I planned to pull out of my three week boondocking spot off Rockhouse Trail Monday, not too early in the morning, with a trip to town then mosey southward to treat myself to a soaking at Agua Caliente. That means hot water in Spanish, just in case you didn’t know.
That’s confusing
Sunday afternoon my fridge went out, for several hours. It would click but not light. I turned it on and off and on and off….. Nothing. Nada. The stove lit so I knew there was propane. I smelled no ammonia. I changed propane tanks even though the first one didn’t show empty. Still nothing. Ice cream was starting to get soft and there was more than I could eat. Many suggestions came over Facebook. Then after cooking dinner I tried again. Click, pop, poof. The fridge lights and runs for quite a while to catch up. Maybe there was air in the lines. And maybe I should keep a spare thermal coupler on board.
That’s stupid
The next morning I discovered both truck batteries were dead. Lesson learned that the batteries are hooked together so I wasn’t just running off the auxiliary but the starter battery too. Thank goodness just before my phone went dead I get message to Lynda asking for a jump before they went to town. Howard came over, jumped the truck and I let it run for over an hour.
That’s luxury
About 11am I headed to town via a stop for a 10 lb bag of red grapefruits for $4. Can you believe that price. They and oranges grow in this valley. Topped off the fuel, filled water jugs and picked up a few groceries. Then on impulse, and a growling stomach, stopped for lunch at Los Jilbertos Taco Shop and enjoyed a delicious Chili Rellenos with rice and beans.
Hardly any traffic on the drive to Agua Caliente which was not the case the last time between the holidays.
Arrived at Agua Caliente before the 2pm check-in time and Diane, the Park Attendant, let me drive through to pick out my spot. It’s OK but I wouldn’t want to live here. Close together with limited vegetation and unlevel sites. And I got one of the “shady spots”. With water and electric, no sewer, site costs $29/night. Absolutely no phone or internet. I think one night will probably do it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad place, just not really my cup of tea.
I immediately went to soak for 1 1/2 delightful hours at 101F in the indoor pool. The outdoor pool isn’t currently heated. I thought this was natural thermal. Not at all crowded, I never shared the large pool with more than three others. I planned to return after dinner.
So because I have electricity I’m living it up. Used the microwave to heat up leftover lunch. Turned the fridge to electric to save propane. And I have a heater going so I’m toasty.
That’s bogus!
After dinner I returned to the pool with my damp bathing suit and planned to warm it and me up in the shower before another good soaking. I just hate putting on a cold clammy suit. The shower wasn’t even warmish so I shivered into my suit only to discover the gate to the pool locked. Guess I should have read the sign. Open from 10:30am-5pm for everybody and 9:30-10:30p for adults only. I’ll be in bed by then.
Although the park isn’t terribly crowded it’s still noisy from air traffic. Someone by the pool said we’re near an airport. Probably military as they’re all over the southwest desert. But really, 8pm and not only listening to helicopters but actually feeling their vibration.
Crissal Thrasher seen in camp
I figured on soaking one more time in the morning before remembering, not until 10:30. And although check out time isn’t until 1pm this place is many hours from anywhere other than the surrounding Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. And I wanted to explore another palm grove not far down the road before hitting the highway, doing some shopping and getting to my next boondocking spot. Maybe somewhere along the way find enough signal to post this.
Now about that shower. It takes quarters. Can you believe that? Paid almost $30 to get one soak and no shower.
OK, the whole place isn’t that bad. It’s very clean and does have sites for tents to full hook-ups and small cabins. But even without electricity, I prefer where I am boondocking for the night at Mountain Palm Springs.