© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

We got some good news yesterday.  Dr. Arreola called from El Centro Animal Clinic with the report from Fly’s biopsy.  Turns out it is not a tumor, rather it is an abscess.  The biopsy revealed necrosis and severe inflammation in the subepithelial connective tissue and skeletal muscle.  Possible causes: small foreign body, localized bacterial infection, and penetrating trauma. Phew!  She will continue on prednisone.  But, Dr. Arreola has changed her to a stronger antibiotic. Many thanks to the caring and professional staff at El Centro Animal Clinic!

We want to thank Dr. Tracey Jensen, from the Wellington Veterinary Clinic in Wellington, Colorado.  She is “the kids’” primary veterinarian.  She held our hand over the phone and through email during the whole process.  Another instance of how this woman goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to caring about our animals.  Thanks, Tracey!!

Oh, and as for Niko…he’s doing great.  Seems completely recovered from whatever he got into, or, got into him!

All’s well that ends well.

Linda

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

Well, we’ve been in San Felipe at our place in El Dorado Ranch for a little over a week. All was going really well. We had the casita cleaned up and out. Things were beginning to shape up on the patio. Most of the solar lights were charged and working.  George had stopped by to check on L’Arena (our sand rail)–she had started right up without any problems.  On Monday, we were beginning to break into a routine, when we got a call from Lynda and Sharron to say that things weren’t good with their little poodle, Niko: vomiting, diarrhea, lethargic. They needed to run him up to the vet in El Centro, California. We agreed to take Kaiah, their border collie, while they took care of things.  It’s about a three hour drive into El Centro, so, we assumed that we’d have her for at least one night, perhaps two.

Later that afternoon, we got a call from them saying that Niko was severely dehydrated and had been taken in for observation.  They would stay the night and check in with him and us in the morning.  We continued to unpack things and set up. Kaiah, no stranger to our pack, joined us in our daily routine of walks, runs with L’Arena, and play time on the road.

On Tuesday, things had not improved with Niko.  He would be staying another day while the vet ran more tests.  Lynda and Sharron would pass the time shopping, reading, and hanging out at the only semi-decent motel in town, The Vacation Inn.  We continued to set-up at our place and entertain the dogs.

Wednesday came and Niko’s condition remained stable, however, the vet was not comfortable sending him home, knowing that home was a 3 hour trip across the border. They arranged for Niko to remain at the clinic until such time when his condition improved.

In the meantime, back in San Felipe, Mexico, I had just given the dogs a morning treat after their run in the desert. Fly let out a yelp as she tried to gobble her treat down. Thinking she done something to a tooth, I lifted her lips to begin an examination. I thought I saw what appeared to be a crack in her left canine. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a piece of grass.  But, it got me to try to do a more thorough check of her mouth. Every time I  tried to open her mouth, she yelped and jerked away in pain.  Something was definitely wrong.  Maybe an abscessed molar?  Maybe a spine from a cholla cactus?  Whatever it was, she was not going to let us have a look.  She needed a vet.

Based on Lynda, Sharron, and Patricia’s recommendation, we called El Centro Veterinary Clinic to schedule an appointment.  They said they did their procedures on Thursdays, and, recommended that we bring her in by 9 a.m..

Meanwhile, Lynda and Sharron had made it back down from El Centro and came to pick up Kaiah.  We arranged for them to take care of the boys, Tristan and Finn, at our place over the next couple of days while we ran up to El Centro with Fly and the two girls, Liddy and Gabi.  We then rushed around putting things together for a possible over night stay in a motel.  After living in an RV for as long as we have, we really struggle with staying in motels.  But, we had no choice.

Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez and the San Felipe Hills

Thursday morning, we were up before the crack of dawn.  Those of you who know Lisbeth know what a major feat THAT was!  But, she handled it like a trooper and was actually quite cheery when she got to participate in one of the spectacular sunrises we have down here.  we were waved through the military check. No surprise there, given how early it was.  Then, smooth sailing through to the “new” border crossing.  We had about a 1/2 hour wait to get through.  There were 7 lanes open.  Sharron had advised us to keep to the left and go through the “document” lane next to the “sentri” lane.  We did, and believe that it really did cut down on the time we would have had to wait.  We got a couple of questions: “Where are you coming from?”  What were you doing there?” Followed by a wave through.  We zipped over on Fourth Avenue to Main Street where the Clinic is located.

