Shooting The Breeze – Borrego Springs, CA
“You should come over and try our bed” offered the husband, most generously I thought. I glanced over at Paul who was nodding in sensible agreement.
“Oh yes, in fact both of you should” added the wife enthusiastically
“We are most definitely taking you up on that offer” I concluded, to the happy endorsement of all
We had just met two of our blog readers and an instant bond had been formed on the topic of beds. Or, rather more specifically the Sleep Number bed. I’ve had a hate-hate (did I mention hate?) relationship with this thing since we got the rig and our new friends (who also own a 40PDQ) were instantly in agreement.
The lovely couple was Richard and Ginger (with doggie Libby) who just happened to be boondocking around Borrego Springs with their friends and had managed to hook up with us through the net. It’s another of those fabulous impromptu connections that form on the road and, as always happens with folks who travel and enjoy the same kind of lifestyle, we had an instant connection. Paul and I went for an afternoon drink, met the whole gang and…yes…went to lie on their bed which is a super-comfy memory foam mattress that they installed right after throwing out the old bed. A relaxing a lovely afternoon with food for thought on the mattress….thanks, guys!
But that’s not the only lounging we’ve been doing here in Borrego Springs. This tiny community of ~2,700 people is a quirky desert town completely surrounded by the beauty of 600,000 acre Anza Borrego State Park (in fact if you look on the map, Borrego Springs is literally a hole in the middle of the State Park). It was California’s first “dark sky community” (the nearest stop-light is ~50 miles away) and the place stays true to that image by keeping things rustic and simple. A tiny downtown with a few key shops, a single grassy circle (aptly called Christmas Circle, because honestly the lush green grass is such a gift in the arid desert) and a few RV parks.
But it’s got its little surprises too. There is a rather ritzy golf course, a couple of spas and a whole wealth of hidden art. Besides the fabulous Galetta Meadows, the town hosts multiple excellent events at its tiny Performing Arts Center, offers Art Walks and has other impromptu performances throughout the year (one of my favorite is the annual Peg Leg Liar’s Contest that we managed to tag our first year here).
And then there’s the farmer’s market. Every Friday morning from Nov-June, twenty or so vendors set-up in Christmas Circle and offer their wares. For such a small market it’s got just about everything you could want from organic vegetables to grass-fed meats, raw honey, fresh breads, food and crafts. If you’re here it’s a not-to-be-missed event!
This time of year is literally the PERFECT time to be here. Moderate temperatures, long sunny days and plenty of open and gorgeous spots for boondocking. There are people who come here every year simply to soak in the fabulous serenity of it all, and having spent a week here already I can totally see how you get hooked. Not a bad spot to shoot the breeze….and think about beds….
I love your site! Great job.
Boodbocking is a new concept to us. Do you bring in enough water to last the entire time you are out there. Do you wait to dump your tanks. We would love to learn from your experience.
Generally speaking we fill up our water-tank before we come in and practice water-conservation while we’re at our site. For dumping we usually drive somewhere to find a dump station. We typically manage ~2 weeks before we need to dump and refill. I’ve written several posts about water conservation, energy conservation and tanks in our “boondocking” section so definitely suggest checking that out. Hope that gives you a good intro!
Nina
Sounds fascinating. We will have to visit Borrego Springs next year.
It’s definitely worth a trip! Gorgeous spot!
Nina
Jim is using a memory foam mattress at rehab but I’m not sure if he’s too impressed with it. I’ll have to ask him about it when he’s not quite in so much pain. Love the area you’re in. Have fun.
Do let me know. I’m going to start researching it. Like everything memory foam has its lovers and its haters. Also there’s many different types of foam out there with variances in density/firmness and of course depth.
Nina
Timing is so perfect on this topic. We have been thinking of taking a scouting trip to this area next week since our plans are to move to El Centro from Yuma. Of course, we haven’t done much research yet … just that we need to go. Where is the boondocking? Or, maybe I just need to get my map out!!
I’ll be writing up our boondocking details soon, but here are some “easy” spots.
-> Go to Peg Leg and boondock right there (right off the road). You can’t miss this spot…you’ll see the rigs when you get close.
-> Take Rockhouse Canyon road (next to Peg Leg) and boondock there
Also, Anza Borrego State Park allows dispersed camping anywhere in the park.
