Yes, the desert has exploded with new homes, shopping centers, golf courses, schools etc.  but it still felt like coming home.  I miss the desert, though I’m not sure I could deal with the hot summers anymore.

The first week and 2 days I’m spending at the Indio Elks. $25 for power and water.  Level sites, small citrus laden, grassy patch.  There are some nice dog parks in the area, and you can walk to a grassy depression to walk your dogs.  I, however, prefer heading out into the desert.

The location of this lodge is very convenient to most everything.  Laundry and grocery store are within walking distance.  Costco and Walmart are close.  Lots of shopping, anything you need.

Another huge plus is there are mobile wash/wax companies that show up at the lodge.  Really reasonable rates, wash/wax for my RV was $250 (and it was badly oxidized), $60 to wash/wax the Jeep.

I had most of my issues with my RV taken care of in Fontana.  I have a couple more problems that I will address when we get to Arizona.  I still have to have my HWH leveling jacks fixed, as well as remove or stow a extended stay propane tank line, and my toilet is still leaking somewhere when I’m moving.

I did need to get my Jeep’s headlights (new LED) aimed as they were blinding oncoming traffic and whomever I was behind.   I looked online and decided to take it to Crawlur Offroad  https://www.crawluroffroad.com/ here in Indio.  I chose them because I was hoping they could also fab some screens for my windows.  With only 2 windows that roll down the interior of the Jeep can really heat up, even though I had all the windows tinted.  Stan, the owner, also let me know that my shocks were shot and that I really needed to replace my Jeep tires that were over 11 years old.  Sigh.  I do so well with being careful spending my money and then my vehicles sabotage me!

I highly recommend Stan, if you are in the area.  He made some great window screens, replaced my shocks and aimed my headlights (which also had a bulb installed wrong).  He also came out to where the RV was parked, measured and made a part so that I would be able to get my spare tire down.   Now, I will have an available spare in case I ever have a flat again (hopefully never!).

I’ve taken my dogs out for walks in the desert, where memories come flooding back.  The smell of the creosote, the washes from rains, the smoke tree and Palo Verde trees…I love it all.   I happened to stumble on a nice trail, the Boo Hoff, when I was checking out moving to Lake Cahuilla.  There is a nice write up on some other dog friendly hikes here: https://visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/articles/trail-tails-dog-friendly-hikes-in-greater-palm-springs/

Smoke Tree

 

There is a nice dog park here in Indio.  It’s right across from a reclamation facility (fondly known as the Turd Farm…thanks forever for that one, Todd Legg!).  If you need to dump your black/gray tanks this is an easy access, free facility.

Anyway, the dog park….  It’s called Mulligan Dog park. It’s separates the small dogs from the large.

There is a staging area going into both sides.

It is almost always empty, one dog showed up when we were done on the first visit.  It’s a large grassy areas with places to sit.  Unfortunately, it appears that some people don’t watch their dogs…as there are droppings here and there that weren’t picked up. There really is no excuse, multiple stations with poop bags and garbage cans.

In preparation for the fireworks I know are going to happen on New Years (there were some on Christmas) I decided to move up to Lake Cahuilla State Park.  Fireworks are illegal here, as well as in La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs.  Unfortunately, Indio allows them and also many of the residents think it’s a great idea to shoot off their guns.   I’ll continue my blog from my new location.