March was a tough month for travel plans because I was supposed to be working. I was glad to meet up with friends, including some from Chicago, but wandered back and forth from California to Nevada and Arizona then back again in like 3 weeks. According to my Google Timeline, I visited 41 cities and 141 places in March! WOW! I had to stay in SoCal for my follow up doctor appointment on the 21st, but OMG the driving in the meantime was extreme! I am finally settled into a RV park for one week and am not moving!

Tecopa Hot Springs and Death Valley NP
I left Oasis RV park on 3/2 and drove up to Tecopa to meet up with Bruce and Lisa, my friends from Yellowstone 2020. I stopped for a bite at Café 247, a small roadside restaurant that served really good breakfast burritos. When I arrived at the RV park, Lisa and Bruce came to my spot and we chatted for a while and they told me about the bath house with the hot springs rooms. They suggested that I treat myself to a soak and settle in for the night, which I did. It was my first time in a hot springs and took a little getting used to. It was hot but felt really good!
Bruce took me over to the natural hot springs that were down the road one afternoon. Apparently, anyone can go there for a free soak. Now, I am not a prude, but it’s been awhile since I’ve seen naked people walking into a pool. Bruce pointed out that this is how you bathe in most of the natural springs. Duh!

We to Death Valley National Park for a day trip on Saturday and the weather was good. This was my first time in Death Valley, and it was not what I expected. I thought that there were just salt flats, but there is so much more. We visited several spots that had the most scenic views. The Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level and there is a sign posted way up in the hill to show where seal level is. I had a great time and after stopping for lunch, we drove around again and then headed back to the RV park. I would definitely return again.

The next day, we went to the China Date Ranch and Farm, where there is a very nice trail that leads to the old mines. We walked by building ruins and saw rusted vehicles and appliances scattered about. We walked on top of the mine and it was interesting reading about the history and viewing the old railroad tracks that lead to the mine. Apparently, gypsum was mined here and that was all of the white stuff scattered around. After, I treated myself to a date shake that was amazing and bought a bag of dates for snacking. Yummy! I think this was the first time I’d ever ate a date. They are very sweet!

Bruce suggested a few other places like Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire, so I added them to my list.
Bruce and Lisa were great hosts and I was sad to leave them. ONWARD!