Borrego Springs, California: Some days are better than others. Some days I am reminded I am no longer 30 years old 40 years old 50 years old young. I have been better about my diet. If I don't run, I golf or hike or walk. I am watching my weight slowly (ever so slowly) creep down. But yesterday's hike back-down that canyon really did a number on my knees. It was painful to take the four steps out of the RV last evening. By this morning, it was agonizing. My four-mile jog this morning became my 3.5 mile walk.
No matter how well we take care of ourselves, time marches on and there is nothing we can do about that gravity storm.
Hey! Guess what? Jimmy Buffett wrote a song about getting old!
Listen to Jimmy Buffett sing Gravity Storm
Safe - hosted by RVGoddess.com
Speaking of that beautiful hike (that I will hike over and over again because it is just such a lovely canyon, knees be damned), Kathy sent me another photo this morning:
Dave, Woody & me hiking Palm Canyon yesterday
Look how happy we are! (Obviously still on the uphill portion of the hike.)
Anyway... enough about my creaking bones. Today, we were once again kicked out of our lovely campsite because The Springs at Borrego RV Resort & Golf Course is full. We left our $64 a night full-hookup campsite and moved to their $25 dry-camping gravel lot. Somehow I don't think this is such a great deal. However, even we losers in the dry lot have full access to the pool, spa, wine tastings, wifi, tennis, fitness center, library, golf, laundry and everything else the resort has to offer.
We parked on the far side of the gravel area, away from other campers so we could run our generator for a while to finish-up our laundry, thinking we would be alone and not bother anyone with our (very quiet) generator. But we soon had neighbors. Two, in fact. Seems someone spending the winter in this RV park bought a new motorhome (from Guaranty in Junction City, Oregon) and drove it down here. Now the old bus and the new bus - with the front doors lined-up) are parked next to us while the owners transfer their belongings to their new (very pretty) home.
The grey RV is the new RV - both are Monaco Diplomats
This is the portion of the program where I officially stop complaining about my knees. I don't even want to think about how sore their knees will be after 100 trips up and down their RV stairs all afternoon/evening!
For the first time ever, we changed our own water filter today! (Everyone can start laughing now. I know this is supposed to be a simple job, but for the first four months we owned this RV, we could not physically unscrew the bucket holding our built-in filter. It was screwed-on too tight! We had to find a tech with an actual tool specifically made for our filter holder. We are clever enough now to screw the holder on very tight, but not so tight that we need Superman to remove the dang thing.) Every few months, I start screaming for more water pressure. This usually means it is time to change the water filter. It is a two-minute chore - just up our alley and about the right amount of time we can usually spend on anything remotely concerning a repair or requiring a tool.
We are also very good at replacing burned-out light bulbs.
A quiet evening around camp. I boiled up a little orecchiette pasta and sauteed it with broccolini and garlic. Topped with just a dusting of pecorino cheese, it was a perfect one-pan-easy dinner, served with a salad made from tomatoes, green peppers and avocados... which were the only veggies left from my visit to the Farmers Market last week. Luckily, market day is tomorrow, so we can stock-up again!
FYI: We have made a change of plans. We were supposed to head over to the beach on Monday for a week, but the weather is supposed to be terrible at the beach for the next ten days. The weather in Borrego Springs is supposed to be lovely... so with a little jiggling... and a lot of campsite moving... we are going to hang around here for a while longer.
Until my next update, I remain, your pressurized correspondent.
RV PARK: The Springs at Borrego RV Resort & Golf Course. One of our very favorite RV parks on the west coast. Sites are large and each has a nice cement patio and picnic table. Cement 50 amp pull-throughs will full service. There are also different varieties of citrus trees all over, so you will never be lacking for a cocktail garnish in the winter. Slow wifi. Fabulous warm pool and many hot tubs - all from their own hot springs! Fitness center, library, community rooms. Regulation 9-hole golf course. Recycling. Huge fenced dog park! We are paying $25 per night for a dry-camping site.