SUNDAY November 13, 2011 TOURING THE SLABS AREAS

Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, ......... coffee & orange juice!  Ready to go!    **See the 'house'!**

Chili Bob's going to be our
'guide' today!  His car has 4 doors, and it's easier for everyone when we are 'in and out' often!  Everyone has a camera around their neck, so with full bellies, off we go!

The very first thing we SEE from our rig is this funny little house the man is building just a few feet from our windshield, and we had an excellent view!   He brought a trailer/foundation down from some northern state (Washington?) all the way to Slab City, and is making steady progress to complete his 'home on wheels',  and is planning on dragging it all the way back home when he finishes.   Someone said his wife gives him money to stay away from home, but I didn't hear that for myself.   He often leaves early in the morning and returns late in the afternoon, traveling wherever he finds wood or 'parts' to work on his little house.   It looks like it's going to be really heavy!   Sometimes he just sits a lawn chair on top and views every one's activities, or else puts a mattress up there.  I have a few 'sneaky' photos I will try and find to show you! 

He was a quiet man, and went about his work with determination.  It was interesting to see the first lady who approached his house 'project' find a way to get to see inside his house.   I wondered what 'words' she knew to get 'entrance'. "house-in-progress". 

He seemed to enjoy the view from his 'perch' but I felt rather obvious taking photos using the space between my rig & mirror, but once I realized he just didn't seem to mind, I took photos as he arranged his chair and mattress 'up there' for evening viewing.   I'm waiting on Bob and Seann to explain how it looks and 'drives'/pulls when he is finished!   I felt like a window peeker, peeking out, instead of 'in'!  .......More Photos, please!  

                    Magee and I slipped away for another lunch at 'that place' where the chicken fried steak was so good, because everyone else had a different agenda!   We headed back to town.

 

 

 We watched the town people

enter, eat, chat and 'connect' with friends in the small cafe.  A mom with a baby in a stroller.  A teen with purple hair.  ...... a teen not too far removed from television and what's 'hip' in the world of technology.

The waitresses were quite accommodating, but were often socially preoccupied, as everyone seemed to know each other when you go 'downtown' Niland!  The food was good, and we were ready for adventure when we left!

Some of the photos I will post will have been from times we were in the car by our self, or in the car with others!   Here are a few of the experiences we had that day!

We saw some places in Niland when we toured with Bob, then saw a few more when we did 'girls lunch out'!

On our way back out to Slab City, our senses were keen to absorb the experience in broad daylight, so we watched, stopped, looked, and soaked up the quiet little main street in Niland.   People quietly went about their daily life as if Slab City didn't even exist out in the desert about 4 miles away.



It was comforting to see that Niland has it's yearly traditional festival, and that the people living there were making all the same efforts as people in metropolitan areas to have festivities, nice schools, good playgrounds, and places for people to meet, eat, and greet each other!

Niland has 'hysterical' signs to explain what has been there in the past, explaining some of Niland's history and connections with the military.

If you have an opportunity, go riding with Bob and hear all of the fascinating stories!

I loved seeing the little house with the enclosed yard, trying hard to create their own little oasis in the middle of the desert!   When you see that they have gone to the trouble to put up "God Bless America" with paper cups on their fence, it became an obvious reminder that people everywhere we went were planning on celebrating Thanksgiving and making plans to show their appreciation for being able to live in America!


  The Niland School System below had a nice building for their
children to attend, and a pretty little enclosed playground which was in use as we passed by!   I wonder if the children are aware of the people staring at their town and it's amenities.   I wonder if the local children are 'aware' of Slab City being so close, and what explanation and 'precautions' they may hear from their parents about the 'people who live in Slab City'.   











There's so much to see and do in Niland !   Allow a little bit of time to walk the streets and learn what some of the buildings 'used to be'!    I do hope you don't have to use the services of the Imperial County Sheriff's Department!



SATURDAY November 12 2011 TOURING THE SLABS AREA

Another beautiful sunrise!  It's 6:30 a.m., .......but only 4:40 a.m. in Texas!  I hope all those deer hunters realize I beat them up with no alarm!  I'm on California time from now til dark!   There's water all over my rig!  Soap, too!  At first I thought it was raining, but a quick check revealed that Seann was washing my rig!  What a warm "Welcome" to get your RV washed and get all the snow, mud, and desert dirt off of your cozy little home on wheels! 

Seann is from Canada, and has been on our RV-Singles list for a long time.  He and I have similar political view points much of the time and enjoy the banter back and forth.  As a Canadian, he is in 'fine tune' with what's happening in the U.S. political arena, and sends me great jokes!  

I have a new "Motto" about our economy and my lifestyle, so I had a sign made and stuck it in the front window in front of Magee's seat, and put our RV-Singles@Yahoogroups.com  'sign' on the driver's side, just in case someone recognizes my rig and will stop by!

Seann just pulled up in his pretty blue truck with all his power equipment, and welcomed us to the Slabs in a fabulous way!   Thanks so much Seann!   I am so proud to have a clean 'house' for the trip!

