The courtyard has become a great gathering place, especially when wehave a live band playing.

The courtyard has become a great gathering place, especially when we have a live band playing. Val Vista is really good at scheduling good groups to play here. We usually have three to four bands in each week.

2011-12-29 Courtyard Music

2011-12-29 Courtyard Music

Tuesdays and Thursdays are group hiking days at Val Vista.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are group hiking days at Val Vista. Dagmar and I have participated in all the hikes while we've been here. We've have seen so many beautiful landscapes while meeting some really great people.

On the recommendations of friends at Val Vista we visited the Christmaslight show put on by the Mesa Mormons at...

On the recommendations of friends at Val Vista we visited the Christmas light show put on by the Mesa Mormons at their temple. They really go to great lengths and expense to make this one of the most beautiful lightings we've seen.

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

2011-12-23 Mesa Mormon Temple

On the Mojave Desert run we stayed an uneventful night in 29 Palms.

On the Mojave Desert run we stayed an uneventful night in 29 Palms. We had planned on visiting Joshua Tree National Park but found that the campground was really just a bit too small for our motorhome. We decided to make the run to Jojoba Hills which is about 17 miles from Temecula on highway 79. We had been invited to visit there by Billy and Helene Outlaw who we met while staying in Death Valley at the 49'ers Encampment. Jojoba Hill RV Resort was built by the members of the Escapees club and other members stay there at very reasonable discounted rates ($20/night for full hookups) for up to a month at a time. It is a very beautiful resort sitting on its own mountain with a spectacular view of the valley below. I think there is somewhere between 2-300 sites, each very large with its own patio and shed. We were in for a real treat!!

2011-11-21 Jojoba Hills Arrival

2011-11-21 Jojoba Hills Arrival

2011-11-21 Jojoba Hills Arrival

2011-11-21 Jojoba Hills Arrival

After leaving Death Valley The morning we were packing things up toleave Death Valley the motorhome slideout...

After leaving Death Valley The morning we were packing things up to leave Death Valley the motorhome slideout failed to work, so I had to crank the in manually. So we headed back to Pahrump, NV to repair the motorhome slideout. Then we took off through the Mojave Desert on our way to Jojoba Hills, CA. We stopped in Kelso, CA to look through the Visitor Center in the late afternoon.