We had a little AARP get together this Presidents’ weekend.  A few members from the local chapters 92127 and 94552 were present.  Ages: almost 50, 57, 60, 70, 72, and 74.  It was the maiden voyage for the Birch’s as close to new as you can get without being new 2017 Airstream Flying Cloud 25FB Twin.  An Eye Doctor in Orange county bought it seven months ago.  He and his wife never used it.  The furthest they went was a couple of miles from the dealer to a large empty parking lot to practice backing up.  They couldn’t back up, so they drove it back to the dealer, stored it there, and never took it out again.  It had never been slept or pooped in.  The plastic was still on the mattresses and toilet seat.  I never cease to be amazed by people.

We had a nice three night stay at our usual spot off of Rockhouse Trail Rd.  This is probably no surprise to anyone living in SoCal, but the odds of a super bloom this year are less than zero.  The drought is apparently back after a one year hiatus.  We basically saw no blooms.  On Friday, our friend Donna drove out for the day and the group did the South Fork Palm Wash Slot.

 

 

On Saturday we decided to see and do something we haven’t done, The Pumpkin Patch, Una Palma, Five Palms, and the 17 Palms Oasis.  After reading up on the Pumpkin Patch we knew it was a 7.5 mile dirt road.  At about 7.2 miles you leave Anza-Borrego State Park and enter Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area.  For some reason I didn’t put one and one together.  Thankfully all the palm stops were in the State Park.

 

 

You can bet we’ll be out here again next Presidents’ weekend, but next time we are thinking about camping in the Split Mountain area.  It’s time to give Rockhouse/Clark Dry Lake a break.