As I wrote earlier in the post titled Butter Tour, the weather dictates our wandering. The plan to visit Mohave National Preserve and Lake Mead National Recreation Area went by the wayside when gale force winds nearly knocked us off our feet. We hunkered down in Desert Hot Springs for a few days but when the weather service posted 60 mph wind advisories we hooked up in a hurry and pulled out of town. Once again we escaped to San Diego…this time to Sweetwater Summit Regional Campground.  Sweetwater was recommended by fellow Minnesotan RV’er’s, Chris and Doug who we met while soaking in the mineral hot springs. It’s always nice to get campground recommendations from other travelers and their suggestion was a big help. We were fortunate to secure a space for three days  even though it’s busy with families on spring break.  This interlude allowed us to regroup, research and visit Torrey Pines State Park. This is a park we wanted to visit in February but it was closed due to heavy rains. Yesterday we woke up to sunshine and blue skies and decided to spend the day hiking.

As we paid our entrance fee at Torrey Pines, the ranger mentioned the wildflowers were at their peak. WOW, WOW, WOW! The park sits on the cliffs of the Pacific and everywhere we gazed were carpets of yellow, and purple with the turquoise ocean as a backdrop. We soaked in the beauty and marveled again at God’s creation. It was such a lovely day and so welcome after several days of rattling in the wind.

It was a disappointment to cross off Great Basin Park in Nevada, but we’ve studied the maps and decided to move east towards Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Ajo Arizona. It is a remote location with great reviews for hiking and scenery. For those of you interested, Stephen and I use two online resources for searching and reviewing campgrounds and parks. The first resource is ALLSTAYS, an app I downloaded on my phone. It’s a comprehensive list of campground and RV parks across the country, including everything from National Parks to boondocking locations. You can sort and filter a search with regard to elevation, location, type of camping and price. I don’t usually pay for apps but the ten-dollar fee for this one was worth the price. Our second online resource is a website called CAMPENDIUM.  This website has an index of campgrounds with listed amenities, photos and reviews. It helps us make informed decisions about where to stay and what to expect.

After more than three months in California, we are ready to cross the state line and move east. Tonight it will be margaritas with Jane and Marc and one last sunset over the Pacific.