Anza Borrego Desert State Park: Yaqui Pass

We spent the first two nights at a backcountry campsite at Yaqui Pass. These primitive campsites are free and offer no hookups or running water. Some of them have vault toilets. This one did not. (Lucky for us, Tater has a toilet of his own.) The elevation at Yaqui Pass is 1730 feet - the third highest of the 14 campgrounds in Anza Borrego. It is 12 miles southeast of the Visitor's Center (meaning it is 12 miles from civilization aka Borrego Springs - pop. 2900). From Yaqui Pass, we explored the Kenyon Trail on foot, then Mine Wash and Buttes Pass on Mule. Here are some of our pics:

A view of Tater from the top of the hill



King of the hill


Me & Lola


Ben taking a spin on Mule



Lola chasing Ben


Tater & Mule at the campsite


Me in front of the only Bar in Borrego Springs


A view of the morning sky from our campsite


Tater in the morning


Ben & Lola hiking on Kenyon Trail


Lola quenches her thirst on the trail


A view from Kenyon Trail


Another view


This is a view of the mountains across the desert... Taken from the top of Kenyon Trail


To add some perspective, the horizontal(ish) line at the bottom is Route 78


Another view from the top of Kenyon Trail


Mule on the Mine Wash Trail (Off Route 78. Flash Flood Area)


A View from Buttes Pass


This Cockatoo belongs to a Borrego Springs local. Lola doesn't know what to make of a bird that (1) is bigger than her, and (2) doesn't fly away from her.

Anza Borrego Desert State Park: Wildflowers

We just got back from Round Two in Anza Borrego Desert... this time to check out the wildflowers. We were a little late for most of the flowers but we got some nice pics anyway. I will post these in three parts since we are photographaholics! (Yes, I make up my own words). And remember, no matter how beautiful they are, they are cacti. Look, but DON'T TOUCH!


First, we have two shots of the Barrel Cactus



Here we have the Beavertail Cactus (my personal favorite)



Lean like a Cholla ;) (but whatever you do, don't lean ON a cholla!)


A White and a Yellow Desert Dandelion



The pride of the desert...The Ocotillo


It's not gross, it's Yucca


The Beavertail and some Desert Marigold

Earth Day 2008: Water Conservation

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.”
~ M. Gandhi



As you may already know, Earth Day is April 22, 2008. While I despise the commercialism of most holidays, I believe Earth Day is one holiday worth celebrating. For this reason, I decided to research how much water the average person uses each day.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, estimates vary, but each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. The largest use of household water is to flush the toilet, and to take showers and/or baths. The specific figures are as follows:

Bath: 50 gallons
Shower: 2 gallons per minute
Teeth brushing: 1 gallon
Hands/face washing: 1 gallon
Face/leg shaving: 1 gallon
Dishwasher: 20 gallons/load
Dishwashing by hand: 5 gallons/load
Clothes washing (machine): 10 gallons/load
Toilet flush: 3 gallons
Glasses of water drunk: 8 oz. per glass (1/16th of a gallon)

This information is of great interest to me since we moved into Tater. Currently, Tater holds 20 gallons of potable water. The sink and shower drain into a 15 gallon gray water holding tank. The toilet drains into an equally-sized black water holding tank. If Ben and I used the average estimate of 80 gallons of water per day per person, we’d have to fill up 8 times EACH day (as well as dump 8 times each day)! For now, we fill up probably twice a week. (Keep in mind, we are often able to shower at the hotel and we each have a gym membership where we also have access to showers.) Sometimes we are lucky enough to fill up at a friend’s house or at the hotel. Otherwise, we fill up at the gas station, which takes extra time and elbow grease, both of which we can spare.



You might be wondering how we can share 40 gallons of water per week. (I know, it sounds ridiculous!) We don’t have a dishwasher, a washing machine or a bathtub. Our shower comes equipped with an on/off lever so as not to waste water while soaping up. Since the shower measures 22”x29”, there is no reason to spend much time in there. You soap up, rinse off, and get out. Shaving, for the most part, happens outside of the shower - usually with a small bowl of water, shaving cream, and a razor. We don’t leave the water running while we brush our teeth or wash dishes. We don’t drink tap water... we buy drinking water. (Anyone who has experienced California tap water understands this.) Flushing the toilet is the one place we NEVER skimp on water. Too little water in the black water tank makes for a stinky situation. The gray water tank always fills up much quicker than the black water: with the usual teeth-brushing and dish-washing, we can only manage about 4 showers before we need to empty the tank.

