Felicity, California

When we woke up on our first morning in Felicity, California, we saw sand dunes in the distance.

We had not noticed them when we arrived in the dark. We could see dunes to the south and across the entire western horizon. I later learned that they are part of the Imperial Sand Dunes. The dunes stretch more than forty miles in a band five miles wide, making it the most significant mass of dunes in California. Many of the dunes tower 300-feet above the desert.

The Mexican Border

When we looked to the south, we realized that we were close to the Mexican border. We could see a fence or wall (it was hard to tell which from over a mile away) running along the top of the dunes at the border. I found it fascinating to think that we could see another country from our campsite. Signs indicated that we could explore the desert, but camping was not permitted south of the posted sign, and cross country travel was forbidden.

Being so close to the border was interesting. Most days, we saw border patrol helicopters flying overhead, and one day, we saw a border patrol truck in the camping area.  We could see large plumes of smoke from fires in the distance daily. There was even one day that we heard gunshots in the distance. We concluded that someone was enjoying some target practice in the Mexican dunes.

When we plan to stay in one spot for a few days, we set up our tent. While we sleep in the truck, the tent serves as storage and marks our campsite while exploring. After we set up the tent, we took a walk in the desert towards Mexico.

A Walk in the Desert

We walked three-quarters of a mile but were still only about half-way to the border. The desert was full of tiny reddish-brown cactus-like plants that looked like they could do some damage if you stepped on them.

As we walked, we noticed some interesting rocks on the ground. I picked up a pink rock that looked like a piece of chewed bubblegum. The more we walked, the more curious rocks we saw. They were fascinating, and we collected more than a few of the unique pebbles for a project we plan to pursue later. We continued to gather the rocks throughout our stay in Felicity.

When we returned to camp, I was delighted to see blooms on one of the ocotillos. Between the dunes and the mountains, we had a spectacular view. There was a white church on top of a hill, which sparked my curiosity. The wide-open sky garnered incredible sunsets, and we made it a habit to watch the show every night.

The Night Sky

The immense sky was a great vantage point for our nightly view of Jupiter and Saturn’s convergence. It was also a perfect place to see the Geminids meteor shower. While there was a good show before we went to bed, the peak wouldn’t be until early morning. We set the alarm for 2 am to see the shower at its peak, but clouds had moved in, blocking any view of the stars.

The Official Center of the World

In my research, I discovered the history of the town of Felicity. Its founder, Jacques-Andre Istel, bought the property between the interstate and the mountains and built Felicity, named for his wife. According to the sign on the interstate, the town has a whopping population of two. It is a curious roadside attraction.

A 21-foot tall pyramid sits in the middle of town, containing the spot designated as “The Official Center of the World.” It has been officially recognized as such by Imperial County, California, and the Institut Geographique National of France.

When Istel wanted to build a church, he decided that it needed to be the town’s highest spot. The desert is flat, so he brought in 150,000 tons of dirt to build the hill where the church sits. The gleaming white-walled church that we saw from our campsite, with its aquamarine door, stands out against the drab desert background.

Near the parking lot, there is a 25-foot section of a metal spiral staircase salvaged from the Eiffel Tower. On the property, there is also an ongoing project of monuments. Istel intends to inscribe everything he feels future generations need to know on granite walls.

A Wind Event

We generally put everything in the tent for the night, leaving only the portable shower and a bucket next to the truck. One night a severe wind event came up after we were in the truck. We peeked outside and discovered that our potty tent had blown down. Concerned that it would blow away, Chris got out to secure it. When he picked the folded tent up, the intense wind caught it like it was a kite, almost picking him up. It was comical to watch Chris, in his boxers, struggling with the awkward tent.

In the morning, all was back to normal. I quickly realized that our bucket had blown away. Hoping to recover it, I walked out into the desert in the direction the wind had been blowing. After walking around for over an hour, looking for a needle in a haystack, I finally gave up.