Amber, the receptionist/vet technician was very pleasant and helpful.  After some discussion, it was agreed that we would leave Fly so they could prep her for whatever procedure the vet deemed necessary.  Then, we would return when the vet, Dr. “Abigal,” arrived. At that point, she would examine Fly and determine next steps.  We were told to return later that afternoon.

It was close to lunch time when we left Fly.  We decided to go ahead and check in to the motel and grab a bite to eat at Burger’s and Beer. Just as we were headed to B&B, we received a call from El Centro Animal Clinic.  They wanted us to come over as quickly as we could. We rushed over.  Fly was “under” and on the operating table.

Fly

Her mouth was propped open to get a clearer view of what might be happening.  Dr. Abigal invited us over to peer into her mouth.  She said that she could find nothing wrong with any of her teeth.  In fact, she said they were in great shape for a dog her age.  However, what she had found was a growth on her jaw and soft palette. She suspected a tumor. It was pink and not dark colored.  Apparently, that’s not good. Anyway, she took two samples to be sent in to be biopsied.  There is a 5 to 6 business day wait for the results.  This would put it around Thanksgiving.

We waited for Fly to recover from the anesthesia and then we all drove over to the motel.  I sat with Fly and crushed her dog food into tiny pieces so that she would be able to eat that evening and the next day. Gabi and Liddy crashed on one of the queen beds.  Lisbeth took off to pick up some grocery essentials and bring us dinner.  We were exhausted.  What a day!

Friday came and we went over to Denny’s to grab some breakfast before picking up Niko at nine from the vet and heading back to San Felipe.  At that point, Niko had been given the go ahead to go home.  After a quick run through PetCo, we headed south.  We crossed the border around 10:30. We got a green light and were on our way.  We listened to “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.”  It’s such a good novel.  Glad we had some entertainment. The time whizzed by and before we knew it, we were pulling to a stop at the military check point that’s situated about 20 miles north of SF.  We couldn’t believe the traffic!  Cars were stacked up  20 deep going both ways into San Felipe, as well as onto the entrance to Highway 3 that goes across the Baja into Ensenada.  We had about a 15 minute wait while they inspected cars ahead of us.  I had to get out of the car to allow for an inspection of the back seat and the truck bed.  Then, we were on our way home.  We dropped off a happy Niko with his happy moms and arrived back at Tortuga Bay II.  Exhausted!

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

After a slight delay to fix Lynda and Sharron’s slide out problem, we got on the road at about eleven o’clock. A stop in Mecca to fuel up, grab a quick lunch, and potty the dogs and we were headed for the Mexican border.  We crossed the Mexican border at about 1:30: Lazy III in the lead and Allie I in the “tail gunner” position. Both rigs got a green light so we thought we were home free. But, when we looked back, we saw that Mexican customs officials had decided to board their rig, anyway, to have a look around.  Later, Lynda and Sharron reported that they wanted to see the receipts on their television sets, informing them that they would have to pay a 17% importation tax.  Lynda and Sharron were so dumbfounded by this request (like, there are no receipts on built in TVs in motor homes…) that the only thing they could think to say was that they were from Canada and didn’t need receipts.  Every time the customs agent would ask for receipts, they would respond with the same answer, “We’re from Canada and don’t have receipts.”  I guess the customs guy got so frustrated that he just told them to go ahead and pass.

Meanwhile, we were doing our best to go slow so that would could keep each other in sight.  Not an easy task in Mexican traffic. But, we didn’t know if they remembered the route to by-pass Mexicali. And, we always feel more comfortable traveling in pairs.  After about 4 miles of driving 20 to 30 mph, we got sight of them in our rear view mirror.  All was good.

Mexico Highway 5

We had an uneventful drive down to SF.  In the motor home it takes about 3 to 3 1/2 hours depending on road construction detours, the general condition of the road, and the military check points.  Luckily, this time, we knew we would be facing one major detour of approximately 2 miles about 40 or 50 miles south of Mexicali.  So, we were ready for it.  It actually wasn’t as bad as it possibly could have been.  The Mexican government is doing a great job of maintaining the roads and trying to make improvements. So, we don’t ever complain. We can remember the days when driving MX Highway 5 meant inching along to avoid pot holes and praying your passenger side wheels would remain on the road as you balanced between side-swiping an on-coming car and rolling off the right side of the road. These days, in a car, the highway is a breeze.  And, in a motor home, it can actually be quite pleasant.

