My grandparents lived in Sun City, a new development at the time for senior citizens out in the middle of what was then nowhere. With little water available, all the yards had gravel rather than grass. Theirs was painted green to at least make an attempt at looking normal. They had a small house, well maintained, with an open carport. Down the street was a large clubhouse and pool where children were frowned upon and a small shopping center. We didn’t understand then why they would want to live out there or the strict rules concerning youthful visitors. Now that my brothers and I have long since lost the bounce in our steps and and found some wrinkles in life and limb, we understand perfectly. There comes a time when the noise and business of children just are no longer cute. You crave silence and some amount of solitude after putting in your time as a parent. I can tell you from experience, grandparenting is a much better deal!
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While not exactly Paris, there are some things to see and do in and near Perris. With campgrounds wanting $60-80 a night the closer you get to Los Angeles and state parks wanting an outrageous $35 a night with no utilities, the Perris-Lake Elsinore area can be a good home base for all the local attractions such as Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, southern California beaches, and more. There are several good and reasonable campgrounds in the area with RPI and Passport America discounts. Further out is an Escapees park. Having spent a great deal of time in the area in another life, I was more into the simpler pleasures such as finding the house my grandparents use to live in, visiting the old Orange County Trolley Museum my grandfather use to take us to, visiting a Medieval Times dinner show for the first time, and of course time on the beach and touring another lighthouse.
The park in Blythe was getting pretty deserted as the temperature began to creep up and winter was coming to a close. Time for me to leave too rather than be the last one out and have to turn the lights out. A brief stop along the way for a little sightseeing was called for. I must say there is some definite culture shock between laid-back Blythe on the California border and the Palm Springs area with it’s hustle and bustle. Right off it became apparent that driving around the Palm Springs area is a dangerous undertaking. The drivers there wait for no one. If you hesitate even a second, they drive right around you with no care that they may be cutting you off or that you may have stopped for a darn good reason like someone crossing the road. They just ZOOOOOM! right around you. It happened to me numerous times during the short time I was there and with a couple of near misses. They must have very good car insurance there and be very important people since clearly no one else matters. Granted us strangers to the area do tend to go a little slower and stop now and then to find what we are looking for but GEEZ! people. You are supposed to smell the roses not run them over!
Another thing I noticed is everyone lives behind walls and gates there. Is crime that bad there? Do those make them feel safe? Of course, you are more likely to get hurt by family and acquaintances than strangers and getting around walls and gates is not that hard but I guess the thought of any protection from the cold bad world makes them happy. This being a desert area, it can get quite windy and to their credit, they don’t waste it. Around Palm Springs are hordes of massive wind turbines rotating in the breeze to generate electricity naturally. I know some consider them eyesores but I find them comforting and interesting. Inside them are ladders to the top compartments where maintenance and control can be done. I do find the older abandoned ones in various shades of disrepair a bit sad.
If you need a little history or the shopping of a big city after spending time in the Arizona-California southern desert, Yuma is a great place to go. It has all the big stores including Wal-Mart and Costco, all the fast food joints you could want, and the old Yuma Territorial Prison museum. There are also a lot of campgrounds around for snowbirds including an Escapees park and an RPI park. The drive down from Blythe or Quartzsite is very enjoyable and provides a good chance to check out more BLM land for boondocking. I saw plenty of boondockers still out there and checked several spots. Amazingly, Verizon phone and air card signals do reach out there in many places. Again, do be careful about setting your phone not to roam out there as it is very close to Mexico so you could lock on to the wrong tower and get a very nasty bill next month. There are also lots of Border Patrol in the area so be careful and don’t give anyone a ride you don’t know.
Down near Yuma is the Yuma Proving Grounds with a little outdoor museum of their own that is well worth a stop. They have numerous tanks, guns, rockets, etc. on display with good info next to each. You wouldn’t think there could be so many ways to design a tank but they each have their specific uses. I liked walking about them in the fresh air and sunshine as a nice change from dimly lit indoor museums.
For more pics click here. For as long as I have full-timed, I have heard from others how a trip across the border even for a day is a must. It seems day trips to Mexico are a frequent occurrence with full-time RVers and the topic of much talk between them as those who can’t work it into their travel schedules will often seek others who are going. Having been to Tijuana once many years ago, I didn’t really see the attraction other than cheap purses, jewelry, sombreros, etc. However, it seems that not all Mexican towns are alike and there are other very good reasons to go down Mexico Way.
Before you even think about going to Mexico, be sure you have a current passport. This is a requirement now. While you can walk across completely unchecked, if you plan on coming back, you will need a passport. Be ready to leave the humor at home and keep your mouth shut. Neither side has any sense of humor at the border and they don’t find bomb, drug, or terrorist jokes at all funny. You will also need cash, even for large purchases. American dollars work fine. It looked like they may accept Canadian dollars as well at a discount. Shut off your phone when you get there or you may get a shocking phone bill later for international phone calls. Even a few minutes can cost big. I went with friends so I wouldn’t be alone for safety reasons. We went down to Algadones, Mexico just west of Yuma, AZ. It could not have been a more pleasant experience and surprise. The town is very much setup for foreigners streaming across with a large parking lot right next to the border with plenty of handicapped parking available. While you can drive across, it really is much simpler to walk across since anything you want is right there with very little walking needed. The lot seems to be safe enough. Getting in is as simple as walking in along a pathway they have laid out which takes you right past el baño (bathroom), a popular first stop. They were clean and there was someone outside handing out paper towels for tips. On into town, the traffic was very light when we were there though there were hundreds of foreigners and vendors all over. It is immediately clear why people come there when looking about. You will see dentists, optical shops, and pharmacies one after another after another on every block. They all seem to use the same advertising so picking one is not particularly hard though I did shop around and there are small price differences here and there. For dentists, I suggest checking with other RVers before you go to see who they used and if they were happy with the work. Surprisingly, the work really is very good there and I could see even the hair stylists take pride in their work. Appointments are not necessary, just walk in and find the front man who handles estimates or the receptionist. For major dental work, do call beforehand and get an appointment. They can get very busy in January and February. You will find a lot of hawking going on outside to get you into this office or that, sell you this or that. If you ask, any of them will be happy to point you in the right direction for whatever you need.
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