August 23, 2011

This is the last part of our trip.  We left Palm Springs around 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday and headed up to Pioneertown.

It was an interesting place but I won't go into great detail about it.  If you'd like to know more, call Jay.  His dad nearly invested in land here back in the late '40s.  Sanity prevailed.  However, Jay has fond memories of the area during the time they lived in the LA area.

Here are some of the "sets" which remain.

And . . .

The land around here is rocky, sandy and not well-populated, but coming here brought great joy to Jay's heart.

We got back to Palm Springs around 10:15 a.m. where it was 106 already.  I just LOVE the wind farms around here but we were itching to head east so I just shot these as drive-bys:

Eastward Ho!

We don't normally take the "southern route" and for good reason.  The LA area is a traffic nightmare and we ran through some grim towns - such as Fontana.  Wow - nothing but trucks.  It's either where they're born or where they go to die.

The views to and beyond Phoenix [where it was 114] were mostly desert but with mountains.  We crossed the Continental Divide at one point, with the altitude of just under 5,000 feet.

We made it all the way to Lordsburg, NM where we stopped for the night.  Since I was bound and determined to sleep in my own bed on Wednesday night, we rose early, grabbed a quick breakfast and sped east.  The areas around and beyond El Paso were fairly green for a desert.  But no lollygagging, we were determined to get home.

On the west side of Fort Worth at around 7:00 p.m., it was 106 and as we were driving through Fort Worth, the winds were gusting and the skies darkened.  Alas, no rain, but by the time we got to the east side of Fort Worth/Arlington, it was 91.  A friend or two asked if we could bring some cooler weather with us, and always aiming to please . . .

The Dallas skyline never looked better!  It's a darn nice skyline on most days, but boy, did it ever look great!

So, there you have it.  I'm in the process of doing all the normal things one does after a trip - trying to get my bearings, and laundry!  It was fun but I think we're going to look at other destinations - such as Mount Rushmore and points in between here and there.  Maybe next June.

So for now, it's good old home!  I'll be in the northeast for four weeks beginning on October 5, so be sure to check back.

Best!