Windy Sleepless Nights

 

Since we arrived here at Borrego Springs we have been challenged with the wind. During the day it calms down enough where I am not worried about the slide awnings. Night time is a different matter. The wind picks up enough to where we have to pull our slides in, which causes us to have to sleep in the recliners. (not very comfortable).

After several sleepless nights I finally got the bright idea to move the rig into a different position. I put our bed room and kitchen slides to the east and our dining room side slide to the west. This helped protect the bedroom and kitchen slide better allowing us to keep them open.

The downside of this position is that our solar panels are not in the best position so we may not charge the batteries as well. It will be a good tradeoff to be able to sleep.

We were outside the other day and a blue Miata convertible pulls up. John and Nan of “Trippin With The Talleys” introduced themselves and they told us that they came across our blog. They are camped just east of us. We visited for a little while and then they left to go do some more exploring. We will have to stop by their place and visit some more. This is the first time that someone had found us by our blog. Way cool!

Monday we wanted to take a motorcycle ride around the Salton Sea. Along the way we stopped at the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge. It was really not much of a refuge. It had about a mile long trail that end up on a hill where you could overlook the sea.

There were a lot of sea gulls and a few ducks along the waters edge but our best find was a Barn Owl up in a Palm tree. This is the first time we have ever seen a Barn Owl so it was worth the stop just for that.

It was amazing to see so much water that was not being used for anything. Back in the 60’s they tried to use it as a playground for water sports. It never really took off and you can see the remains of old motels, stores and rv parks around the sea. There are a few rv parks still operating but they look really run down. There is a state rec area on the north east side that is still in use and it is right on the water.

As we rode around the sea we wanted to head over to Salvation Mountain while it is still there. Leonard Knight, the man that created it and lived there is now in a nursing home.

Salvation Mountain is Leonard Knight’s tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message "God Is Love." Leonard's passion created this brilliant "outsider art "  resplendent with not only biblical and religious scripture such as the Lord's Prayer, John 3:16, and the Sinner's Prayer, but also including flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating and colorful objects.  It is 50 foot high and 150 foot wide and is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint. From its Sea of Galilee at the bottom, to the big red heart in the middle, to the cross at the very top, the reoccurring theme of "Love" is everywhere.

Max, inside the shrine

With Leonard Knight now in the nursing home a young couple has moved in to help care for it. If you are in the Niland area make sure you stop to see it.

We rode the rest of the way around the sea and headed back to our rig. It was a good day ride with some interesting sights.

Today we are going to get caught up on some laundry in town and then go check out the Sculptures in the desert.

Enjoy Your Day!