Travel --- Time to Leave Indian Wells

A Very Empty Looking Miramonte Green (site of the Hindu ceremony)

Roger here....  The above view of Miramonte Green is very bittersweet.  All the happiness from the day before is now a memory, but what a memory it is.

After Dianne and I dropped Amanda and Kaia off at the Palm Springs Airport, we returned to our villa to get ready for the last official wedding event --- the Farewell Breakfast on the second- floor terrace of the hotel.  Dianne and I sat with Jay, Nancy, Dick, Pam, Matt, Charlie, and Leslie. 
 Robyn and Atul were at a table next to us and circulating among the guests.

We again forgot to take photos, but we found this one on Instagram at #RobynAndAtul.  The guests at the breakfast were encouraged to fill out certificates to be presented to "outstanding" wedding participants.  This photo shows Atul presenting a certificate to Dave for being the party starter.  Dave is quite the dancer.  I talked with Dave at the breakfast --- nice guy.  (Dianne here:   I actually assumed he was a professional dancer until we asked him at breakfast -- he was one of those who never left the dance floor all evening, and boy, can he ever dance!  I saw another guy actually do the splits while dancing and another did a break dance; wish we had them on film because they were sure fun to watch!)

We said goodbye to Jay, Nancy, Charlie and Leslie immediately after the breakfast.  Dianne and I were to spend another night at Miramont, as were Dick, Pam and Matt.  

We spent the afternoon by the pool and hot tub enjoying the desert weather.  Rashmi and her fiancé, Finn, joined us for a while. 

That evening Robyn joined the five of us at a local Italian restaurant for dinner while Atul spent some time with his extended family from India.  

The sunset at the Miramonte Resort provided a nice view during our last evening in Indian Wells.

Dick, Pam and Matt caught an early flight the following morning.  Dianne and I had breakfast at the resort with Atul and Robyn.  It was time to say goodbye.  I just about lost it when Atul asked if he could call us mom and dad.  I know we will see them again soon.  

Back to the Chronological Post :-) ...

After breakfast, we loaded up the car and headed back to the motorhome in the nearby Emerald Desert RV Resort.  As soon as we could empty the car and make it dog-ready, we picked up Bandido and Tequila from the Barkingham Pet Hotel.

The freshly-bathed dogs enjoyed the RV site while Dianne and I "worked like dogs" getting things ready for the long drive back to Texas. That journey began the next morning.

The Next Day...

Where do you think we spent our first night back on the road?  The mineral in my hand might give RVers a clue.  

Our first leg of the trip back to Texas ended at Quartzite, Arizona.

Quartzite is somewhat of a mecca in the RV world.  Every winter, thousands of RVers descend on this isolated Arizona desert town near the California Border.  Bureau of Land Management acreage abounds in the area, which means free parking.  You do not get water, electricity, or sewer, but you can park wherever you wish.  Off-road driving in our motor home is not an issue on this flat, hard-packed surface.  We had water in our fresh-water tank and the reasonable assurance that our house batteries would be in good shape for a one-night stay without being charged.  They were.

Our Spacious Site

This is our third time to spend a night here.  There is a quiet peace that exists that doesn't enter our lives often.  This is a great place for Dianne to do a sudoku and for me to read a book, or look for interesting rocks.

Here is another view of Dianne.  :-).


In January this "town" will be packed.  A gigantic tent will be erected that will be full of vendors. But for now the relative isolation is a comfort.  

Dianne noticed our view out the front windshield was of this Arco sign near the highway.   Singh is our daughter's
new last name.  We seem to be blessed every day with memories of the wedding.

Those of you who read our posts have probably figured out that I truly enjoy sunsets.   All sunsets are wonderful.  Desert sunsets are hard to beat.  Imagine me wandering around this isolated area taking pictures of this progression.

The journey back to Texas will be delayed for five nights for a special stop near Tucson.  More about that the next time.

Pet Picture of the Day...

We have somewhat neglected pictures of our pets during the wedding (since we were not with them).   Here are a couple shots of Bandido and Tequila at Quartzite.

Lookin' for lizards....