Hi LaFarr,

Slab City was an eye opener. Most of the RVs were gone so I think I got there at the right time. I did not find any slabs either. I must say at first it looked like the city dump. But on reflection I am amazed.

What astounds me about this whole movement to the desert is that the Fox/CNN/Network crowd has not picked up on it. Since I no longer watch the news I am hardly an expert. However, I do think that the media for a long time has concentrated on white, upscale events. That 1.65 million people in 250,000 RVs descends upon Quartzsite and many more in the rest of Arizona for 2 months every year and nobody but National Geographic reports anything about it validates what I think of the media. The only way to find out what is happening in this country is to get into the car, start driving and follow the people.

Slab City is the convergence of Woodstock and the Wild West! How do all these people live on so little? I mean psychologically. The Green movement is telling us to use less water, get rid of the lawn, use solar, turn off your dryer. It's already happening and nobody is noticing. I have often thought that new ideas come from the outside never from the mainstream. Bill Gates did not work in an IT group on an IBM mainframe.

So next year I will be spending my Jan. and Feb. in the desert probably in vagabond mode. I definitely have to see Quartzsite in January and go to the Palm Springs International Film Festival that month as well. I know I have to make reservations.

Getting an RV is a hassle for a vagabond especially since this one would have to do so much research. But I will think of something

I am still surprised by all the camp sites where I stayed. In Parker the La Paz County Park has sites for RVs and tents on the river with covered picnic benches on slabs. There is an excellent golf course and I don't even play golf. For birders this is a paradise. Warbling, chirping, tweeting, whistling, chinking alarm clocks.

On the Salton Sea north of Slab City is the Salton Sea Rec Area with many sea birds and nice hiking paths and great sunsets.

Undiscovered is the Indio County Park that butts up to the gated communities in LaQuinta. This is about 20 miles from Palm Springs on Lake Cahuila. I recommend them all. At this time of year there are plenty of openings. But it was 97 in Palm Springs and I was wilting.

Thanks again for the spontaneous hospitality.

Signed -----