Nina
We have never used a Sleep Number bed but have heard from several who love theirs. We are fans of memory foam, having had several Tempurpedic mattresses in the past. We ordered a memory foam for our RV bed and are loving it. We will be finished with training early this week (probably Tuesday) then not on the schedule until the weekend. We would still love to meet the two of you, whether this week or thereafter. Let us know what your schedule looks like.
Excellent! We’re thinking about staying another week in the desert (we’re just having so much fun here) so probably will be next week sometime. I’ll e-mail you as we come back.
Nina
I couldn’t agree with you more re the Sleep Number bed. Overpriced, not comfortable, plus you have to change the pressure every time you change altitude, which we do often driving in CA. Couldn’t wait to get rid of ours and replaced it with a reg mattress and Costco foam pads.
Re the foam one you tried, they’re pretty heavy, aren’t they? That makes it hard to get at the storage below from our experience. The factory struts are made for the orig mattress and it gets heavy with some others.
Yup…I hate the fact that the bed is always changing firmness…and then I gotta put on the inverter to get it back to the right number.
Glad you mentioned the Costco foam topper since that is another route we’re looking at. Kinda like an inbetweeen option. I DO worry about memory foam being so heavy since we like to use that under-bed storage. Hmmm….options, options…
Nina
You make it sound like a terrific place. The Chamber of Commerce better get copies of your blog to advertise. :-))
Think I’d better look into the memory foam.
Sherry
http://www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com
I love Borrego Springs. The place is loaded with all kinds of very interesting people especially in winter. There are actually several golf courses not just one. There is a nice little 9 hole at “The Springs at Borrego” RV park. The flowers should be starting to peek out soon.
The flowers are heavily delayed this year since it’s been such a dry winter. We’ve seen a few ocotillo’s just starting, but NO other blooms out yet. It’ll be interesting to see when the season really gets going this year.
Nina
We’re with you on hating the Sleep Number bed. We bought our MH off the dealer’s lot and it had the SN bed already in it. Have had more sleepless nights and sore backs than any other mattress we’ve ever had. Can’t wait for it to pop so we can replace it with a real mattress.
PS: Love your blog, funny and informative, keep up the great work!
Every back for their own, I guess. We have had 2 memory foam mattresses and like our Comfort Aire better. However, I will say that ours is a combo- air mattress with a memory foam top. Works for us. Hope your search for comfort is a success.
The foam “topper” is an option I’m seriously looking at. Might be the best compromise at this point.
Nina
How cool to get to spend some time with new friends in such a peaceful and beautiful area. Borrego Springs sounds like a lovely change from San Diego. Enjoy the sun, mountains and good friends.
Our mattress rivals the grand canyon…will be interested in what you end up with. It would appear that Paul is enjoying his bed research just a little too much.
Yeah, I aaaalmost didn’t get him to leave.
Nina
We had a sleep number bed at our house but found it uncomfortable and put a memory foam topper over it. Much better! The first thing we did when we got the motor home was to get a topper for it, too. Lots cheaper than a new mattress.
The topper is looking like a great option! Thanks for the feedback.
Nina
We bought a combination memory foam/gel mattress topper at Costco that’s flat-out wonderful. We put it on the existing mattress in our rig and couldn’t believe the difference it made! Since we don’t have underbed storage, the weight isn’t a problem.
That’s exactly the topper I was looking at today. Good to know you like it!
Nina
A friend of mine got a 4 inch memory foam topper from Overstock dot com. She says it is like a new bed. Another friend is getting rid of her mattress because it has molded…..might want to google that also as part of your search.
Thanks! All the tips are useful. I’ll be a-Googling soon!
Nina
We have a tempur pedic mattress at our home (and really love it) and when it came time to replace the motorhome mattress we wanted another one. As you suspected, it was too heavy to lift often, as we also use the underbed storage areas quie a bit..
We shopped all the major furniture stores and found a serta memory foam that is only 9″ deep, quite firm and also quite light. We absolutely love it and it is actually lighter than the original mattress so its a plus! Good luck.
Yup, I can totally see how the weight would make a difference. Thanks for the tip!
Nina
As fellow RVers, avid boondockers, and lovers of that special place that is the Anza Borrego Desert, we are so pleased to have been introduced to your blog by friends, Kathie and Bob….
Wondeful to “meet” you guys, and discover your blog too!! Thanks for being part of the ride.
Nina
I found memory foam wonderful at first, but it is not my favorite for the long haul. The foam collapses over several months to contour to your most common sleep position (which is fine), but it does not work well for those who have several positions they rotate through during the night: the “memorized” contour becomes a lumpy misshapen surface when you roll over.
Steve