Am I really going to Mexico?

The answer is yes but now I will be leaving just after Christmas.  I stayed through Monday to purchase some medical equipment in an online auction.  I got everything I wanted and at lower prices than I had expected.  Sold everything within 3 days at almost 20 times what I paid for them!  My brother Rick helped and we have set up an account in his name so he will be able to handle future transactions with my email and telephone help.

Rick's whole family never stopped pressuring me to spend Christmas with them and I finally made the decision to stay yesterday.  It is chilly here with night time temps dropping below freezing and high temps just over 60 degrees.  I follow a lot of blogs from RVers in Mexico and keep La Paz, Loreto and Puerto Vallarta weather reports on my Google Chrome home page.  Lows in all three cities rarely go below 60 and the highs are typically in the mid to upper 70s.  I sure do miss that weather.

As you may recall, I lived in Mexico for almost 2 years.  It seems that  changes occur more slowly there so I expect everything to be nearly the same as when I left.

New campsite at Kern River

When I checked out the two sites Christen and I occupied last week, I was disappointed in their condition.  After just one week both campsites were a mess: paper plates, diapers, broken beer bottles and other assorted trash littered the entire area.  This campground is totally free and includes beautiful views in all directions and includes a dumpster for trash.  Why are people so disrespectful of our environment?

The above picture shows how I left my campsite around the fire ring.  I am not including a picture of how I found it because in addition to the load of trash around the site, someone had taken a dump less than a foot from this fire ring.

Rick enjoying the view and sounds of the river.

I had to do some clean-up at this new site but due to the remote location, there was less trash than at my old site.  I think I have made my last trip this season to the Kern River so I am spared having to witness what I am almost certain is now a trash laden site.

Firewood supply that Rick and I gathered in about an hour.

These rapids are directly down the hill from my campsite.

The remainder of my stay involved many hours of hiking, reading in the warm sunshine and sleeping with the sounds of the river lulling me to sleep.  No gold panning for me this trip but the same prospectors were there in force each day.

Sorry for the rant as I usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt, however in this case there is no doubt that the individuals involved are inconsiderate slobs.

Dod goes off-roading!

When I arrived back at the Keyesville South Camp on the Kern River I parked for the first night at the camp where Christen's trailer had been the week before. To get to this camp I had to cross the following hazards on the only access road to the campsite.

Yes, they are just as bad as they look!  In all of my travels driving my Jeep CJ7 in Mexico,  I cannot remember taking any roads in worse condition than this one.  It was worth it to me to arrive at the site.  I took a short walk over this road:

Yes, this is the road and it is just as steep as it appears.  At the top of the hill, this is the road down the other side:

The next morning my brother Rick came up and I decided to risk it and take Dod over the hill.  I know it was risky taking a 32 year old RV over this type of terrain but it was worth it to wind up in this site:

Dod's new site as viewed from across the Kern River.