The Rockodile Billboard: Major landmark of the "North Camps"

Our other worry when traveling down to SF, especially in a motor home, is what we call, “the night factor.”  If we have one cardinal rule about driving to San Felipe, it’s that we never want to drive it after dark.  So, we were pushing it to get in before dusk.  We barely made it this time. The detour went just fine.

Saltito Road looking towards the mountains. The major road into El Dorado Ranch

But, at the military check point, they wanted to board Lazy III.  That meant another 15 minute delay. We all finally pulled into our respective driveways just as the sun had set.

Sign depicting the beginning of the neighborhoods that the 4 of us live in

We set up just enough to feed ourselves and the dogs and then piled into bed. Tomorrow will be a big day of unpacking, arranging, checking-in with friends, and getting the dogs out to play.

Sunset over Diablo Peak

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

We had intended to cross into Mexico on Tuesday the 8th. But, after some deliberation decided to stay on until the 10th. We will make our trek down Mexico Highway 5 into San Felipe, Mexico tomorrow. Looking forward to arriving “home” again.

Linda

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

Lunch at Joe's Sushi in Palm Springs

Sharron and Lynda introduced us to a great little sushi bar just down the road from Thousand Palms RV Resort Park. Joe’s is located in one of the gazillion little shopping malls that dot this over crowded desert area. When we arrived at 1:30 pm, there was standing room only in this quaint little neighborhood style sushi bar.  We were lucky to snag four spots at the bar.  The sign outside says, Joe’s Sushi: The Cabo Way.  Naturally we were curious. We enjoyed a “crunchy roll” with spicy fish and eel sauce that was yummy.  Also, the salmon skin hand roll and the salmon and tuna sushimi were very fine.  And, of course, we couldn’t leave without trying one of their “Baja” specialties,  the “Anitza roll,” a combination of tuna and shrimp with a creamy cilantro sauce–Nice! We could have eaten half a dozen of them!  Without a doubt, this little spot will go into the WanderCrones tour book of recommended restaurants!

Addendum: We could not leave the area without having a second go at this little spot.  This time we tackled several more of the “Cabo Specialties.” They really have managed to fuse together the subtle taste of sushi with the zing! of the Baja.  Outstanding!  When in Palm Springs, put Joe’s Sushi on your restaurant list. It’s definitely on ours!

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

The Gabster

“Life is good when we pee on leash.”

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

Just four hundred years from the time the first white man sailed into its mouth, the wildest and most violently beautiful river in the world had been broken to the needs of man.

Man at last has conquered the land.  But to what ultimate end no one can say.  There is only a vague, inquiet feeling that in all his scheme of domination there is something he might have forgotten.  It may well be that the river itself will have the last word, after all. –Frank Waters: The Colorado

Today our journey took us through the Owens Valley of California. A gorgeous drive, but eerily similar to the drive we make to the town of San Felipe on the Baja of Mexico.

The drive from the border town of Mexicali, Mexico to San Felipe is approximately 160 miles long. There is a stretch that starts about 40 miles south of the city of Mexicali and extends almost until you reach the town of San Felipe that is spectacular in its utter scarcity of anything except sand and rock.

What's left of the Colorado Delta

On the right side of Highway 5, tall chocolate lava-looking mountains stretch out as far as the eye can see.  On the left, is an occasional tiny village scattered here and there in the middle of a vast plain that resembles a moonscape. What’s so unique about this inhospitable sight is that there are also old boats and piers scattered here and there in the villages. Until I read, “Searching for the Headwaters,” and, “Cadillac Desert,” Lisbeth and I thought that perhaps we were seeing this area at low tide.  After all, this part of the Sea of Cortez does boast one of the widest tidal swings in the world.  We found that we were half right and half wrong.  What we were experiencing here was the effect of our (United States) dams on the Colorado River.