I am already wishing I could just turn around and go back!   But when I get my credit card statement, I'm sure I'll work harder to contain my need for instant gratification!  LOL

I was so proud to see my clean rig!
THANK YOU, SEANN!




CLEAN!  Now we can get our 'camp' all set up again! 






On our first full day, we spent time getting a (little) bit organized, although there's little time for such trivia when there are other (more important) things to do!   We took 'tours' and considered our options every day, trying our best to decide exactly how to dedicate our precious time!  

Chili Bob took us on a 'tour' of the area ........ the 1st trip to go 'see' what's happening!   He has a 'toad' (towed car behind his motor home) that worked great because it will go anywhere, ..... and we did!
Chili Bob took us down roads we had never seen before!

He also took us places ....... up hills where you couldn't 'see' where 'down' was going to begin when you reached the top!


He took us through gullies where we wondered if we would be able to climb back out again!

It would have been easy to see me quickly putting on my seat belt, unconsciously gripping my camera as if it might fly out of my hand, and making a few funny little guttural, muttering noises as if to say, "Oh, please be careful!"

But we were 'in the hands' of an experienced, excellent driver, and we emerged healthy and happy, full of tales to tell, and already planning to 'ride the same route again' to take more photos!!

By now, I hope to have shared a sense of how much camaraderie there is between the people I knew I would be meeting, and that Magee and I knew we would be in a group of people who could be trusted and would be truly dependable friends! 

In the interest of privacy, I will only use first names or nicknames for the people you will be meeting in the my future posts on this blog.   I will also try and cover just one or two subjects in each post, so that our adventures will make more sense.   Tomorrow you will meet Julie and see some of our specific adventures!

In the following days and future posts, I am going to try and post some photos that will give you a sense of how people live, share, thrive, and survive in Slab City, about 4 miles out into the desert outside of Niland, California!  .........and extra photos to share a sense of 'life' in Slab City!

THE COP WHO STOPPED ME!

I had been in CA at 'the Slabs' camping for over 2 weeks, then returned to Texas in my RV and Jeep toad, arrived home in Texas at my house, parked the RV & Jeep, and jumped into my Yukon Denali to run a fast errand to get groceries for my 'stick home'.
 
While I was gone on vacation, the end of October had arrived and left my Denali with an out-of-date inspection sticker.

The officer stopped me, and I immediately knew 'why', as I quickly scanned my brain for a probably cause.  Then, I glanced at the sticker and realized why.

The officer approached my window, I rolled it down, and he asked for my D.L.   I told him, "My DL and my Concealed Carry License are in my billfold, in my purse, just inside the back window where I sat my purse when I loaded in the groceries.  There is also a Lady Smith in each of the 2 end pockets of my purse."

He asked me to step out of the car.  I did.  I had my keys in my hand, so I hit the button on my remote that unlocked the back window.   He reached in and took out my purse, handed me my billfold, then I took my DL and CCL licenses to him, and he placed both licenses on the hood of his patrol car, which was 'dotted with water from recent rains'.   Then, he reached into each end of my purse, and pulled out both guns still in their zippered pouches.

He asked me 'why I was carrying 2 guns'.     I told him I had just driven back into town, and switched vehicles, and I had removed both of the guns from the RV (one by my bed, one under the driver seat) and transferred them to my purse so I could change vehicles in my driveway.

He proceeded to remove each revolver from it's pouch, and one-at-a-time, he opened the barrel and shook the ammo out into the pouches, laying each revolver on the partially wet hood of his patrol car. 

He then got on his radio again and called in the serial numbers on each of my guns.   THEN, he turned around to me and said, "Neither one of your guns are stolen."   HUH?? I told him I already knew 'that' because I had bought them myself.  ROFLOL
 
Meanwhile, two other patrol cars had arrived, since he had announced on his radio that he had "stopped a yet unidentified female in possession of multiple weapons"!!
 
He then wrote me a 'warning ticket', and left.  

I just wonder if he had ever met a woman with a gun before.  

Had he noticed the sticker on my rear window that said I had donated to my local law enforcement agency? 
Did he not see that I had a clear driving record? Hmmm.   
Didn't he have anything better to do, after he knew that I had a license proving that I had no criminal history, that my finger prints were on file, and that I had been licensed to carry snce permits were first issued?
     
I really didn't feel 'good' about my experience, and I felt like I was being required to go through an extended examination when the officer could have been putting his time to better use!!

I'm VERY uncomfortable with his possible motives, since it definitely wasn't my 'looks' because I had not taken any special care with hair, make-up, or clothing, and I was old enough to be his grandmother!
 
It's the very 1st time I have felt like an officer might have resented that I could carry a gun(s) just like he could.   Just my humble opinion!

I haven't dismissed the option of checking with the chief of police here to see if what happened was SOP or if it was 'beyond' reasonable expectations! 

Becky