Zip-Tie Rims Along the Salton Sea to Markos' Birthday We Go!

"We are in a Holding Pattern until we get our rims"...echoes the phone in the other room. Logistics once again. Our second set of rims cracked, this time Rick alias McGyver used duct tape and an assortment of zip ties, enabling our family to travel several more days through the desert to the town of Brawley, CA. Here, "The Rock" coffee shop took care of us. Connections to a home for the night, fresh cookies, smoothies and storage of our bikes until our new rims come in...hopefully before the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush on the mail system. The rim manufacturer is standing by their product, apparently the rim problem for both sets was a factory defect. They are sending us the heartiest rims, built up as complete wheels, from Australia. In the mean time...a rental car back to San Diego, a gracious invitation from Mormor and Grandad K.O. to see family in Kansas City, and now... still waiting for those rims.

Sampson's spelling sentences:
1. We are going to be biking on our bicycles down the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a long, oval lake.
2. In Joshua Tree National Park we walked through the cholla garden and where we walked there were little broken off pieces.
3. There are Creasote bushes in canyons in the Colorado Desert.

Markos journal:
Nov. 16 Today we went down a twenty mile down hill and crossed over the interstate and went up a gradual climb. Then we went down a gradual down hill and went through a canyon that was twelve miles long. The canyon was called Box Canyon and when we came out we saw the Salton Sea.
Nov. 17 Today Dad broke four zip ties and he replaced them with fatter ones. While Dad was working we were playing and using rocks to ply up sand pieces and put dirt on top and made sand pizza.

Tarn writes:
Nov. 15 At the library we read one book. I only got a little time on the computer. (Mecca Public Library, California)
Nov. 16 We saw lots of fruit and the fruit were lemons. Red and green and yellow peppers and there were lots of grapes.
Nov. 17 We made sand pizzas today and we got orange Powerade.
Nov. 18 Tonight I held a white bird. In the morning we were at the library. I drew the most pictures. (Brawley Public Library, California)