Day 54 - Palm Canyon & Covid Concert

This morning I beat Kelly out of bed and got the coffee going. A sunny day once the blinds were raised:-)

Once again the world news regarding COVID-19 is dominating the TV. Lots of closures of restaurants & businesses with whole cities locked down to combat the spread. We reassessed our situation and although we had strongly thought about returning early, once we considered the fact we would be stuck at home with no contact, isolated for 14 days, it just seemed better to stay in the heat of the desert, enjoying both the the area and freedom as best we can.

We contacted our medical insurance provider and confirmed full coverage until the end of April. We also contacted the regional park and RV park that will host us over the next two weeks and they are open and expecting us. So we will ride out the "storm" in camping "isolation" and continue our journey.... wherever it may lead.

Today we loaded the chairs into the truck, grabbed the cooler of drinks & snacks and drove south on HWY 95 to Palm Canyon Road. We then drove east on a gravel road for 10 km into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and the base of Palm Canyon. 

Prickle Pear Cactus in bloom

Wow!

Kofa entry.

Amazing views!

More!

 It was spectacular! The pictures do not do it justice! We hiked up the trail to view the last place in the state where these native California palms grow in their natural habitat. It was a steady climb but very manageable. We passed a couple folks who were all very courteous and kept our social distancing :-)

Looking towards the west.

More great views.

Once near the end of the trail we could easily see the palms although taking pictures had it's challenges. We returned to the parking lot (only a few cars were there) and then drove 50 meters down the road to a pull out. We had our lunch/snacks right there... it was amazingly quiet and peaceful. 

Lunch in the desert. Amazingly quiet!

On the way home we topped up our water jug with fresh purified water (5 gal/$1.00). Once home, Kelly worked on her project while I studied my eyelids :-)

Leftover meatballs & rice for dinner.

Tonight's sunset

After dinner we loaded up the iPad & Laptop and headed to McDonald's to steal some fast internet. Shelley and Doug from Kelly's band put on a one hour show call "Covid Concert" from their livingroom. The wireless worked for the most part but I had to use some data for the last half... it all worked well aside from some technical issues during "production" :-) 

A big THANK YOU to them for an hour of entertainment!

Live from Victoria!

We grabbed a fudge sundae at the drive through and headed home. TV & blogging finished off the night. 

KM's today: 96
Total KM's: 7771
Temps:Low 11ºC High 20ºC