A ridge covered with wind turbines greeted us just to the east of Bakersfield. From here we headed into the Mojave Desert and the dry conditions we would enjoy for a month.

The rising full moon behind a Joshua tree in the Mojave Desert was a pretty sight.

Oh...this is going to be good! This is the view of the 14th to 17th holes from our patio. I think I could get used to this!

Our 'park model' on the 17th green was comfortable and well positioned to catch the sun throughout the day and watch the wonderful sunsets.

We were very comfortable in our little unit.

The main clubhouse was the centre of activities for the RV Park and the site of the largest pool

We had 5 pools at Rancho Casa Blanca, including this 25 metre one. Temperatures were in the 80's when we arrived, so we spent some time every day here after golf.

Here we are toasting Di after her first ever round of golf. By the end of the month, she could honestly say that she enjoyed the game!

The 9th hole was one of our favourites. There were so many opportunities to wash your ball between the tee and the hole.

In the rare event of a cloud in the sky late in the afternoon, we saw some wonderful sunsets from our patio.

We went for a drive through the Joshua Tree National Park to the north of Indio. It's pretty desolate country with lots of cacti and other desert vegetation.

Even in the harshest of environments, nature continues to amaze us.

The Cactus Garden area of the park was full of cacti such as this Cholla cactus...reputed to have very few redeeming qualities!

'White tank' granite of volcanic origin created some interesting shapes in Joshua Tree National Park.

This yucca added a lot of texture to this desert. We were constantly changing our understanding of just what the desert looks like.

The Joshua tree had interesting form and was the largest living thing in the high desert to the north of Indio.

Up to 100 000 rv's spread out across the Algodones Dunes in the desert for fun in the sun and sand over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The heavily used Colorado River flows west near the California-Mexico border.

We visited Algodones, Mex, hoping to find a little slice of Mexico. All we found were opticians, dentists and drug stores.

Di's setting up on the 18th tee as two hot air balloons drift by in the late afternoon sun.

This pretty much describes the weather for most of the month of November...apparently it was a lot nicer than the weather back home!

Bill and Stan were saluting the Lions' victory in the Grey Cup. We watched the game via satellite.

Agriculture is number one in this part of Cal...assuming you can get water to your fields. The dates in the background are ready to be picked.

Hmmm, I hope that they extend that ladder. This year's date crop had already been picked.

The fields of artichokes went forever.

Oh....for some melted butter.

Formed when the Colorado River broke through some dikes about 1915, this 600 square mile 'sea' is full of fish and bird life.

Pelicans were enjoying the fish that were abundant in the Salton Sea.

Beautiful white egrets were plentiful

Guys can be resourceful when they are thirsty in the desert. Then we remembered that it was a screw cap!

Twenty-four turkeys were roasted for Thanksgiving at the RV Park.

Thanksgiving dinner was a great success at Rancho Casa Blanca...all for $6 per person!

A little champagne and o.j. and French toast after an early morning round of golf.

We visited the street fair at the College of the Desert every weekend. Lots of bargains were found here.

We enjoyed the Tamale Festival in Old Indio one weekend. The tamales were cheap and excellent....with lots of Mariachi bands and other entertainment.

Sue and Barry James, friends from home, dropped by on their way down to the Baja for the winter.

Downtown Julian, an 1860's gold mining centre, south of Palm Springs.

The Anza Borrego Desert between Julian and the Salton Sea...beautiful clean air and lots of hiking available.

The setting sun casts an interesting hue over the Salton Sea, south of Indio.

More wind turbines to generate electricity for California's 30+ million people.

For those of you old enough to remember '20 Mule Team Borax', this is the mine where 20 Mule Team Borax is produced in Boron, Ca, in the Mojave Desert

Jet airliners are mothballed in the Mojave Desert, waiting their turn to fly again.

We finally reach the shores of the Pacific near Morro Bay, just south of San Simeon. Shorebirds abound.

This guy's parents seem to be a bit tired of his incessant whining!

Now those are classy looking seagulls!

High in the mountains overlooking the Pacific at San Simeon, is the 'castle' of publisher William Randolf Hearst. It sat in the middle of his 500 square mile ranch and had 80 miles of Pacific shoreline.

A very impressive entrance...to one of the four guest houses on the Hearst estate. W. R. Hearst, one of the world's wealthiest men at the time, lived here for 6 months a year and entertained lavishly on weekends.

The outdoor pool was spectacular. It took William Hearst four attempts to get the effect that he wanted for this feature of his grounds.

3 000 year old pieces of Egyptian art also adorned the grounds.