's a yard sale with quilting supplies.  So off we went to not one, but TWO yard sales where I didn't find anything.  Cindy found a few items and even got a bag for free.  They dropped me off back at the house while they went to the quilt show.  I needed to get on the road, so I stayed with my kid.

I checked the weather, checked the roads and checked the destination.  What I didn't check was the time.  You guessed it ... just as I went through the border patrol check, I remembered that California is an hour earlier.  

What I didn't think would be bad was the wind at 12 mph.  Ooooweeee they must have been wrong.  It was crazy!  So bad that I had to slow all the way down to 55 mph.  That stupid Gust Assist came on time after time.  What a pain that was as it slammed on the brakes.  Not really visible here, but the sand being blown across the road gave me a good blasting.  You could still see, but it was quite cloudy.

On the other hand, I bet I can beat you at arm wrestling after 120 miles of trying to keep the van in the middle of the road!!

I turned North towards Indio as we passed date palm orchards, a sign I was getting close to Indio.  Hey Dan ... they fixed the hoop-de-doos on this road at the bridges.  That always had us flying out of our seats in our Class A's.

In no time, I hit the Salton Sea.  Time for a rest stop.  Most everything is shut down except an Off Road Rental building and the gas station across the street.  The wind was blowing so much Cooper didn't even want to get out.

The good news is the wind kept the smell at bay.  No noses were hurt from stinky fish smells.  In case you have never looked closely, the sandy beaches are mostly fish bones.  Yes really.

In no time, I was pulling in to the Elks Lodge where we would spend the night.  For those available Elks out there, they need an RV Host.  Isn't this their busiest time of the year?  There are probably twelve empty spaces ... maybe more, and no one to help you.

I spoke to a nice gentleman in a fifth wheel who told me where the dump station was so I could take care of that before parking.  Once plugged in ... uh oh ... nothing worked.  What's up with that?  I messed with it for some time, even switching plugs before it finally kicked in.  No idea what that was about.

Since I had to go inside to pay at the bar ($35.00 a night), I ordered lunch.  Wow ... this chicken sandwich is better than the one at our lodge!!  Except for the onion rings, which were cooked in the same oil as the Friday Fish dinner.  Ugh .......

So here we are, Cooper sleeping next to me as we contemplate the 63 degree weather.  What happened to sunny WARM Arizona??

I'll be off early this morning on the last long leg.  Lucky for me, I always take a route through the mountains that will mean no wind warnings, and head over the pass in sunny weather.  We will be home soon where Cooper can relax and I don't have to put his harness on constantly to go outside.  I'm happy to say he is eating and drinking much better.

By the way .... don't tell anyone I'm heading home ... it's a secret!!!