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Fountain of Youth Spa to Yuma
Hi ~ before I get into our news, I have checked this "Offexploring" website and it seems that it has sorted itself out so now if you want to see my pictures of Death Valley, please just click on the "photos " tab.
Well, we spent almost 3 weeks at the Fountain of Youth Spa in southern California and it didn't work J The resort is on a slope overlooking the Salton Sea and it is terraced so we had a great view of the amazing sunsets every night(see the photo) Malcolm lit the propane fireplace, put on some classical music and we would watch the sun go down. It was hot there and still nice and warm at sunset. The Salton Sea is the largest lake in California and was created by accident ~ engineers made a cut in the banks of a river to increase water flow and it sure did ~ the river overflowed and it took 2 years (1905-7) for them to fix it and by then the Sea had formed. It has no outlet and is slowly evaporating, getting more and more salty - now it is much more saline than the Pacific. There are lots of birds and the government has planted grasses for them to eat as they migrate to protect the farmer's crops.
The Spa was started because of the mineral hot springs there ~ the water comes out at 131 degrees F. There are salt and fresh water pools and several hot tubs of varying temperature ~ we didn't try the one called the Lobster Pot! There was lots to do there - we both went to the gym and the pools and I (Elinor) went to Spanish conversation, line-dancing and a stretch and strength class. Horeshoes was really big there ~ one fairly strange guy would play by himself for almost 12 hours day after day! There was a big dog park with some obstacles and Tess learned to do the teeter-totter and loved it. There was a beauty salon, grocery store, library, café and several activity halls.It even has a car wash and a pet-wash complete with hair dryer J While we were there there was a birthday party ~ a woman turned 106 and did some line-dancing though apparently she prefers the chicken dance! While the place itself was nice and very friendly, it was in the desert in the middle of nowhere (an hour either way for shopping or restaurants) so not somewhere we would like to spend much time.
Now we are near Yuma, in a Bureau of Land Management area (ie huge open desert, basically gravel and shrubs, no facilities) where you can camp free for up to 14 days or pay $40 for 2 weeks. We are just staying here so we can walk across the border to get Malcolm's blood thinners way, way cheaper than in Canada and I will get a pair of glasses made. We are visiting some friends from home here too, nice to have happy hour, go shopping and go to a huge swap meet with them J.
Next stop,Tucson.
Hope all is good with you, please write with your news.
Bye for now,
Elinor and Malcolm
- comments
John Spurn E & M - Keep up the good work, nice to hear from you and your travels are going well. I am interested in putting out a blog, and will attempt one this winter while in 'Nam. Off to Orlando on Thurs. and out of Vanc'r on the 31st. Will keep you posted. Safe journeys, enjoy your southern Xmas and keep the blogs coming. As always John
Terry Staples Many thanks for the photos and notes on your travels. Also thanks to all the diesel purchasers who are subsidising even us premium gas users ;) Merry Christmas to One and All. Terry and Erica PS Will be sending you some (the usual four score!) photos for a sleepy afternoon's viewing
Liz Bell Seems like you've found some interesting places so far. I don't think I'd cope well with the basic facilities in Yuma! I assume you'll move on soon to somewhere with a higher standard of comfort. Saw Uncle Jack and Sue 2-3 weeks ago. All things considered he's doing very well. We called in on him on our way back from Tory's. Merry Christmas to you both. x