Glamis North KOA kamping style

Glamis North KOA is different. It's the only KOA (that we know of) that closes for the summer and stays open only during the winter. The type kamper that is most prevelant is the type with "toys", you know, the kind with motors and fat tires that play well in the surrounding desert terrain. ATV's, if you please. Almost all sites are large, pull-throughs with full hook ups. There are a few back-in sites, and ten housekeeping cabins

Some of the kampers and some of their toys. The most common type of RV you will find here is the kind referred to as a toy hauler. Chocolate Mountains in the background.

Here's a dad supervising his kids on the practice track. The track is a great place for kids to learn handling skills before heading out into the desert.

Some of the ATV's heading out for a trek in the desert.

Many of the custom and/or homemade ATV's are based on the Volkswagen chassis and engine.

There are several styles of desert buggies. This one is custom made.

Pat with some of the staff in Sassy's Outback Cafe. Josue (say ho sway) and Kyle.

This stack of US Mail boxes kind of portrays how remote we are.

Sassy's is a classy little restaurant. There is also an outdoor deck for additional seating. Great food, and you can review the menu on the Glamis North KOA website.

This is the kind of sunset we have to endure (not that that's a problem). Looking west, of course, across a bit of desert, the Salton Sea and Santa Rosa Mountains. We can handle it. By the way, it was about 87 deg here at mid-day, and still 60 deg at 9 pm. How is it up north? Come see us.

A Visit to Sonny Bono's

It's a Sunday afternoon, and we are visiting the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge on the Salton Sea. Yes, that Sonny Bono. The refuge is about 30 miles from our KOA so it's an easy visit on a day off, or even part of a day off.

Remember, we're in southern California and the busy tourist season is during the winter. That being said, just a couple weeks before Christmas found us at the NWR with very few people present. This is good because the wildlife was not very much disturbed and we saw lots of it.

Pat and I got acquainted with this frigate bird in the visitor center. Many of the species found here are on mounted display in the center. Makes it easier to ID the real thing when you see it in the wild.

Lots of canals and streams on the refuge, but not natural. These are created by pumping water through pipes and funneling it where it is needed. It's all flat here, so there are no waterfalls.

Salton Sea looking west. Brown pelicans, several kinds of seagulls, and more waterfowl than we could id from our books.

Flock of snow geese coming to land on the refuge.

Not a bad beach scene for December, don't you think?

Pat intently watching a flock of birds with her binoculars. The smoky plant in the background is one of many geothermal electric plants in the area that produce electricity by tapping into underground magma. Don't know how many of these plants are near here, but we counted six visible from the refuge and have seen smoke coming out of stacks all around the Salton Sea so I'm guessing that this is a major source of power around here.

Fresh-water pond (water piped in) for breeding/nesting sites. Lots of heron, egrets, and a variety of waterfowl.

More of the snow geese.

Salton Sea and Chocolate Mountains in background.

There's a coyote in this pic, really. Wouldn't you know, not a minute after I switched from the long lens to the short lens this guy appeared in the roadway just ahead of us. That blob in fronto of the dark square thing and just to the left of the brown pole is the coyote. Next time I'll leave the long lens on all the time because this place is jumping with wildlife. And there will be a next time because we like this place. There is a LOT to see.

More of the Salton Sea/Niland area

The Salton Sea is about five miles from our KOA homesite, but is highly visible as we look to the west. The town of Niland is about 10 miles south of us, and four miles east of Niland is Slab City, also known as "the Slabs". It was at one time a training base for General Patton's troops. Long since abandoned and now an area of the desert that is open to free camping. No utilities or management, just a free area to park in and enjoy desert life. As we have more time and opportunity we'll explore this area in more detail and report such things as the mud boils and bat caves.

On the right is the former sentry outpost at the entrance to Slab City.

Slab City is the home of Salvation Mountain, which is a whole story in itself. Great example of "religion" having run to the bizarre.

You really have to see this to believe it and appreciate it.

A typical full-time resident of Slab city. You won't find this in any KOA.

Leave your unwanted clothing; take whatever you need. Residents of Slab City know how to share.

The mark on this grain elevator shows sea level. The Salton Sea is a couple hundred feet lower.

One of the pretty little birds frequenting our seed feeder.

