Each day upon sitting down to breakfast we face a serious decision; shall we take a hike, or go kayaking or maybe go for a bike ride. Actually these may not be mutually exclusive as it is possible to go for a kayak ride then take a hike or vice versa. Oh my aching head, what should we do first. Some days are interrupted by other needs. Just as the body has its needs the coach needs to be serviced regularly. Today we were reaching the end of our on board fresh water and the the grey water tank was claiming it was full. So the first activity of the day was preparing for the short ride off the beach and up the hill to the water fill and dump area. An hour later we were faced with more choices. We had not gotten on the bicycles which we have transported from Rochester on the roof of the car since, hmmm, I’m not sure when. So we set out for a ride up the road to the Imperial Dam and Water Diversion facility. Here we found the beginning of the All American Canal which supplies irrigation water to the Imperial Valley farmers.
In the mean time our the lake at our doorstep is literally at the doorstep as we had planned when we set up here. Our next plan was to go for a kayak paddle on our own lake having moved the inflatable up from the launch area at Squaw Lake (just above the aforementioned Imperial Dam) after yesterday’s superb float with Doug and Lois, our neighbors. The wind has picked up and is too strong for us to consider getting out on the lake with our high floating inflatable – we would have a merry ride downwind, but I have my doubts about our being able to come back upwind or even to have much control trying to paddle crosswind. I get to devote more time to Moby Dick and some writing. We saw one nice aluminum canoe put in at the upwind end of the lake and the guy had to walk back the length of the beach – half a mile or more – to get the truck to pick up the canoe and his woman friend at the far downwind end of the beach.
Tomorrow, or maybe Monday, we will go into town so we can have clean clothes and fresh produce. The forecast for Sunday is grim – high of 63 and 80% chance of rain. Of course generally rain here is 1/4 inch and if you stand out in it you might get damp. OTOH it is possible to get an inch or more and face serious issues with the many dirt roads in the area.
It was more. A lot more. We went into to Yuma and did laundry, had lunch – don’t ask – and did some shopping for food and stuff. As we were heading back to the coach the rain resumed with a vengeance. I will admit to getting antsy about the situation of the coach, but when we got there all was well, if a bit muddy. The lake level had not risen any consequential amount and I would not have wanted to try to move until the mud had a chance to dry.
Time passed and we had another great float, this time on Senator Wash with Lois and Doug. As we fought the wind back to the coaches we were glad to be back on shore. Then the wind died for the moment. They had some firewood remaining and were planning on leaving the next day so Doug invited us to join the fire circle and we shared snacks and bear and wine until time (well, past time) for dinner. We said farewell in the morning and set off for Mexico, if you can call Los Algodones Mexico. It is on the other side of the border by 100 yards and offers, 400 dental offices, 300 opticians and more sources of generic medicine, vanilla, liquor and, and and, than you can think about. I have new lenses in a pair of glasses for half the price of the same lens in made Rochester. We bought some meds for much less than the states. One example that I did not buy is Simvastatin. My copay is $7.00 for a 30 day supply. I could have bought the same dose of the same drug for $6.50. No wonder people are willing to cross the border and then wait in line to get back into the US for up to 3 hours. They can buy a 90 day (legal max) supply of medicine for less than the copay, if they had insurance.
More decisions. Tomorrow we head for Borrego Springs and the Palm Valley RV Resort where Dean and Jan are staying. We were able t get two nights and then we will move out into the desert for a while. Pat and Bob Hogg will be visiting for a day and we will probably get to the Indio area where they are staying before heading into LA.