A quick trip to Mexico

Today we drove to Los Algadones. It was time to stock up on a few meds and although Los Algadones is 190 miles away, it was worth it to get a year's worth of meds. We wouldn't want to do it every day, but it was a fine day-trip today.

We drove south until we reached the outskirts of San Diego, then turned east onto Highway 8. Whenever we get away from development in Southern California, it is amazing how dry, dry, dry the ground is. And rocky, too. The hillsides look like mounds of rubble pilled up.

And yet, people are constantly irrigating this desert to turn it into something else. One stretch of this highway is planted in big flowering bushes, just like the road between LA and Bakersfield. There is no way these will live without constant watering.

California is well into it's fourth year of drought and there are public service announcements everywhere about conserving water. I love these bushes, but I think I would start here. Take these out and plant some nice, desert-loving plants.

Highway 8 continued east, through the rocky desert and into a sandy desert. Just before the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, the road runs pretty close to Mexico, and in the distance the black border fence runs along the horizon. 

The first thing we did when we got into the area near Yuma was stop for gas. And we both remarked on the low, low price of gas in Arizona! Here we found some at $2.29 a gallon, while the lowest price we can find in the Vista area is $2.99.

Then we drove 5 miles back west to the parking lot at the border. The cost of parking has gone up to $6, but it's still a pretty good deal. Passports in hand, we walked across the border into Mexico. First things first - we got the meds we wanted in the Purple Pharmacy. Then we went searching for a great price on scotch. Didn't find one. There are several liquor stores and Mexican alcohol is very modestly priced, but USA alcohol isn't. 

So we just went to get lunch. We usually get fish fish tacos, but decided to go elsewhere this time. We've stopped at this restaurant before in 2012, although I have never learned if it has a name. What is does have a a wide range of meats offered. 

As usual, the tortilla chip appetizer came with a lot of sides: salsa, sauce, cucumbers, thin crema and a very mild avocado sauce.  We ordered tacos, sopes, beans and Mexican Coke/Coke Light. 

During lunch we were serenaded by a young man with a guitar and a set of reed pipes. He was good and we enjoyed the food, but their fish tacos aren't as good at the other one, so we will probably go there next time. 

The guys at the table next to us asked for really hot salsa. The owner took a bowl of salsa off an empty table, added a bunch of seasoning, and presented it to them. I assume it was good - it was made to order!

As usual, people were constantly asking us to buy their wares. Even while we ate, people walked up to our table to try to sell us things. We said 'no' to everything until this young man showed up selling cheap fans...and I couldn't say no. 

After lunch it was time to leave. We had another 190 to get back and wanted to be home before traffic backed up. We ran into a little traffic on 5, but not much, so we made it home in time to let the doggies outside before they had an accident.

Barns in the mist

It's very dry in Southern California but in Vista, where we are just a few miles from the ocean, sometimes there is a heavy fog in the morning. It disappears quickly but if I am up early (which doesn't happen often), it's quite lovely.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

There are several places nearby where we can get fresh fruit. Which leads to things like fresh strawberry pie!

Saying 'no' to a doughnut

We are planning our next adventure, which will be visiting the beautiful canyons of Utah and Yellowstone. I expect there will be a fair amount of hiking involved, which I am not used to. So I have resolved to walk around the Museum grounds daily, in the hopes that I won't collapse on some canyon floor. It makes sense to do a little weight-loss therapy at the same time, like eating healthier. 

This morning my walk took me to the area where the Gem and Mineral Show is set up, where I found several of our guys manning a food booth. And they had doughnuts. Because Randy was volunteering, I could probably have one doughnut for free. And they had the doughnuts that I (really) like - not the full-bodied cake-style, but lighter yeast doughnuts. And covered with chocolate...not the pale, anemic chocolate you find on grocery store doughnuts, but a rich, dark chocolate. And it was early in the morning so they were very fresh...And probably free. It was surprisingly hard to do, but I decided to say 'no' to the doughnut, just to see what it feels like. 

So far, it feels like I missed out on a great doughnut.

Gem and Mineral Show finds

The Gem and Mineral Show is at the Museum this weekend. I have all the rocks I need but I still had to go look at the beautiful things on display. I wasn't going to buy anything, but then I found these rocks shaped exactly like bars of soap, and for some reason I just had to have one.

Shortly thereafter I was talking to someone about creme brûlée, and a few stalls over I saw these little  citrine minerals that sort of look like creme brûlée. Suddenly I had to have a mineral that sort of looks like creme brûlée.

Once I got in that frame of mind, it was a short jump to getting a little dolomite crystal, just the size of a petit four, with pink "sugar" crystals on top.

And some small orange calcite, looking so much like crystalized ginger. 

And a shark tooth, looking nothing at all like food, but just so cool!

Perks of the job - April 9

There is some work to be done in one of the display barns, so the antique automobiles stored there have to be moved to somewhere else. And, well, somebody has to do the job! 

So Randy and Dan get to drive several beautiful old cars. This 1926 Buick Sedan is so old that the wheel spokes are made of wood.

The car has a plate on its front that says "Repeal the 18th Amendment". Appropriately, they drove this beauty to town to have lunch at a place called "Prohibition". The restaurant owner wanted to buy the car; it would look awesome at his restaurant, but it wasn't for sale!

Cat vs Dog; now the score is tied

Shorty has found another way to mess with the cat. We keep a cat bed for Missy in the middle of the dashboard, so she can sleep in the sun or watch the birds. Shorty has discovered that he can jump up on the driver's chair, hop up to the dashboard, and curl up in Missy's day bed. He's pretty smug about it.