Wherever you go, well, there you are!

Our home for the winter is at Niland, California. More specifically, Glamis North KOA. This KOA is like none other in the KOA system. It is almost exclusively dedicated to off-road, ATV type campers - and there's lots of them in California, and they are different.

This round pool in the foreground is a storage pool for some of the natural, hot-spring water. This geothermally heated water comes out of the ground at about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our KOA has a restaurant. That's a pretty practical thing as we are remote from just about anything. Niland is 8 miles away and has a small grocery store, but no restaurants. The nearest cities would be Brawley, about 40 miles south, and Palm Desert, about 40 miles north.

Can you tell from the landscape that we're in the desert?

One of the swimming pools in operation. Three others are under construction.

The desert version of a KOA "hay ride". Things are the same all over, even while being different.

Part of the Halloween parade.

Many of the snow birds here have some sort of a golf cart for getting around. Such vehicles are needed because the campground is quite large.

Pat and Dave with our employers, Cal and Roslyn Loewen.

Pat working one of the games at the Halloween party.

Lots of area for walking. This lake, which is fed by a HOT spring, is only a few hundred feet north of our homesite. The water coming in is hot, but the lake water feels a lot cooler.

The water is not too hot for fish. We saw several large catfish and tons of tilapia.

This is a defunct tropical fish rearing pond just north of our homesite. There are several of these ponds.

Discharge pipe from one of the hot springs. Water is way too hot to touch. Its presence here has fostered at least two other hot spring resort spas within sight of the KOA. We might be in the middle of nowhere, but there is a huge tourist destination business plan at work here. And here, of course, is where we are.

Salton Sea, a quick look

Our homesite is about 4 miles from the Salton Sea, on the east side, but it looks a lot closer. As we look to the west, we can see the sea and its surrounding mountains. The Salton Sea is about 260 feet below sea level.

Check this out on a map of California. The Salton Sea is a pretty large body of water. There are fish and other wildlife present, but the water is quite salty and not very pure. We saw lots of dead fish along the beach. The waterbirds, gulls and pelicans, don't seem to mind.

Pat, looking to the southwest across the Salton Sea. American White Pelican  swimming by.

Some of the many California Quail near our homesite.

Here is a bird we have not previously seen. I believe we have id'd it as a Black-Crowned Night Heron. It's rather stout, not at all long and graceful like the blue heron. Active mostly at dusk, dawn and the early hours of darkness. Rather noisy, and they roost in palms just north of our homesite.

This is a part of the Chocolate Mountains, just east of our homesite. On the other side is a U.S. Navy bombing range. We hear the bombs falling (exploding) frequently. Sure hope the pilots always make their drops on the OTHER side.

More to come soon. Check back often.

As far west as we're going, this year.

As I write this I am watching out our dining room window as the setting sun plays its shadow and color tricks on the Chocolate Mountains about a mile away. We're right near the base of the mountains and where you might expect to see sand, dirt, and wasteland there is incredible beauty. Photos of our campground and immediate area to follow in next posting. For today, here are some views along the route from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

In west Texas there is a county named Winkler. The county is named after a Confederate General Clinton Winkler. Only two towns in the entire county. Pretty desolate, except for an abundance of oil wells.

Wink is one of the two towns. It was a very windy day.

New Mexico sky with UFO clouds. Maybe that's what folks saw back in the 1940's.

Did I mention that we had some windy days?

Our traveling gnome helped us keep a watch for rattlesnakes (per the warning signs) at New Mexico Visitors station near Las Cruces.

Typical scenery for Arizona, and New Mexico, etc.

Pat and the guide in the Bird Cage Theater/Saloon/Museum in Tombstone AZ

Pat getting friendly with the local brothel inspector in Tombstone.

Alert stage coach driver and horses waiting for a fare in Tombstone.

If you saw the Curt Russell or Kevin Costner versions of the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone you would know what/where this is.

Gunfight reenactment in Tombstone.

They were really using blanks, so everyone is really OK.

This guy at the bar didn't talk much, but he could really hold his liquor.

Boot Hill Cemetery in Tombstone.

Lots of big sky in Arizona.

Sand dunes at entrance to southern California. Still about 40 miles from our campground.