Texas, Arizona & California 2000/01
California
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Found a nice RV park in the Coachella Valley
at Indio. It had 3 pools and we used them as it was sunny and in
the 90's each day. This area grew around wealthy retirees moving
to Palms Springs and golf courses are everywhere. Most of the streets
are named after famous residents - Bob Hope Drive, Frank Sinatra Blvd,
etc - but it's not an easy place to drive around sightseeing as most of
the homes are in gated communities on the golf courses. The San Andreas
Fault runs right through Indio but nothing exciting happened while we were
there. Took a trip to San Bernardino to shop at Chaparral Motorsports -
even with a 1.56 exchange rate their bike stuff is cheaper than in Canada.
The Pines to Palms scenic drive was pretty good, with a climb into the
mountains and many scenic lookouts over the valley - unfortunately the
LA smog gets blown up the valley and spoils most views.
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After 3 days we moved on to Joshua Tree
National Park in the Mojave Desert, still in California. Joshua
trees are a type of yucca, but each time a stem blooms, it splits into
two branches. The main features of the park, apart from the trees, are
the huge rock formations. We camped at Jumbo Rocks for 3 days and
the price was right - FREE. The park rangers led many walks and gave
talks in the amphitheatre every night. Although they had virtually
no rain this winter, there was still an impressive display of wildflowers.
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Headed west to Arizona and then north to Lake
Havasu, which is really the Colorado River behind Parker Dam.
It's claim to fame is that London Bridge was relocated here to boost tourism.
Although there is really nothing else here, it's the 2nd most visited attraction
in AZ, after the Grand Canyon. I found some good dirt roads in the
mountains behind town for my bike rides.
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This page last updated on March 30, 2001