Leaving Phoenix on Monday around noon created some potential issues. The weather was forecast to be in the 90’s, which would mean I would have to carefully manage driving at higher speeds (60 to 65) due to my engine oil temp heating and thus back it down and drive in the 50’s. Knowing this, I decided it was best to find a campground in Blythe, CA along the Colorado River as that was only 150 miles out of Phoenix and not too aggressive as attempting to make Joshua Tree by sundown.

Good choice, although it wasn’t the desert heat that drove up my engine temperatures – it was the wind. Pushing through a headwind not only drops speeds, but it really kicks up the engine temps. I found that dropping to 3,000 RPM would keep the oil temp at a stable 260 degrees and shy of the danger zones above 275 to 300. It also meant I was limited to about 52 MPH the whole way. And, it was, as always, a white knuckle event with the gusts trying to blow you off the road.

The campground was about 15 miles north of Blythe on the Colorado River and very picturesque – but that really depends on how you frame your shots.

This lovely shot was right in front of my campsite.

What more could a person ask for? Well, how about a little extra space?

This is the shot from inside my bus looking at the next TWO campsites! Fortunately nobody filled the center spot and the one on the right was a long-term occupant in an old trailer.

Speaking of old trailers and those who choose to live in them…and I say choose lightly. RV / Trailer parks all over the country are filled with long-term occupants who cannot afford to be anywhere else and you typically can’t move many of these old trailers once they’ve been set on the slab for years.

I met this fellow, I’ll call him Jet Ski, and he used to work in Irvine, CA, an upper class community in Southern Cal. Well Jet Ski injured himself at work and needed 3 discs fused or something like that and he is now on permanent disability at 59 years of age. He could not afford the $600/month rent for a single room in a shared house in Irvine, so he packed up and is now living in one of the trailers for $350/month.

This is his life now as he expects to never go back to work. So when I met him, he was launching his Jet Ski into the river for a day on the water. I asked him what he does all day and he said Jet Ski. I said OK, but do you fish from your Jet Ski, or camp on the shoreline or …? And he said, no, I Jet Ski all day. All day, every day.

It certainly made me wonder about the dire financial condition so many Americans are in right now. At 59, that’s a lot of Jet Skiing yet to come and no real way out.

Then you read about these Investment Capital firms buying up many larger mobile home parks and jacking the rent because this captive audience has no alternatives to move or decline the increase – they simply must pay. All in the name of capitalism so I guess it’s ok 😳

Onto Joshua Tree

This campground was simply beautiful!

The last time I was here was in the 60’s and my memory of the Joshua Trees was that they were so much more animated, colorful and even talked to me!

Great location, 4,000+ elevation and freezing at night! Time to get to LA!

I found a AirBNB in Venice for the night. Now, don’t judge. My criteria was where can my bus be safe and not on the street. So, I found a great little studio in the back of a house with off street parking.

Sweet spot – hidden from the world!

And here is my lovely room…

The part I forgot to research was ‘does this place have a bathroom?’ Well no, not in your room. The main house has a bathroom you share with the homeowner. Yuk! But all good. Homeowner was gone yesterday and last night, so all was good.

Main house is small and cute and it is so interesting how many of these bungalows now have guest houses in the rear for this type of rental.

Thinking this place is about a $700k home in this area.

Heading out for my reunion lunch which is up the coast from Venice to Pacific Palisades. More later!