Author: Easin' Along

I’m an old Army guy and am proud of everything about my branch of the service. Nevertheless, when it comes to campgrounds, the Navy maintains some of the best in the country.  Helen and I have stayed at a few awesome campgrounds on the east coast, like Great Pond in deep woods Maine, and the excellent facility near the quaint village of Solomon’s Island, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. Both are outstanding but, when we arrived at Fiddler’s Cove, adjacent to Coronado Beach in San Diego, we agreed that this facility might top them both.

On previous trips, several campers we talked with raved about Fiddler’s Cove, so I got the booking information from MilitaryLiving.com and patiently waited for the day the reservation window opened. I was afraid that a reservation was out of the question, but on the first day I was eligible to apply, I made the call and, much to my surprise, got the exact dates I requested. I had rather be lucky than good.

While camping at El Centro, we met a couple familiar with Fiddler’s Cove who suggested we drive to San Diego from the south through Imperial Beach rather than drive from the north and deal with all of the traffic.  The suggestion proved very helpful. We encountered only light traffic and made it to the campground in the early afternoon. Check-in was an efficient process, and we could barely contain ourselves when we learned that our campsite was right on the water with a view as good as any we have ever had.

Helen and I have visited San Diego twice in recent years and love it here.  The climate is perfect, and the area is so beautiful. When our son first moved to California, we drove down for some sightseeing and a trip to San Diego’s famous zoo.  Two years ago, we visited again and stayed at a Navy Lodge cabana on Coronado Beach with our grandchildren.  Those visits were delightful, and we feel like we covered the city well, so we decided to take it easy on this visit. Up until now, we have stayed pretty busy hiking and sightseeing but, with a campsite like this and a view like no other, we were ready to sit by the water and do little else.

After a few days of rest, we drove over the bridge to Coronado Island to visit the famous Coronado Hotel and have dinner at a nearby pub. We arrived late on a Friday afternoon, and the area around the hotel was abuzz with activity.  Parking was a challenge, so we parked several blocks away and got our exercise by walking to the hotel, passing by some charming homes and flower gardens along the way.

Coronado Hotel has an elegant feel to it with heavy wood trim on the walls and staircases. The hotel is no small place and took us more than a few minutes to walk through it and out to the pool and courtyard. A reception for the American Pipe Coating Association was getting underway beside the pool. I didn’t recognize any of the participants. We stopped at the bar for an adult beverage then walked to the Coronado Brewing Company for dinner. Helen had an order of delicious fish tacos. I don’t remember what I ordered, but I’m sure it was good.

We returned to Fiddler’s Cove at sunset and sat stunned while the sun disappeared over the Marina. I have posted a picture, but it barely captures the real scene. A large crowd of campers gathered along the shore to take in the spectacle.

On our last day at Fiddler’s Cove, we watched the sailboat races taking place in the bay just beyond the Marina. The winds were perfect for the event and sailboats of every size, and stripe took advantage of the stiff breeze to determine the fastest boat in the harbor.  Since I’m not a sailor, I didn’t fully appreciate their efforts in negotiating what appeared to be demanding conditions, but those sailors gave us an afternoon of outstanding entertainment.

We’ll continue on our Lucy Does the Desert tour and return to the desert in another week or so, but we certainly enjoyed this visit to San Diego. As evidenced by this shorter than usual post, we were not overwhelmed with activity but, we had just what we were looking for…a little vacation within a vacation just sittin’ by the shore. Retirement is the best gig going and we’re Easin’ Along.

We departed Lake Havasu, AZ after a very delightful and relaxing few days before leaving Arizona until we visit Page and the Grand Canyon in a couple of weeks. In our mind, the next destination was San Diego but, to stay within my driving limit of four hours, we needed an interim stopover. We chose Palm Oasis RV Park located on the Naval Air Station in El Centro, CA, about 15 miles north of the Mexican border.

Our reservations were for only two nights. Therefore, we looked at this stop as “downtime” and a chance to do laundry, catch up on email and phone calls, and do some maintenance on Lucy.  Besides, we knew nothing about the area and had no plans. On the way there, Helen, as she usually does, did some digging on the internet to see if there are any exciting sightseeing opportunities.

She learned that El Centro is in the middle of California’s Imperial Valley where farms covering thousands of acres have produced a significant portion of the nation’s fruit and vegetables since the 1930s.  When dams along the Colorado River made irrigation possible, farms flourished, and the previously impoverished Imperial Valley inhabitants suddenly had a means of making a substantial income. We decided to drive through the Valley and pay a visit to the nearby Salton Sea instead of doing laundry.

Checking into the Palm Oasis RV Park was smooth and efficient, but the weather was something else. The wind kicked up to 50-mile gusts, and Lucy rocked to them all night.  The next day, the winds subsided, but the temperatures approached 100 degrees. We ignored the temperatures and drove into the Imperial Valley and the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge, named for the singer and former Congressman from Southern California.

Along the highway, fields of crops of every variety stretched as far as the eye could see. We spotted corn, onions, sugar beets, wheat, dates, and cabbage. Everywhere we looked, fields of green filled our view. I had heard of the Imperial Valley but thought it was somewhere between Los Angeles and San Francisco, not in the desert region of the state. I was impressed.

We visited the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge but saw no wildlife, only some pretty flowers. After a short hike in the 100-degree heat, we thought we might be better off driving to the Salton Sea, a body of water created in 1905 when the Colorado River broke through a poorly constructed dam and filled the Salton Basin over the next two years. We did not know that the Salton Sea, is now considered toxic and that evaporation has caused the salinity to rise significantly.

