A quiet night in the casino's gravel parking lot was followed by a bright but cool morning. A few 18-wheel trucks had joined the scattering of RV's over night but they were far enough away from us not to cause any noise disturbance; a nice change from rest areas.

Heading west along I-8 it was not long before we were among the sand dunes (Imperial Sand Dunes BLM Rec Area) of the Imperial Valley. We saw a good smattering of families camped in the dunes with their RVs, dirt bikes and 4-wheelers; they appeared set for Christmas with the dust. The dunes are crossed east to west by a large and impressive canal which we assumed accounts for the large areas of cultivation we saw west of the dunes. Eventually the dunes ended and the country reverted to flat featureless desert before starting the climb into the series of mountain ranges that border San Diego. The first of these climbs was marked by spectacular granite (I think) bolders covering the slopes, and regular water stops for overheated radiators. This last feature we assumed hinted at the extreme summer temperatures that this region can exhibit.

Mid afternoon we exited from a busy I-8 into La Mesa for an enjoyable night with Kim and Boyd, friends we met through the Earthroamer group.