Are We Going To Have A Problem Here??

---

Geo: 33.729, -116.38

Are we going to have a problem here- there goes the neighbourhood?? For two dedicated motel types, our stay at a resort in Borrego Springs was a wonderful taste of plush comfort (although we did sometimes miss the quarter slots that would start the bed vibrating), and it also allowed us to practise our table etiquette (why do I have 3 forks??) before visiting our posh friends, Don & Jill T, in a land mine-surrounded, gated community in Palm Desert. As loyal blog readers may recall, Don had us (and our campervan) unceremoniously removed from the parking lot of a 5 star hotel in South Africa in order to maintain the tone of the property. To explain our presence in Palm Desert, I think Don has told the neighbours that he's bringing in a couple of pool maintenance people, but our Borrego 'Miss Manners' stay should help keep the letters of complaint to a minimum.

Are we going to have a problem here- sightseeing at the polluted Salton Sea?? Before Palm Desert we had to stop and check out the Salton Sea. I don't know if the Salton Sea is California's dark secret but for a state that produces an extraordinary number of TV/movie 'stars' that lecture the rest of the world on environmental issues, but it would seem as though this homegrown environmental disaster would humble these folks. In 1905 as part of an effort to increase water flow into California for farming, irrigation canals were dug from the Colorado River into the valley but the resulting outflow overwhelmed the engineered canal, and the river flowed into the Salton Basin for two years, filling the historic dry lake bed and creating the modern sea. After some early success as a resort area, pollution of the lake over the years from agricultural runoff and other sources rendered it an environmental mess. Many of the species of fish that lived in the sea have been killed off by the combination of pollutants and algal blooms. Dead fish have been known to periodically wash up in mass quantities on the beaches (what looks like a white sandy beach from a distance is actually a beach of crushed fish bones). The smell of the lake, combined with the stench of the decaying fish keep the Slaton Sea off the list of must-do California attractions. From what we've seen on TV, California celebrities are still railing against the baby seal hunt (which was banned in 1987) and the Keystone pipeline (despite a current inventory of 185,000 miles of liquid petroleum pipelines, nearly 320,000 miles of gas transmission pipelines, and more than 2 million miles of gas distribution pipelines), but this putrid, closer-to-home embarrassment gets no attention.

Are we going to have a problem here- no bananas for you?? It didn't surprise us that Don & Jill weren't interested in joining us for a dip in the Salton Sea, but I was shocked that Jill was so against meeting us at our next stop- the International Banana Museum (DH was very much aligned with Jill's perspective). Here, in the middle of nowhere a guy has opened up a museum dedicated to bananas of all shapes/sizes/purposes- it's even recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest collection dedicated to a single fruit. And how often do you get the opportunity to dress up as a banana??

Are we going to have a problem here- if wine isn't served, it's not a real tour?? Leaving behind the Gucci bag and Jimmy Choo shoes (and Jill left some of her things behind as well), Don & Jill joined us for a day in the nearby Joshua Tree Nat'l Park and, of course, a few other things that just happen to be in the neighbourhood. We tracked down the graves of Palm Springs residents, Frank Sinatra and Sonny Bono (all sites were curiously underwhelming), and we found the motel room where guitarist Gram Parsons overdosed (none of us really remembered his music but after his death he certainly became memorable- honouring comments he made before his death, drunken friends stole his body at LAX, drove it back to Joshua Tree, tried to cremate his body inside a modified hearse, and were then chased off by police). Then things got really exciting. Sitting almost side-by-side in Joshua Tree was the World Famous Crochet Museum ("world famous" was scrawled on a piece of cardboard so it must be true) and the Beauty Bubble Hair and Beauty Museum and Salon (includes over 3,000 pieces of hair and beauty memorabilia). Having been a key player in her University macramé club (which somehow led to free drinks in the campus pub?), Jill was amazed by the crochet museum (although she feigned indifference), and even the hair museum, which was a working hair salon- you can get a haircut and see a curling iron oven from 1889. We did spend the bulk of our day inside the Joshua Tree Park- two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park. Not surprisingly the park is named for the star attraction- the Joshua Tree- the name was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer. At the other end of the park we managed to squeeze in a visit to Pattons Museum which is located on the site of the entrance of Camp Young, part of the Desert Training Center of World War II. It was a key training facility for units engaged in combat during the 1942–1943 North African campaign.

We even picked up a Date Shake at the local date gardens before our gated community parking permit expired. It was great to see Don & Jill again and who knows what part of the world we'll see them in next.

---

Photos

The Sea Is Toxic And Polluted
The smell wasn't that bad when we were there but apparently in the heat of the summer it is unbearable.

Joshua Tree National Park
The park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation: the higher Mojave Desert and lower Colorado Desert.

Liar Peg Leg Smith Monument
Gold Rush era con artist named Thomas Long Smith, AKA "Peg Leg Smith."

Add Rocks To Find Gold
An annual Liars Contest is held at the site every April Fool's Day, when contestants spew 5-minute long fabrications that Peg Leg himself would have appreciated.

"Let Those Who Seek Peg Leg's Gold Add Ten Rocks"
Smith claimed he found pure gold nuggets in the Borrego Springs area. Peg Leg would tell anyone who'd listen about the "fabulous wealth" hidden in the hills. It was hidden because Peg Leg couldn't exactly remember where the mine was...

The Salton Sea
The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Its surface is 234.0 ft (71.3 m) below sea level. The sea is fed by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo rivers, as well as agricultural runoff, drainage systems, and creeks.

The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is the largest 'lake' in California.

Comments

[may-vic]

always knew you were the top banana!

[may-vic]

Shapes and contrast; very interesting place.