The sensitive reader might look at the last few posts, and the dates, and wonder why we don’t seem to be making much progress in a southerly direction. At times, so have we. The zig back from Flagstaff to California’s northern coast was for touristic reasons, but otherwise we have been having a rather frustrating time of it…

We slowly circled around Reno trying to coordinate our AirBnb, the arrival of tyres, then the arrival of sprockets.

We planned a 3 day rest and IT stop at Big Bear (a ski resort, quiet and cheap in September), which extended when we had an IT crisis when our picture store disk failed, and a major crisis in our family at home.

We ordered some stuff from Amazon for delivery to a locker somewhere on day X, but then they said day Z, and it finally turned up on day Y.

The lawyers dealing with Clare’s 2022 motorcycle accident claim on the IoM organised an MRI scan in Mexico, but trying to choose a date when we’re moving and they are glacially dynamic meant we were hanging around in California for a week or two.

So we thrashed around a bit! It has to be said I’m more tolerant of stopping in odd places than Clare is! Joshua Tree National Park was well worth the two days there, though boy was it hot. And, maybe our first California crowded campsite – some pretty noisy neighbours, with a heavy stereo habit. Lots of nice photos though.

We were learning, or re-learning, an important lesson. In southern California, we’ve been alternating between coast and inland, and low and high, quite often within a day, and it’s really drumming home the lesson of how the temperature depends on altitude, and is different at the coast. As we left Joshua Tree NP, we descended (was it?) 1000m from the baking hot Mojave Desert, to the bonkers hot Colorado Desert. Fortunately we’d timed it well (early), so temperatures were muted. But it was very clear how the vegetation changed: Joshua trees vanished, ocotillos and smoke trees appeared, amongst other changes. Them tough ‘ole creosote bushes were in both though.

Salty Salton Sea was 72m below sea level and insanely hot – remember this is late September – and we really felt for the (presumably) Mexican workers picking in the huge fields of fruit and veg. Their convenience store, though, was one of the best we’d seen for a while. We legged it though – could not take the heat.

Now, our Amazon order: Maps, parts, and pants. Now, like most people, I’d heard of “Palm Springs”, the millionaires playground, but for some reason, thought it was in Florida. It ain’t, and I’d ordered our stuff to an Amazon locker right in it. Interesting. Madly hot – why is PS even here? – but very well kept. Lots of grass. Lots of posh shops. Lots of posh cars. Same endless traffic lights as most US cities. It’s a shame it was so hot, as it would repay a photo session – but not wearing motorcycle armour. We found a lovely campground, Hurkey Creek, forty miles away up a wonderfully winding hill road. But it was frustrating having to base there three days.

Still killing time, we decided to venture to San Diego to check out some moto clothing, and pick up the next oil change kit (Northern Mexico being rather short of RE dealers). The beach-side campground reminded us why we hadn’t much enjoyed this stretch when we cycled it in 2017 – crowded and madly expensive. And why do US state & national campsites penalise motorcyclists with “extra vehicle” charges! Still, I enjoyed an extended dip in the Pacific, failing to bodysurf in the nice little breakers: It was too chilly for Clare, and when I got out the second time, I was pretty cold. I somehow hadn’t expected that, right at the south of golden California, the boardies would all be wearing full wetsuits.

Finally, searching for a campsite within a short ride of the Mexican border, we stumbled across the campsite for Palomar Observatory. High up, shaded by pines, it was almost too cool. We took the nice walk to the 200-inch telescope and its museum.

Unfortunately our last 2 nights in the USA were again marred by noisy campsite parties. It’s probably fair to say California has cemented it’s place as our least favourite state, though it’s undoubtedly beautiful. Still, we’ve only ever visited 11 states…