We tried. We really, really tried. Jonathan needed two more visits to Los Algodones to finish his dental work. It made a lot of sense to just go to Yuma and see if we could find a place that we liked. We had a recommendation for a place in the foothills east of Yuma called Carefree Village. When we got there we were impressed by the variety of amenities: two swimming pools, jacuzzis, exercise room, craft room, multiple ball courts including bocce, and a workshop for small projects. We decided to give it a try. The place was pretty deserted. They told us that two weeks ago it was completely full. Weather had turned warm and it was a bit windy. And then it got really windy, too windy to do much of anything outdoors. We shopped for groceries, cooled off in the pool.

Jonathan saw the dentist and all was well. He completed his first implant. They asked him to come back in five days to finish up work in progress on another tooth. Drat! Long enough to make our stay in Yuma a real deal; too short, we thought, to go anywhere else. We dithered for a day and while we dithered the wind increased and the nearby marine airbase must have decided that those attack helicopters needed some low-flying-in-the-wind practice. The blowing dust made the air quality unhealthy. We felt like we were trapped in a fishbowl in that parking lot of an RV park. So after a day of dithering we made a run back to Borrego Springs-just 2 hours away. We pulled into Holiday Home, which now looked like a ghost town. We were the only RV there. We picked the nicest spot and backed right in. We felt like we were home.

It was amazing how much things had changed in the three weeks that we had been gone. Trees leafed out, cactus were blooming, and all the green grass was now brown. The reptiles had awakened from their winter slumber and were slithering about. A little Desert Iguana ran right through our campsite and paused on Jonathan’s foot before realizing he wasn’t where he wanted to be.

I finished doing the taxes which made me blissfully happy. Why is that such a big deal? Well, when we left in December I never imagined that we wouldn’t be back by April 15th. I had almost none of the documents that I needed to do the taxes. When I decided to file an extension it seemed that figuring out how much to pay would be as much trouble as actually completing the job. So I sallied forth and persisted, which meant lots and lots of internet-based document recovery. I started in Yuma and continued after we got to Borrego. The wi-fi there leaves a lot to be desired–very slow and unpredictable. It was truly a test of PATIENCE. We pulled out the bikes and went for a ride on our familiar turf. In between bike rides and reconnecting with friends Amy, Al, and Charlie. The taxes came together and I did a happy dance.

We’ve never been in Borrego Springs this late in the year—quiet, uncrowded, very mellow. The weather was perfect.

Then back for the final visit to the dentist. And, guess what? Los Algodones was way less crowded too. On our final visit Jonathan finished up his dental work for the season, we walked back to the border and right up to the checkpoint. No line at all. Kind of makes you want to do all those dental visits in the off season. How much heat can you stand?

Genealogy Diversion

Back in Borrego we added a couple of extra days so I could meet up with my cousins. I’ve been doing genealogy research for several years. Last year I was contacted by a surprise cousin, Rosie. She’s the granddaughter of my Uncle Jack. Turns out good old Uncle Jack had three children that none of us knew about. Ya gotta love science. DNA said we’re cousins. And it was pretty easy to believe when I saw a picture of Rosie’s Aunt Kristie sitting on her Dad’s lap at about age two and I thought “Hey, that’s me!”. We looked so much alike-right down to the way we sucked our fingers. I was able to verify the story and through Rosie got in touch with Charlene, the granddaughter of my Aunt Virginia. Charlene lives in Desert Hot Springs, just a stone’s throw north of Palm Springs. It was the weekend of the Coachella Music Festival. We braved the traffic (it wasn’t bad) and Charlene opened her home to us. Rosie drove from her home in Corona, CA. We had fun getting to know each other and compared our research notes, family photos, and shared stories.

The Road Home

Once we decided it was time to head home it was a bit like horse-to-barn. We left on Monday–the day AFTER Coachella weekend. Very slow moving traffic, but we made it as far as Bakersfield. We found a mellow and friendly spot, Bakersfield Travel Park, to overnight and then continued north the next day. For quick overnights we prefer places that are quiet, friendly, economical. Amenities don’t mean much to us.

We came home to a beautiful, sunny day–pulled out the porch chairs, poured a glass of wine, and said thank you to all our friends and family and all our blessings. Now if I can just remember where all my stuff goes…..