I once stumbled across this ancient Indian proverb and it really spoke to me:


Obviously, I don’t have children and the reason may have more to do with that proverb than anything else. I think it is every person’s responsibility to do whatever they can to protect our Earth for the sake of future generations. If the average American spent on eco-friendly products what they would normally spend on Christmas gifts each year, we would all reap the benefits. Doesn’t it make more sense to celebrate something tangible like the Earth, rather than some imaginary fat guy in a red suit? Now, get out there and start celebrating!

Quiet, Please!

I've been living in San Diego for almost 6 years, sheltered in a sweet little beach community by the name of Ocean Beach (OB) - my Pot O'Gold at the end of Interstate 8 West. In all the time I lived there, the only disturbances were the usual noises heard in any neighborhood. Ben, Lola and I have been living in Tater now for about five months. In the past few weeks in particular, the noise of San Diego has grown more and more apparent to me. It seems no matter where we go (with the exception of Ocean Beach, of course), the sound most audible is the sound of Interstate 8. I am beginning to wonder how anyone can stand to live in this noisy city.

Ponderings

A Tribute to the Leather Tramp

A couple weeks ago, Ben, Lola and I got a taste of the leather tramp lifestyle when we dropped Tater off for some auto repairs and the shop kept him overnight for two nights. We were lucky enough to have Mule for transportation, but we spent a good portion of two days walking around strapped with backpacks, searching for places to to spend what seemed like countless hours. We had lunch, read books and napped in Presidio Park. We watched dogs frolicking at Dog Beach while we lounged in the sand talking about life. We were lucky enough to sleep in the hotel each night. While it may sound like a relaxing respite, I feel a sort of empathy for the people who live on the streets everyday - carrying their belongings on their backs, unprotected from the elements, searching for a place to lay their head each day or night. It was one of the most tiring experiences of my life. By the time we picked up Tater on Friday afternoon, I curled up on the couch and fell into a sleep so deep I thought I'd never wake up!





Size Doesn't Matter

Many people can’t imagine how Ben and I tolerate each other living in such a tiny space and we are often asked how we are adjusting to living in Tater. I’ll admit before we moved in, we both expected the transition might be a little uncomfortable. (I think the concern had more to do with condensing our belongings, and less to do with the effect downsizing would have on our relationship). Regardless, the transition has not been difficult. Ben and I both agree that if you find a person to whom you are well-suited, you enjoy spending time together. And it doesn’t matter how small your home is. If we couldn't tolerate each other in this small space, we probably couldn’t tolerate each other in a mansion either!

Life Lessons

Ok, so this blog is a little less about Tater and a little more about me, I guess. And why I’m doing what I’m doing. Some people have been skeptical of the whole “RV-Living” thing and I just thought it would be a good idea to try to put into words what motivates me, personally.

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned in life is to learn from experience. And whenever possible, I try to learn from the experiences of other people as well.

I’ve learned that the best time to travel is when you are young. Don’t wait ‘til you are retired - and too tired or too sick or too stubborn or too big to fit in your bikini. Play now, work later. Most retirees I’ve met prefer to sit. Why not sit at a desk and work? It keeps your mind sharp.

I’ve also learned never to put off ‘til tomorrow what you can accomplish today. This might sound difficult for procrastinators, but if you’re putting off WORK in exchange for PLAY, it actually works out quite well.

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One of my favorite things to do is to glean information from my older, wiser family members about their childhoods, about the past, about a time on Earth before I existed. I find it fascinating to know who Connie and Frank are, besides just Mom and Dad. Or what my Nana’s life was like raising kids in the 50’s. This past year, I’d been thinking of all the things I’d like to ask Nana the next time I visited her. On December 26, 2007, Nana passed away. I never got a chance to ask her any of those questions. Fortunately, Nana taught me a great lesson. Don’t take anything for granted. No matter how comfortable you are, things always change and you should appreciate what you have today because it might be gone tomorrow.

This blog is dedicated to Nana.
May 12, 1919 to December 26, 2007

The Lucky Tater

Saturday night, Tater was lucky enough to escape tragedy when a drunk driver careened into some cars parked just in front of him, outside the Quality Inn. Here are a couple pictures of the aftermath (you can see Tater three cars back). One of the damaged cars had been moved before I got a chance to take a picture. Mule also escaped without incident (he was parked right behind the maroon car at the time of the accident). Ben, Lola & I slept soundly in a hotel room... we had no idea what happened until the following day.