A Trip to Yuma

Before we left Camarillo, we ordered a new, heavier duty cargo carrier and other supplies, arranging delivery in Yuma, Arizona.
When we received notification that our supplies (including a new bucket) were ready for pickup, we drove to Yuma to get them. Having a change in time zone during our 15-minute trip was odd.

We were very close to the Mexican city of Los Algodones, a popular place for Americans to get inexpensive dental work done. It was interesting to see all the billboards for dental, medical, and vision services south of the border. We passed through the California border check just before the exit to Felicity on our return from Yuma. Again, they were not worried about citizenship but wanted to know if we were carrying any produce.

New Neighbors

On our return from Yuma, we discovered a new fifth wheel had arrived. As we drove down the two-mile road, we thought the trailer looked like it was in our camping spot. We pulled up to our tent to realize that the camper was only about 20 yards from our tent. We were shocked. Had the campground been full, we would not have minded, but with an entire wide-open desert, we could not understand why they set up right on top of us. The worst part was that they directly blocked our view of the sunset, casting a shadow across our tent.

We were not happy but decided to make the best of it. We proceeded to assemble the new cargo carrier. Chris realized that we did not have the proper sized socket. While he could do the installation with the tools we have, it would be faster with the appropriate tool.

A few days prior, an RV with a trailer behind it parked across the road from us. They pulled a Nash Metropolitan out of the trailer to drive while away from the camper. Chris walked over, thinking they might have tools. He met Pete and Sandi, who did have a socket set that they were more than happy to let us borrow. We quickly had the carrier attached to the truck.

We didn’t want to throw the old carrier away, as we had only used it for two months, but we also did not have room to carry it with us. I put an ad on Facebook Marketplace for the Yuma area and received a message within an hour from an interested party. Working out the sale details was tricky, as the gentleman spoke little English, and neither of us is fluent in Spanish. Using a translation website, we managed to communicate well enough through Messenger to arrange a meeting.

When we returned from selling the carrier, we were pleased to see that the fifth-wheel had moved away from us.

Time to Move On

Having picked up our supplies, we were ready to move on. We decided to explore Texas and visit with Chris’s cousin while we were there. I planned an itinerary for the trip. Not wanting to make the same mistake of going to a national park on the weekend, we decided it would be best to stay put for a few more days.

We used the extra time to do a little more exploring of the area, including driving down to the sand dunes. This time of year, the dunes require a permit, so we just took a look and moved on. There were groups of people with ATVs enjoying the dunes. We were impressed that we were able to hear them from our campsite miles away.

Another Walk in the Desert

We planned to make another trip to Yuma before leaving to stock up on groceries, do the laundry, and explore. The day we planned to go was overcast and cold. It was the closest thing to winter we had seen since leaving Colorado. We decided the trip could wait and instead walked over to some newly blooming desert plants. We found a small plant that was a curious shade of green, unlike anything I have seen in nature before.

We were surprised to see a large hummingbird. We had seen one at Chiriaco Summit, but there was none of the lush vegetation we had seen there in this area. When we returned to camp, we had company. It was another beetle, standing on his head.

Gateway Park

The following day, the typical beautiful weather returned. We made the trip to Yuma, stopping at Gateway Park. The park is on the Colorado River under the Ocean to Ocean Bridge. The bridge, built in 1915, has historical significance as it was the first highway crossing of the lower Colorado River.

They constructed a second bridge, right next to the original, in 1956. We saw people on top of that bridge. As we walked closer, we realized they were firefighters training. The river was lovely, and the zeppelin I spotted in the distance was a cool surprise. The park was full of doves, and pigeons lined the concrete interstate bridge overhead.

On our last night in Felicity, we made a trip up to the gas station. After coming in the first time, we had not driven to our camp at night. We didn’t realize how difficult it would be to find in the dark. We laughed when we realized how “lost” we were. Finding our small tent in the vast, inky black desert was tricky.

In the morning, we packed the truck and headed east.