DonTom

[DonTom]

A few more photos of Galleta Meadows:


-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[ziplock]

I love the pictures.

@JudyJB said the wildflowers would be blooming soon out there. Glad you got a pic of some.

Does this flower look like what you took a pic of?

Desert Sand Verbena

Native to the southwestern deserts of the United States, as well as northern Mexico and the southern California coast, desert sand verbena is a low-growing annual known for its rounded clusters of bright purple and pink flowers. Because it is native to th

www.naturesseed.com

 

[Lou Schneider]

I guess none of it impressed us much, as I cannot remember anything about it all other than driving down the road around 45 years ago and quicky going back to the freeway.

I see it says "Zzyzx Road is a 4.5-mile-long (7.2 km), part paved and part dirt,". Perhaps we turned around when the pavement stopped. Too long ago to remember well.

-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

Here's a good video about what's at the end of Zzyzx Rd:

 

[Larry N.]

That would be quite an "adventure" if it were Xyzzy.

There must not be very many Crowther and Woods Adventure fans here

 

[JudyJB]

No, Ziplock. Flowers were bright red. I just looked it up, and it was a desert globemallow. There were a lot of brittle bushes in bloom, but those seem to bloom all the time.

 

[DonTom]

Yesterday, I went about five miles north of here. Today, I went about six miles south and took a hike in this area below. I took a cold soft drink with me and had more water back at the bike. It seemed like it was a good 80F/30C out there and I hiked at least a mile, both sides of the road to see all this stuff:

The desert out here looks mostly like this:

-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[DonTom]

I am going to cut this trip short. I will leave here on Friday as my new motorcycle is waiting for me.

I just now received the email.

I will soon enough complete this trip in my 2022 Class A from back at the starting point in Auburn.

-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[DonTom]

Some more photos for today:

Desert Tortoise food:


All those desert wildflowers should keep this guy happy:

These guys should also enjoy the desert flowers:



I hope this isn't too religious for the Site Team here!:

-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[ziplock]

I guess you are excited about your new motorcycle.

Hope all goes well with the ride home.

We loved the pictures.

 

[DonTom]

This concludes my photos from here:

The scorpions are quite large out here:




Scorpion food:

I have no idea what this is, but it sure looks kinda mickey-mouse to me:

 

[Mountain high]

Use to dig at the Hauser Geode Beds near Blythe in the early 1970's in the summer as a teenager. Slept on the ground due to the heat. Heard on our 1962 IHC Scout's radio that it was 121F that day. Seeing a scorpion crawling around kept me awake all night. They're really that big out there.

 

[Contributor]

I was born in the imperial valley and spent the first 11 years of my life there. I have lived the temps and don't miss them. I have spent many a day in the area and know it well. I have family in Mexicali, Mexico, Heber, Brawley, El Centro, Blythe, Parker, and everywhere else around there. Growing up there in the 60's, it was paradise but the Colorado river has been sucked dry and the delta is almost dead.

People there say it's not so bad in the summer but I know better. It's hot from May on to November. I go visit family in November and it's 90 degrees and they think it's cool.

 

[DonTom]

I go visit family in November and it's 90 degrees and they think it's cool.

IMO, the perfect weather out here is right now.

But it looks like it will cool down a little when I leave tomorrow. But still not bad. The last few days were close to 80F out here. A little too warm in the afternoon anyway.

-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[DonTom]

People there say it's not so bad in the summer but I know better.

It's fine for those who like an average day temp of 107.4/41.9C in July. The gal in the office told me this place turns into a ghost town in the summer.


-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[Contributor]

The worst part is that the evenings are also hot. If you turn the AC off for any amount of time, it takes forever to cool the house down - got to run it 24/7 in the summer. Cars, now there is a problem there, park it out in the sun, in the summer time and forget it, can't sit on the seats or touch the steering wheel. A whole different way of life

 

[DonTom]

The worst part is that the evenings are also hot.

Yeah, I can recall overnight lows above 100F/38C in some desert areas in the summer. And when outside, if any wind, it feels like a blast from a furnace. The wind can be higher than body temperature, so can even make it hotter.

I have never lived in such a place, but when I was young and dumb, I would take a motorcycle ride into Death Valley--in early August! And I did it more than once!

-Don- Borrego Springs, CA

 

[ziplock]

Thanks for the pictures!

 

[ziplock]

5-foot long reptile found abandoned in PA park

Caiman reptile? Do you think it was this? Lordy:

Caiman - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[DonTom]

Caiman reptile? Do you think it was this? Lordy:

Those used to be quite common in the pet trade. I assume there are a few of those in the Everglades too, along with the Burmese Phytons, true Iguanas and the other many non-native species from those times.

At least the caimans are smaller, and the native gators will eat them up. FWIW, gators are often cannibalistic and will eat even their own species.

But PA isn't a place where we can expect gators or caimans to live long.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[ziplock]

@DonTom

Hubby wants to know if you have to worry about snow weight on your house roof in Reno? And do you have to mow grass there?