We left Monterey yesterday morning, avoiding the damaged roads and possible delays without difficulty. We arrived at Edwards AFB in the late afternoon where we found one RV site left in the park. Aren’t we lucky! The Mojave Desert was quite chilly when we arrived! Deserts are not always “hot!” Once again I enjoyed the drive down through the Central Valley (Salinas) and then eastward from Paso Robles on route 46 to Bakersfield (San Joaquin Valley)—through the vineyards, the orange, pecan, and walnut groves, and then driving over the Tehachapi Pass (4000 feet) and into the desert again.
Today we will continue southward seeking warmth and sunshine. Several years ago we visited the Imperial Valley (El Centro) California. We will visit the area again today. Harold Bell Wright (one of my favorite authors) wrote a story (“The Winning of Barbara Worth”) about how this dry desert land was nourished into life by re-directing the water of the Colorado River. The name of the valley was given by the Imperial Land Company which developed the area.
We’ll travel through the Coachella Valley which is almost entirely below sea level (235 feet at the edge of the Salton Sea). This so-called Sea was created when flood-waters (1905-1907) destroyed the irrigation channels—What? A flood in California—No, it can’t be? “It never rains in southern California.”
We will overnight at the Naval Air Facility near El Centro—the home of the Blue Angels. The last time we visited, I enjoyed watching the Blue Angels practice all afternoon while basking in the sunshine of a 80° day. I remember it well—it was February 8th—my birthday!
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| Old Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, California |
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