A few days ago we returned from a two week camping trip in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. We were concerned that one of our favorite camping spots might have been washed away by tropical storm Hilary. Our fears were unwarranted and, as usual, we had a great time.
Time for Another Trip
We spent two weeks at the end of August in the Sierra Nevada. In September our big calendar item was a trip to Colorado Springs to participate in my 50th class reunion at the Air Force Academy. On our return from this, my daughter and her family visited us.
Now it was time for another camping trip. We were facing a little October heat wave here in Palm Springs with temperatures in triple digits. Palm Springs is situated in the low desert, and the high deserts would be a bit cooler with highs in the ’70s and ’80s (F). Time to go!
Hilary Rainfall
Palm Springs
You probably saw on the news some of the damage Hilary did to the Palm Springs area. We weren’t surprised, as these are the same areas that flood during storms. Our desert area doesn’t have much in the way of storm channels. The rainfall just travels in the natural washes that emanate from the local mountains.
Palm Springs got a total of about 3.2 inches of rain from the storm. Our annual average rainfall is around 5 inches for the entire year.
Mojave Desert
The area we often camp in is about 10 miles from a remote National Weather Service weather station. The station recorded around 2.1 inches of rain versus the annual average of 3.4 inches. This was of concern.
During our previous two trips this year, one of the major dirt roads we use was closed due to flood damage back in January. Plus parts of a two lane paved road we travel had some minor damage from these earlier storms. So I did some internet sleuthing before leaving home.
All roads we opened including the afore mentioned dirt road. The National Park Service had posted some post-Hilary road damage that had been repaired.
National Park Service Pictures
These pictures are an indication of possible severe damage to dirt roads and desert washes. As it turned out, there wasn’t any that could have negatively impacted our camping plans.
Late October Non-Crowds
Since our plan was to be there during Halloween, we knew crowds would be scarce. In fact, we didn’t talk to a single person during our stay (except each other). A lack of homo sapiens is always a top priority for me when choosing an excellent campsite. On this point alone, the trip was a huge success.
The Green Desert
Although our trip was two months after the Hilary event, the desert was very green for this time of year. I must point out that “green” is relative and for those who spend a lot of time in these kinds of deserts the change was obvious.
Desert Nights
Some of the best nights are in the fall. Our location was perfect for some astrophotography and I captured several targets. It will take some time to process them and I’ll post those pictures once I am done.
However, not every night was conducive for viewing the night sky. We had several nights with a viscous cold winds that drove back inside our warm refuge — our camper.
Our Next Trip
We haven’t planned one yet. I need to do a few things to our travel trailer. One project is to add more solar panels since we are camping more and more for longer periods of time. Also it is time to replace the fabric on our awning. Once these tasks are finished, we’ll plan the next trip.