The Road to San Felipe with View of Colorado Delta Area

This area where we drive down to San Felipe used to be the Colorado River Delta.  It was more than 150 miles long and 100 miles across.   Much of it had been tidal plain, covered intermittently with sea water.  In the 1800’s there was even sufficient enough river channel here to support a steamship operation until a railroad line from the outlying trading camps came in upstream into Yuma.  The Colorado River meandered here though what was called, “the green lagoons.” As late as the 1920’s, the place was rich with wildlife: geese, quail, doves, egrets, bobcats, raccoons, and deer. Then, seven states and Mexico began to bleed the Colorado dry.  Today, there is no trace of a lush delta.  There are no signs of wildlife.  The Delta was dubbed by Philip Fradkin as, “the most inhospitable terrain on the North American continent.” Today, the Colorado River barely trickles into the Sea of Cortez.  The impact this has had on the Sea would take up more space than I have allotted.

So, here we are driving down through the Owens Valley on route 395.  Miles and miles of mountains to the right and, miles and miles of an all but dried up lake bed to our left.  Periodically the highway cut through a few close-to-being ghost towns with populations of less than 100. It felt all too familiar.

Arial view of Owens Lake and Valley

Before it was diverted to satisfy the insatiable thirst of the Los Angeles area, the Owens River ran into the Owens Lake.  The Owens Lake extended up to 12 miles in length and 8 miles wide and covered and area of up to 100 plus square miles.  It had an average depth of 23 to 50 feet and sometimes would overflow south into the Mojave Desert.

For thousands of years, Owens Lake was one of the most important stopover sites for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds in the western United States. During the mid 1800 the white man began to encroach upon the Valley and started using the northern part of the lake for irrigation of crops.  The irrigation systems created by the ditch companies did not have adequate drainage and as a result oversaturated the soil to the point where crops could not be raised.  Many turned to raising livestock.  Starting in 1913, the river and streams that fed Owens Lake were diverted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) into the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and the lake level started to drop quickly. By 1924 the lake was dry.

The Remains of Owens Lake

Today, the lake is a large salt flat whose surface is made of a mixture of clay, sand and a variety of minerals.  In wet years, these minerals form a chemical soup in the form of a small brine pond within the dry lake. When conditions are right, bright pink halophilic (salt-loving) archaea spread across the salty lakebed. Also, on especially hot summer days when ground temperatures exceed 150° F water is driven out of the hydrates on the lakebed creating muddy brine. More commonly, periodic winds stir up noxious alkali dust storms that carry away as much as four million tons of dust from the lakebed each year, causing respiratory problems in nearby residents.

As we continue to explore this continent, we can’t help but wonder, at what point do we understand and begin to deal with the excesses and problems caused by so many misguided water policies in the United States?  Water is not limitless. We have seen far too many examples of how it really will cease to exist.

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

This year we have the added luxury of heading south at a leisurely pace.  The four of us, Lynda, Sharron, Lisbeth, and I decided to head into Palm Springs via more scenic, off the interstate routes.  We got up around 7, fed and walked dogs, had some coffee, and were ready to roll out at about 8:30 or 9 a.m.  We stopped briefly to fuel up just outside of the Topaz Lake RV park. We turned onto highway 395 that took us by some of the most gorgeous scenery we have ever seen in California.  Long stretches of rolling hills and gradual ascents to around 7,000 feet above sea level.  Mostly high desert summer cattle range land, interspersed with tourist  mountain towns catering to summer campers and winter skiers.   The Sweet Water Mountains, with an early dusting of snow capped peaks followed us all day. We couldn’t resist stopping to take  in a spectacular view of Mono Lake.

Mono Lake

The Two Alfas Traveling Together

After a very laid back drive, we rolled into Lone Pine, California about 3:30 p.m.  We found our RV Park and our site, then, took the dogs out for a much needed exercise break.  After feeding the dogs, we enjoyed a light dinner of turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, and salad.  This was topped off with a sliver of pumpkin pie that Lynda produced–her find of the day from Erik Schatz’s Bakery.  Another evening walk around the park with the dogs, and we all settled in for the evening.

Allie I and Lazy III in Boulder Creek RV Park

Boulder Creek RV Park for a shoulder season stop over has been a great find.  Sitting in the shadow of Mt Whitney, it offers a great spot to exercise the dogs.  It’s located about 2 miles south of Lone Pine and about 60 miles south of Bishop, California.

Tomorrow we continue on down the road into Palm Springs where we will settle in for a few days at the Thousand Trails RV Park in Indio.

More to come…

Linda

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.

“It’s not just the Bingo!”

–Linda & Lisbeth explaining retirement communities to Merrye & Debrah

© 2011, wandercrones. All rights reserved.