Greetings from SoCal

Miranda @ our campsite in Mojave National Preserve

Good afternoon from Desert Hot Springs where we'e been in residence for a few days at a 55+ resort, Caliente Springs. We are currently trending south and west. We will be in San Diego at the San Diego Metro KOA for a week at the end of this week.

While we rarely plan too far in advance, the month of February has been booked. We'll travel east again after San Diego and into Arizona before traveling back to a favorite campground in Orange, California at the end of the month.

We moved more in January 2022 than we generally would trying to make our way to the Pacific Time Zone as quickly as possible. We camped in 15 different places over the month traveling from Georgia on the 5th of January and ending the month in Kingman, Arizona. In January of 2021 we camped in 9 different places.

As a result, we spent more than we generally spend eating out, on campgrounds and on fuel. 

I began making a note of how much per gallon we spent on diesel fuel in New Orleans as we headed west. Diesel there was $3.12 a gallon on January 9th. On January 10th we payed $2.95 a gallon in Conroe, Texas and on the 15th we payed $2.89 a gallon in San Antonio. We paid $3.67 in Chino City, Arizona and most recently we paid $3.69 in Las Vegas. Fuel in California is always more expensive. The lowest price nearby our current location, according to Gas Buddy, is $4.63 a gallon.

A general observation about fuel costs. We, you and I, are being royally screwed if we fill our tanks along  interstates and major highways. The prices are $.40-$.60 higher per gallon.

We're pleased to be back in SoCal where the temperatures in February are mild during the day and well above freezing at night. I believe I saw where San Diego will have temps in the low 90's next week while we're in residence there. I've purchased a new pair of shorts in anticipation of all the balminess. 😎

We had LED lights in our water closet and bedroom area replaced in Las Vegas last week. On the way in to Vegas we stopped and checked out the Hoover Dam. There's a great vantage point on the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which is about a 1,000 feet above the dam.

We lucked out and spotted Big Horn Sheep on the cliffs above where we parked Miranda. That was a real treat. The dam itself is worth the stop. We didn't take a tour though tours are offered.

Just an aside. The last time water flowed through the spillway you'll see in the photos below was 1983. As you can see, the water level is down considerably.

View from the O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge

Majestic Big Horns

Dam Spillway

Once our repairs were done is Las Vegas, we made our way to Mojave National Preserve. We camped at Kelso Dunes Mine for a few days. The preserve is worth a drive through and the campsite is about 5 miles off the main road and abuts the Kelso Dunes. Sunsets were wonderful, as were the night skies, and the dunes are spectacular.