Funny noises . . .

The drive down to the Joshua Tree area was lovely as there were lots of flowers blooming in the desert. Large swaths of yellow and lots of light green on the desert floor.

I saw on the map that we would be passing quite close to the Trona Pinnacles so decided to have a look. The pinnacles are on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land so it wasn’t like going to a national park. The five mile road into the pinnacles was a dirt track with lots and lots of bumps. The pinnacles are calcium carbonate deposits that formed when this whole area was under water 10 to 100 thousand years ago.

Coming off the highway and down this dirt road were little signs with arrows and the GQ magazine logo on them. I hoped that maybe they were doing a photo shoot for their men’s  swimsuit issue (not that there’s actually such a thing). But although something was going on I didn’t see anyone with a camera except me. And everyone seemed to be dressed in motorcycle gear.

On the way back down the sandy, bumpy road I stopped to take the first picture above. I got talking to a couple who asked me to take their photo together. Turned out they were from Italy and on their honeymoon trip. They’d already been to New York and San Francisco and were planning on going to Hawaii after touring southern California.

Later on Tuesday Eliot and I arrived at a kind of camping retreat area called Starland. Doug, the resident host, welcomed me and showed me around the property. It’s a rather eclectic place with camping areas for tents or mobile campers and also bunkhouses. And there’s public lands on three sides of the property so there’s a definite out in the wilderness feel even though there are other properties nearby. All very western and low key. However, it seems that I am the only person in all of North America who had decided to visit this particular week in March. Starland’s mission statement says (in part):

Starland Community provides a carefree, scenic, and spiritual place to relax, learn about the high desert, and to meet new friends.

So naturally I’m a bit disappointed that I have the place to myself and will not have the opportunity to meet ‘new friends’. Even Doug, the host, has taken off today (Friday) for some business in Phoenix so I have the entire place to myself. I guess he must have decided that I look trust worthy. So no standing in line for the showers, or the washing machine, or cooking facilities and lots of room in the refrigerator for my stuff.

Here are a few photos from the property:

Since the bumpy and potholed roads in Humboldt County in Northenrn California, the van has had a strange sound coming from the right front wheel well. A kind of hollow clunk every the van goes over a bump – large or small. I’m not fond of strange noises coming from parts of the van that are essential to keeping it from going over a cliff of which there are many in California and along the Oregon coast.

So yesterday I tracked down a shop that deals with Volkswagen vehicles. It was a little independent place with two mechanics who instantly joked that vans like mine usually arrived at their shop being pulled by a tow truck and they were impressed to see mine arrive under its own power. However, I don’t think VW people down here are as familiar with these old vehicles as those in Victoria. Their conclusion after a half hour of investigation was that the lower ball joint on the right side was making the noise and should be replaced. And so today I spent half  of the day wandering around the town of Yucca Valley waiting for the two lower ball joints on the front end to be replaced. It’s now done and wasn’t terribly expensive. I’m hoping the van will now get us back to Canada.