Deserts and Seas

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Tuesday, February 1st - Saturday, 5th
Our First Taste of the Desert

    On the first of February, we drove to Phoenix, Arizona and set up camp at a KOA. We swam at the pool there for several hours and had a blast. T had a lot of fun in the hot tub, but he took several cool-off breaks. The next day, we got a small propane fire and roasted marshmallows!

(Roasting marshmallows!)

Our next stop was more BLM land in Quartzsite, Arizona, where we met up with my dad's work friend and his family.
    The culture there was really interesting, as the vast majority of the population were snowbirds, and only lived there part-time during the winter. This meant that in the summer the town closed down most of its facilities. Gas stations, grocery stores, and laundromats were all temporary, at least for half the year. The area was known for having an abundance of crystals, geodes, and of course quartz, and driving through the town we saw many different rock and crystal shops scattered around. The ground was weirdly sparkly, too. 
After spending some time in the desert, I grew to appreciate it, but me and my family agree that we do not want to live there full-time. Plants, especially trees and grass, are not things I could live without for very long.  
    During our time there, we drove to California and ate some fantastic donuts.

Monday, February 7th - Tuesday, 8th
The Salton Sea

     On the 7th, we drove to California again, but this time to stay at a small campsite on the Salton Sea. It was pretty nice, small but quiet. We got our first glimpse of palm trees there! The area was called Coachella valley, and it's a major agricultural center in California. We saw many different kinds of produce farms, including date palms, artichokes, lemons, and oranges!

(Our campsite at the Salton Sea)

Staying at the Salton Sea, we learned a lot about the area. 

ABOUT THE SALTON SEA ----------
    In the 1900s, a canal was dug from the Colorado river to the Alamo river channel to provide water to the farmers in the valley. Eventually, some of the water was naturally diverted into an old dry lake bed, and the Salton Sea was formed. In the 1960s and 70s, the sea was a major recreational area and a popular tourist destination. People would come to the area from all over to swim, fish, and boat around. The sea had no natural inlets or outlets, but the agricultural runoff from the area kept the sea full. 
    However, this meant that all the toxic pesticides and natural salt from the ground all flowed into the sea, and had nowhere to go, so everything built up until the majority of wildlife died. Most of this was caused by the saltiness. Since then, tourism has reduced dramatically, and the sea has only gotten saltier. The sea has also shrunk, causing the toxic lake bed to be exposed and pollute the area's air quality. 
    Currently, the sea's salinity is 60 PPT (parts per thousand) and only getting worse. Compared to ocean water which is 35 PPT, this is really, really salty! 
    Also, due to multiple factors, there is no sand on the beaches, rather a combination of barnacle shells and fish bones... yuck!
    The California government is currently attempting to help save the Salton Sea, and many restoration projects are in action!
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    While we were there, we went hiking on some land nearby. There was a little valley that the highway went through, and we hiked through there. The "rocks" were interesting, as they weren't really rocks, and were probably closer to highly compressed dirt. It got everything dusty, and they would fall apart if you touched them! 

(Hiking in the dirt hills)

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