We left the gorgeous central California coastline of Santa Barbara, and headed inland to the dusty, congested byways surrounding Pasadena. We had a long day ahead of us, and we were anxious to get to Interstate 10 and the central desert of California for our next campsite. We were headed to visit some friends (Bob and Jane, thank you so much!!) in La Quinta, CA to watch the Superbowl game (hungry for a 2014 Seahawks victory), and looking to camp there.
Lake Cajuilla
We camped at the Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area, a local county park. Do not miss if you are coming through this area. Great dog friendly park and huge water feature. In February, there was no one there. Be aware that dogs are not allowed in the upper hiking areas due to the abundance of bighorn sheep.
After a few days of decompressing in Cahuilla, we headed even further east to the Mesa area (near Phoenix) to stay at one of the hundreds of sun city resort for campers. We’re parked here now, and I finally again, got some wifi access. We’ve been visiting with friends Pam and Bill Heward, who are staying here at the Val Vista Village, and with Patti Gargett who came down for a couple of weeks to hook up with her son and go see Canyon D’Chelly. This is so NOT camping, but kinda nice just to stay put for awhile and take day trips. Two nights ago, we went to an art walk in Scottsdale that was amazing. The desert environment inspires so many vivid colors to pop out in paintings! We hiked up to a ridge close to Usery Mountain yesterday, and just hung out and played pool and went to Martin White’s (Patti’s son) country club today.
Hiking Usery Mountain
Looking forward to more exploring, and we’ll do our best to keep you connected. Missing everyone back home, but NOT the horrid weather you’ve been having.
Teresa Van Haalen Ventures 