On our trips back and forth to our current home, John had been contemplating this little adobe building with a junk car lot out front, located just across from Fort Davis. He finally convinced me to stop for a look-see. I stayed by the door until the first dust wave from the road shrouded me, then stayed in Ribbit until he was finished viewing the crawly wiggling creatures. Buzz, the front door character and acting docent, was extremely knowledgeable of his critters and John said they looked well cared for and happy…a mystery to me how snakes, spiders and lizards show happiness.
Before the gusts of dust knocked the wind out of my sails, we were able to pop into the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens. Marked it on our Bucket List for a hike next time through the area.
A late breakfast at our favorite spot, The Fort Davis Drug Store, somewhat disappointing due to an annoying server. We kept requesting for her to ask the cook if he would make John’s favorite breakfast, 4 eggs over easy and a hamburger patty, but she kept giving strange excuses. The hamburger would leave raw juice on the grill, if we cooked it together you would get sick, etc. Couldn’t understand her excuses as they offered, being cooked on that same grill, steak, pork chops and sausage. Then she switched to telling us “I’ll get in trouble for asking”. After 10 minutes, she finally left, came back and told us the cook said he would do it “just this one time”. Strange, no problems doing so several times last year, so why the stink this year? Guess they don’t need the business so we shall eat at the Lodge next year.
A quick and final trip to their restrooms to get a picture of their unusual custom made bathroom sinks, the fancy wooden cabinet surround one being the woman’s.
Spent the next few days inside waiting for the asthma meds to do their magic. Sadly, no Cowboy Poetry Festival or Cacti Garden stroll for me this year.
Began prepping for our next overnight, El Paso, to stock up on a few groceries. For as much as I love Fort Davis, it is lacking in foods of originality, even though this years offerings at the small grocery were better than last.
Taking a different route to El Paso this year, over the Wild Rose Pass. Within the first 10 miles I began to see red puffs stuck to black spindly branched plants. After passing the fifth flowered bush I asked John to stop. I was so excited and couldn’t believe they were real! First look was from the road and then I notice something was not quite right.
Some Texan spent a lot of time playing a joke on tourists…Wild Roses as fake as a three dollar bill.
Our overnight was another flat dusty space but with double the room of the usual parking lot types. Great for a stopover but nothing more.
Plugged our noses as we hustled passed the stock yards…phew, stinky…how do their neighbors stand the smell? Through flat sandy desert, over hills covered with giant boulders stacked into mountains, back to flat lands and we rolled into Casa Grande, AZ for the night. Purported to be a top rated RV “resort”, upon arrival we confirmed that it indeed fit the bill. Although we were staying in the overflow area, we took a look and for living accommodations, it had more amenities and activities than a medium size city. We arrived in time to watch the sun set.
Next few nights were spent in Indio, CA squished between a palm tree and our neighbor’s porch. Couldn’t put out our main slide without pushing over their fruit trees. I have begun adding Wal-Mart to my daily “I’m Thankful For” list as they transferred asthma meds post haste to Indio and I began a new drug regiment tonight.
I love dates, all kinds, but especially the kind you eat, so a Shields Date Garden stop was a no-brainer. Got to love the way Floyd and Bess Shields promoted their date business with the delightfully catchy movie name, Romance and Sex Life of the Date…in 1924, no less! Having no experience growing/harvesting dates, they began the challenging business after moving to the desert.
It is said that dates are the oldest known cultivated tree crop and one of the least understood of all fruits produced. It is also the most expensive crop to produce with many man hours given to growth, grooming and harvesting.
Every time you plant a date seed, a new kind of date is originated. The only way to perpetuate a variety is to propagate its offshoots. A date palm produces, at its base, 5-25 offshoots during their first 10 to 15 years of life. The offshoots are removed 3 to 5 years after attachment. Palms are planted 48 females to one male per acre and each male palm can produce enough pollen for 39 female trees. After a female offshoot is planted, it will be 5 years before the first commercial crop of 30 or 40 pounds are produced and full production will not be reached until sometime during the 10th to 15th year after planting. Tough start up!
Dates are reached by climbing up ladders that are permanently attached to the trees because the female date blooms must be pollinated by hand as nature made no adequate provisions. Workers must climb up the male tree, shake off the powder and collect the pollen, take it up the female tree and coat the female flowers for the dates to mature.
The work is nowhere near finished as the flower bunches must be thinned, tied to strong branches and covered so that the fruit does not get wet. The natives of the old world say “A date palm must have its feet in the waters and its head in the fires of Heaven”. The trees must be kept in water at all times, while the fruits are covered with water proof covers so they are not ruined from rain.
Shields Date Garden trees are 15-90 years old and the fruit they produce is the sweetest, moistest, yummiest I have ever tasted. A rare treat and I made myself sick tasting every single sample date type on the counter along with some samples of date cookies, breads and cakes. When we had our fill, we entered the retro theater and watched the 50’s date movie before taking a short walk through the Gardens.
We read on TripAdvisor that the Gardens were a religious spot, not connected to the date business, but still a nice way to digest after eating so many dates. Because they freeze well, I bought several boxes, but I’m not sure they are going to make it out of California!
We are parked at the Canoga Park Elks Lodge in CA for the next week. Not liking the dusty bounce down the road while still fighting lung problems so we shall stop moving and hope the Los Angeles rain storms will wash away the dusty air pollution without floating us out to sea. While 500 square feet may be fine for just sleeping, when confined for extended recuperation, it can bring mind numbing boredom, especially when alone.