A Welcome Break

After we arrived at Chiriaco Summit, we picked out a level campsite near the end of the road and settled in for the night. In the morning, when we got out of the truck, we realized that we had a spectacular view of the mountains in every direction. Paul, the camp manager, introduced himself and signed us in, confirming that we would be able to stay for the week.

With all the driving we had done, it was relaxing to do nothing but sit. At first, we enjoyed the warmth of the desert, but it got hot quickly. I had bought a large tarp, bungee cords, and rope in preparation for a campout where the forecast called for rain.
Through a variety of circumstances, we didn’t end up going on the trip. Chris teased me about getting the tarp, thinking we would never use it.

When the sun got hot that first day in California, he decided the tarp was a good purchase after all. We tied one end to the truck and staked down the other side, creating a lean-to of sorts. It was a welcome relief to have the shade in the middle of the day. We ordered a set of tarp poles to give us more room underneath.

Celestial Excitement

As we sat outside the first night, enjoying the starry sky, we were delighted to see three shooting stars. Our friend, Ryan, texted us the next day to let us know about a meteor shower and that all the planets were supposed to be visible to the naked eye. He told us about a SkyMap app, which we downloaded.

That night we used the app and were able to spot six planets. Mercury and Venus were below the horizon by the time it was dark enough for them to show.

We also learned that day that Jupiter and Saturn would come closer to each other in the next few weeks than they had in 800 years. It so happened that the conjunction would occur on the night of the winter solstice. We looked forward to seeing their positions every night.

Daily Life

That afternoon, we took a walk through the desert towards the mountains. It was about ¾ of a mile to the fence marking the border to Joshua Tree National Park. We saw a large jackrabbit and evidence of campsites while we walked. We found a bag that was the perfect size for our folding table. Somehow, we lost our bag at Imagine Festival last year, so I was excited to find a replacement. The bag was our second ground score, the first being a small mesh bag. We kept it, hoping we would find a use for it eventually.

We settled into a daily routine. We walked to the truck stop twice a day, once for the restroom and again to charge our electronics. We enjoyed the walk. There were plenty of birds to watch, and the oleander was in bloom. We spotted a roadrunner one morning. I was disappointed that I had not brought the camera. Another day we saw hummingbirds. They were the biggest hummingbirds I had ever seen. One evening, we saw three small rabbits running, not hopping, through the desert.

During our stay, we watched campers come and go, most just stopping for the night, others for a few days. We had a pleasant conversation with Joe, who was also from Virginia. The next day, he stopped by our campsite to give us two lovely bottles of wine. We were blown away by his kindness. We enjoyed the bottle of red wine and saved the bottle of white for Thanksgiving.

Critters

We had several visitors while we were at Chiriaco Summit. A Pinacate beetle came through our camp a few days in a row. He disappeared for a few days but then came back again a week later. He was funny to watch, standing on his head when he was nervous.

Cactus wrens visited our site most mornings, and one night, while we were eating dinner, Chris spotted a kangaroo rat running through our camp. Chris spotted the creature a few times, but I didn’t see him. The next night he came back. I saw him this time, sitting between our chairs as if he belonged there.

Six days into our stay, Paul stopped by to see how we were doing. We told him about our plans to move to the BLM campground down the road to finish our quarantine period. He very graciously told us we were welcome to stay as long as we liked. It was a tremendous relief not to have to change locations.

After a week, we were getting a little stir crazy. We had ordered some supplies and were happy to drive to Indio, about 26 miles away, to go to the post office and the store. We stopped at a truck stop to do laundry and take a real shower while we were out.

Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving approaching, I found myself a little down. It would be our first holiday away from the kids, and I found myself missing them severely. We noticed that the Chiriaco Summit Restaurant at the truck stop had a Thanksgiving dinner special. We ordered the dinner and bought two firewood bundles, thinking that a nice dinner followed by a campfire would make the day special.

It ended up being a Thanksgiving to remember. On Tuesday, Paul warned us about wind in the weather forecast. We were grateful that he did. They expected the wind to be over 20 miles per hour. The night before Thanksgiving, we took down the tarp and potty tent. We also removed the rain fly from the tent, hoping the wind would blow right through without damaging it.

We woke up to a calm and peaceful day. I started to think we were silly for taking everything down, but within a few hours, the wind started, and we were happy we had prepared. Our plan to set up a table for dinner turned into eating Thanksgiving dinner in the truck.
The campfire would have to wait.

We took the Reflectix out of the window while we got out of the truck to keep it from blowing away. After our trip to charge our phones, Chris put it back into the window. I did not realize he had done so and left the door open for a few minutes before settling in for the night. When we got into the truck, we realized the Reflectix was gone. Chris walked out into the desert with a flashlight and somehow managed to find it.

A New Friend

The extreme wind continued into Friday, finally dying down late in the afternoon. We cooked fish over a campfire for dinner. As our fire died down, a new neighbor across the road, Charles, came over with more wood.

He was from Virginia Beach and was on an adventure similar to ours. He left Virginia about the same time we did, taking a southern route versus our northern one. It was funny to meet up with someone from so close to home, so far away from home. We enjoyed his company over the next few days.

The Full Moon

On our next to last night at Chiriaco Summit, we saw the most spectacular moonrise as we started walking to the truck stop. The gorgeous, nearly full moon rose over the mountains just before sunset. It looked like a painting with a glorious pink and blue background from the sky.

The next night, with a full moon, we decided it was a perfect night for a campfire. The spectacular moon lighted up the night sky.
At one point, we looked up to see the moon directly above us with an incredible light ring surrounding it. There was a full eclipse expected that night, but we fell asleep before it happened.

In the morning, Charles came over to enjoy breakfast burritos with us. As we sat, enjoying the welcome warmth of the early sun, we spotted an Antelope ground squirrel not far away. We had caught glimpses of him throughout the week, but this was the first time we were able to distinguish what we saw. It was a good day for spotting wildlife. We saw chipmunks and lizards later in the day as well.

A Message To The Beyond

Chris and Charles saw something sparkling in the desert. Upon investigation, they found it to be two heart-shaped balloons with a note attached. It was a birthday wish from a sister to her brother who had died five years ago. As we read the letter, the balloons, despite having secured them, suddenly took flight. We watched as they disappeared high in the sky.

We did not feel it was appropriate to throw the note away, but we also didn’t feel it was proper to keep such a private gesture. We attempted to put the message into a piece of cholla skeleton to leave at the altar on the coffee shop patio, but that did not work out. The only thing we could think proper to do was to burn the note in the fire in homage to the young man.

Finally, we finished our two weeks of quarantine. We woke to a fantastic sunrise. As the sun rose over the mountains, the full moon still hung over the mountains in the west. It was a beautiful way to end our stay at Chiriaco Summit.

We packed up our gear and made one last trip to the truck stop. I was delighted to see the roadrunner again, this time with the camera. It was a good omen for the next leg of our adventure.