12/25/2022

It’s been a long journey and I have finally reached my destination. I’m in an RV park in Thermal (doesn’t even have a post office!) near the Salton Sea and am in the middle of nowhere. The weather is gorgeous, sunny and warm during the day and cold at night (30’s) that is much better than where I was in Arizona. The RV park is outdated, but clean, and I am near a bath house that’s really convenient. BUT, the water is non-potable and we have to use the triple filter osmosis faucets to get drinkable water. Apparently, the whole area is polluted from chemicals used on the farms in Mexico that flowed down here. Yep, I am BELOW SEA LEVEL and less than 100 miles away from the border!
There are citrus trees on the property, and it’s really cool to pick lemons and oranges for free. And there’s a cute little pond where the big rigs have parked on that’s really pretty, even at night. The snowbirds like to dress up their sites and I enjoy walking around to see their decorations. Most of the campers here are either snowbirds for the winter or permanent sites for workers. Eventually, there will be a lot of people here for a couple of big music festivals: Stagecoach and Coachella that occur in April when the weather starts to heat up.
There are date and cannabis farms across the road, though I noticed many farms growing produce like lettuce and kale off of the highway. There are pelicans on one of the reservoirs, so it’s nice to see some wildlife. The closest town for shopping and Walmart is Indio that is 20 miles away. I am safe and sound, though, and will be working here 3 days a week at the front desk and finding lots of things to do on my off days (Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Anza-Borrego, etc.). Unfortunately, this is not a paying gig (not even laundry money) and I am looking for a way to earn some money. Anyone interested in buying some photographs?

I applied for a job at one of the casinos and am waiting to hear from the hiring manager about working in reservations at the hotel. I’m also looking at remote jobs, but am struggling with this. After spending thousands of dollars on gas, it’s time for me to replenish my bank account. The average I spent while on the road is $100 a day. This journey is hurting financially! Thanks for Social Security. Good news is that gas prices are reasonable, not much different than New Hampshire. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep this in check and should be fine. Please note that I am not a typical nomad who parks somewhere for any length of time. Except for summer and winter gigs, I am constantly on the move and don’t expect other nomads to have this type of lifestyle. Someday I’ll settle down…

Fast forward to this weekend: I treated myself to the Wild Lights exhibit at the Living Desert Museum and Gardens, and was excited to see holiday decorations again! This is a beautiful “zoo” featuring animals from Africa, which you don’t see too often in northern climates. There is a huge toy train exhibit that is maintained by volunteers and it was completely decked out for the holidays. BTW, I bought a new Pixel 7 phone and it takes great pictures! Please check out the little video I made of the “box” on Instagram. I had a great time walking around and this brought much needed cheer for the holidays. I plan to visit again to see the animals!

A HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL!