It must be something about Betty, Bailey, or me. Though the gusts were not west Texas windy, we were blown around a bit on the drive from Scottsdale to our first stop, Desert Hot Springs, a small city just north of Palm Springs.
Our first two nights were at the Sands Golf and RV Resort. The golf course was closed due to overseeding for the season, and most of the snowbirds have now returned to their Park Models, so the place was rather empty and quiet. That is a good thing!
This park is very nicely laid out. Each RV site is shielded with tall rows of oleanders, allowing for a sense of privacy. The only thing missing are picnic tables at the sites. The main building has two huge game and meeting rooms, pool tables, and computers. The pool area is clean and includes two large hot tubs in addition to a good-sized main pool. A horseshoe pit and pickleball court complete the package. The entire complex is gated and requires a security code to enter so one feels quite safe. The shower rooms are modern, large, and very clean. There is even a sauna!
We almost didn't make our next stop. A Santa Ana wind event suddenly materialized. On the drive from Desert Hot Springs to near Castaic I battled winds that at times were downright dangerous. A steady 25-mile-per-hour crosswind included rather frequent gusts of over 50 miles per hour. At one point we pulled into a parking lot, and the RV was rocking to the point I thought it might blow over.
We changed our route three times to find a safer road, but it is hard to avoid such a weather situation. Even after arriving at the Valencia RV Travel Village, the winds were a steady 20 mph with higher gusts. As I write this morning the forecast is more 20-25 mph winds all day today.
Valencia is not nearly as nice as our first stop. The park isn't as well kept and shows its age. On the plus side the pool area is nice and there is even a large fire pit that is lit every evening. There is a convenience store which comes in handy and a smallish off-leash area for Bailey.
On the not-so-nice side the showers and bathrooms are definitely past their replacement date. The WiFi is weak and too slow to permit streaming of Netflix movies. Many of the sites are used by full-time or long-term residents who have allowed their property to become junky and littered.
But Betty and I did have a nice spot close to the pool area and dog park. Bailey loved all the new smells and areas to explore. And, as an added bonus, Mike and Tamara Reddy were rather close by for a dinner meeting, so they brought a bottle of wine, some lavender cheese and stopped by for a visit! Since meeting them for the first time in Portland, we have become friends and enjoy our time together. Betty whipped up some appetizers to go along with the wine.
What a special treat to have them near enough to get together. As I have noted before, RVers are a friendly group of people who like to spend time together.
And now we are off to Paso Robles, hopefully without all the wind!