I later learned that the sea was a tourist hotspot in the 1950s and ’60s, but now is abandoned.  We could not find an access road to the shores but did venture down a trail we thought would lead us there, only to find an abandoned trailer park. This picture shows that perhaps better days for the Salton Sea have passed.

Driving back to El Centro, Helen decided that she had to have a “Date Shake,” a milkshake flavored with fresh dates.  We pulled into the only Date Shake spot mentioned on Trip Advisor. Helen got a shake while I sampled a variety of dates. All were good, and I ended up with two containers. I haven’t had dates since I was a child and my mother always had a box of Dromedary Dates on hand at Christmas. While there we saw signs advertising the annual El Centro Town Festival.  We love Festivals.

Although things were getting underway when we arrived in the town center, parking was tight. We found a spot behind the corner filling station and walked toward the music. Vendor booths lined two streets, and a band was tuning their instruments. The vendors primarily offered local produce, but there was the usual assortment of makeup dealers, jewelry vendors, and baked goods. We purchased some beautiful vegetables then passed by a stand offering pies.  I had to have an apple/peach. One pie went home with us.

The next day promised more 50-mile winds and 100 degree plus temperatures. I was ready for San Diego but glad that we had the opportunity to learn about an essential region of the country.  A note for our Military Living readers—Palm Oasis is a very nice campground with full hookups and offers a variety of recreational opportunities.  El Centro is the winter training site for the Blue Angels, the Navy’s precision flying team, and the full-time RVers told us that the training flights are almost as good as an air show. I’m sorry we missed them.

That’s about it from the Imperial Valley. Thanks so much for joining us. We’re Easin’ Along to San Diego.

I am stunned by the natural beauty of Arizona. We had our first taste in Tucson, followed by a second course around Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains. The dessert came when we took in the Red Rocks of Sedona. By that time, I thought we had seen it all. Nevertheless, when we witnessed the stunning beauty of the mountains as a backdrop to the crystal blue waters of Lake Havasu, we found a dazzling combination. Throw some Arizona sunsets into the mix, and we probably had seen it all, even though I’m not ready to quit looking.

We arrived in Lake Havasu for six nights at the State Park. Ingrid, my blogging friend (Live, Laugh, RV) that readers met a few weeks ago at Lost Dutchman State Park suggested a visit when we began planning our trip west.  Lake Havasu, often mentioned in articles about fun places in Arizona, so I made reservations about a year ago. We were looking forward to our time there.

In 2016, Helen and I met John and Janet, Lake Havasu residents and friends of friends, on our trip through Minnesota lake country. Thankfully, I stored that information in my memory bank. We obtained contact information for Janet from those friends, and Helen sent her a text message reminding her of our previous meeting and asking for suggestions of things to see and do. Shortly after that, Janet called.  She was busy preparing for the arrival of family guests but gave us several ideas including a visit to the Lake Havasu Museum as a must-see.  Janet also said that John would like to meet us the next day for a drive around the area and, if the winds cooperated, a boat ride on the Lake. There was no way we could turn that offer down, and we met at ten the next morning.

The day was a bit cloudy when John met us at the London Bridge parking lot.  He remembered us from our previous meeting and invited us to ride in his car while he gave us a history lesson on Lake Havasu. The city was founded in 1963 by a man named Robert McCulloch, a manufacturer of chain saws and outboard motors. Mr. McCulloch spotted the Lake on a flight over the area and thought it would be a great place to test outboards. Long story short, a city grew around his manufacturing facility. Later, to attract tourists and residents, he purchased the London Bridge that was falling (yes, that London Bridge) for two million dollars and had it shipped to Lake Havasu where it was reassembled one block at a time. The London Bridge is now the second-most visited attraction in Arizona after the Grand Canyon.

After our car ride, John brought us aboard his pontoon boat for a tour of the Lake, created by a dam on the Colorado River.  By this time, the sky had cleared, and the breeze was slight…a delightful day for a boat ride. John loves the area and loves to share it with visitors. One of the unique features on Lake Havasu is the many miniature lighthouses built by volunteer organizations in the city. The lighthouses are functional and serve as markers for navigation. We saw many of them, some of which are replicas of lighthouses from around the world. John also took us into several beautiful coves along the Lake that make great spots for camping or boat parties.  The day ended all too soon, but John had family duties and needed to get home.  We thanked him for his kind hospitality, but there was no way to thank him enough.

We spent time during the remainder of our stay in Lake Havasu relaxing and taking in the beauty of the area. Lake Havasu State Park has several trails for hiking as well as an extensive cactus garden. The cactus flowers are in full bloom now, and we felt fortunate to see them. Arizona sunsets are fantastic, and on one evening we hiked to the top of a ridge adjacent to the campground to take pictures of the sunset and the mountains to the northeast and the south. A close look at this picture shows Lucy (trailer) in the lower left corner.

On another evening, we paid two dollars for a ferry ride to the California side of the Lake to try our luck at the casino on Havasu Landing.  That was an unfortunate experience, but at least the boat ride was enjoyable. We visited the Lake Havasu Historical Museum as recommended by Janet and were greeted warmly by the Museum volunteers who seemed excited to welcome a couple of tourists from Tennessee. They were fun.

Sadly, our stay came to an end, but we felt relaxed and ready to move on to the next stop, El Centro, California and the lush Imperial Valley. We passed the remarkable North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area.  Much like White Sands, NM, this area was nothing but a sand-covered region. Unlike White Sands, dune buggies and four-wheelers buzzed everywhere. A sizeable rally was about to begin on the day we drove through.  Big trucks had moved into some parking areas and unloaded Off-Road Vehicles for a day on the sand.

I’ll leave you now, but we’ll be back.  Here’s a few more pictures…we’re Easin’ Along.