Salton city updates which are known to me and checked out when I visited the area for the weekend of April 17 to 19 reveal the start of the widening of highway 86 at Borrego Salton seaway (S-22) has begun. According to the California state internet site on such projects, the widening is to accommodate future truck traffic at the signal.
On Friday night, while driving East of Borrego Springs on my drive to Salton City, two helicopters were circling with their searchlights on and we had the impression that they were searching for someone or something in the vast openness of the desert. As of this writing I do not know if they found what they were looking for.
The weather was slightly on the warm side averaging in the high 80's to the early 90's. For me it was warm enough to use air conditioning at the house. Although it was sunny all days with no clouds at all, it was strangely hazy. However this haze was a slight tan in color which gave me the impression that it was dust in the air. If it was dust, I don't know how it was lifted since it wasn't really windy. Update: There was a brush fire near Beaumont and this was the cause of the dust according to a news program I saw later.
I hauled out a new atv to the house to be used after summer when the weather is cooler. As stated in a previous post, Salton city pace slows dramatically in the summer months as many snowbirds leave to avoid the heat. I visit the area during the summer months and the heat can get pretty intense that it has the capability to keep you indoors. Even at night the temperature can be in the high 80's making nights warm enough to disturb sleep if you don't have air conditioning.
Another interesting thing happening in Salton city is that both, home sales as well as home prices seem to be on the upswing. No longer can you find a house like mine at the price I paid for it. Potentially good news for homeowners but for those young families for whom I sympathize with, it could be a struggle. I feel that housing in the area is still very affordable. It can be even more affordable if you have handyman skills and buy a fixer upper.
My family shows up in the summer where we use the pool located at the Salton city park which you will find photos of in a previous post. Another thing about the coming Summer warm season are the Arizona monsoon rains which occasionally drift westward towards Salton City. The Monsoon season starts around the middle of June to about the middle of September. Several times I have been fortunate to be at the desert house when these spectacular lightning displays arrive. I enjoy them more then a 4th of July fireworks show and so does the family. I have an outdoor thermometer at the house and I saw an approaching thunderstorm and looked at the thermometer before it arrived and it was reading close to 110 degrees. When the thunderstorm was directly over us I looked at it again and the temperature dropped to 89 degrees. In about the span of about 40 minutes the temperature dropped 21 degrees however when the thunderstorm passed it was still overcast but the rain had stopped and the temperature on the thermometer returned to 109 degrees. This is the type of weather I enjoy observing as well as study.
Another surprising find is that Burtec, the trash company in Salton City has improved the road and their facilities greatly. It used to be a rough ride from highway 86 to the dump sight. You used to have to drive slowly for the 2 miles from the highway to the dump. Now it has been repaved and is smooth. Locals tell me that the dump is expanding to receive more truck traffic.
