LA and Joshua Tree and beyond

Sunset comes to Indio, CA. I'm trapped in a RV park, and am pretty sure that the people coming out of the motorhomes around me are zombies...and no, Emily, I didn't  bring the shotgun. I'll have to rely on my wiles, and there's always the .45.

Yesterday I left my friend Larry's place in Rancho Cocamunga, east of LA. And no, I'm not making that name up. I had spent 5 days at my friend L's place in Westchester, near Loyola Marymount, which I posted about. But alas, technology again defeated me, and the post went on my other blog, the 'memoirs' one...

Yesterday morning, Larry took me up to a camp his church is using for a get-together, quite nice for being so close to LA. After coming back, I headed out for Joshua Tree Monument, intending to stay a couple days. It was an easy two hours east on I10, and north a bit. The scenery going in was interesting, such a contrast from the north and central California coast I'd been in. Stark, dry, other flora.

When I arrived at a campground in the Nat'l monument, I discovered the camper has had another malfunction; the propane alarm, designed to alert me to a leak, was going off. There was a leak near the tank, so I did all the right things, shut the gas off, turned the fridge off, etc and all was safe. But, alas, no cooking. Or fridge. So, only one night, cooking over the handy bbq grill. This morning, with the huge help from my good and patient friend L. (she's either shy, or in the witness protection program, but she does not want to be identified), helped me find a place that does RV repairs, and by 11am I was in Indio and watching the mechanic mutter in spanish and fix my faulty gas hose.

I would have liked to spend more time in Joshua Tree, it was a great place. Last night, a German family came around trick-or-treating, the 5 year old son dressed as a mailbox. Mom was prepared, and had been around earlier handing out postcards and small treats. It just seemed too much like backtracking to make the 60 mile trip back, so I found a RV place with wifi, and am staying for two days.

It is hot here, I mean 90f earlier. I have no shade in my small space, and the low-rent-I'm-from-Montana camper has no AC. But.....this place has pools. Swimming pools. I went to Target and got swim trunks and a pair of shorts and some jesus sandals. I can see here my daughters raising their eyebrows. 'Dad, in a pool??'. Yep. It was great, and thankfully I was alone, so nobody was blinded by my white torso and legs.

So, going to cook some smelt I got in RC, they seemed to survive the hours of no fridge, and have a salad. It was too hot to nap, so I should sleep well tonight. Tomorrow I'll look at the map and plan my next move. Probably a night or two over on the Colorado river, at the AZ border.

I can't say enough about how wonderful and generous L. was; and patient when I get testy.

Cheers for now.