Feb 20, 2013 - Anza-Borrego, day 9, Hot Spgs, Pictographs

Day 38 (am temp 38.7 – correct this time) Anza-Borrego, day 9, Hot Springs, Pictographs With a little rain last night, and snow in the hills, I opted to take a chance this morning, and head towards Aqua Caliente County Park Hot Springs, about an hour away. The issue was whether the roads would be passable over the higher elevations, due to the snow. A couple vehicles I passed had 4-5 inches of snow on them. Just another adventure! Certainly a strange sight in the desert is passing a dump truck with a snow removal blade on the front!...

Feb 19, 2013 - Anza-Borrego, day 8, Storm watch

Day 37 (am temp ?? – guess what......my outdoor thermometer’s been inside by the door the past few days. Oops!) Anza-Borrego, day 8, Storm watch With a windy morning, and the threat of a storm passing through, it seemed like a good time to catch up with misc. chores and just hunker down for the day. Of course, a little wind didn’t stop this coasty from going into town for laundry duty. Must say though, I haven’t had the need for sea legs in the trailer since leaving Newport. And it’s got nothing to do with the sea. At least desert storms...

Feb 18, 2013 - Anza-Borrego, day 7, Glorieta & Juanito canyons

Day 36 (am temp, 50 something) Anza-Borrego, day 7, Glorieta Canyon and Juanito loop Who needs a sauna! After yesterday’s long walk, my intention was a short hike that Lance (guy from Dufur) had mentioned. Seemed like a good idea and was relatively close. According to my little Anza hike book, there were two options: 1) walk ½ mile up to a ridge saddle and back, or 2) keep going and make it a 3 ½ mile loop. The little Anza hike book hinted there wasn’t much of a path after the ridge, as it said to “pick the best route available” the .2...

Feb 17, 2013 - Anza-Borrego, day 6, Vista del Malpais

Day 35 (am temp 54) Anza-Borrego, day 6, Vista del Malpais Most of the hikes thus far at Anza have been relatively short, so for some wacky reason, I thought I needed to do a longer one. You know – stay in shape, conditioning, etc. (Oh sure!) There were considerations however – it had to be somewhere I hadn’t been yet, no rough terrain, nothing up some remote canyon where I might get lost or injured, within a reasonable driving distance and include some form of scenery or exploratory purpose. Ok, so in checking my little Anza hiking book of...

Feb 16, 2013 - Anza-Borrego, day 5, Julian history

Day 34 (am temp 52) Anza-Borrego, day 5, Julian Got up early for no special reason than I woke up and had to……..well, go outside for a couple minutes. It was still pretty dark out, and since I tend to overdo it with photos, decided to stay up and try a couple sunrise shots. In the meantime, a bright light buzzed across the sky, and it HAD to be the Space Station. It was too large and bright for a satellite – at least those which I’ve seen, and it was moving REALLY fast. Only took 10-15 seconds to move across the sky. Ran a couple errands...

Feb 15, 2013 - Anza-Borrego Day 4

Day 33 (am temp 54) Anza-Borrego, Day 4 As last night was my last night in the campground, due to the weekend being booked solid, I had scouted out some places in the desert that I could dry camp for a few days. Yes, along with all the other “cheapskate” desert rats out there! The “guy from Dufur” (Lance) had given me some hints, so was able to find a spot where I wouldn’t get stuck, hopefully, and moved out there today. Was a quick ride – from the time I left the campground, to relocating and getting set up, 30 minutes had passed. People...

Feb 14, 2013 - Anza-Borrego Day 3

Day 32 (am temp 44) Anza-Borrego, Day 3 One of the more interesting hikes people have mentioned is the “slots”, which is a slot canyon located in one of the Badlands areas of the park. Almost all of the “side” roads in the park are classified as jeep roads, and are essentially dirt roads, some of which require 4-wheel drive. This one wasn’t too bad – only a mile in. The pictures will tell this story, as the slot canyon itself was around 75-100 yards long. A couple areas were pretty tight, and I had to take off the backpack in order to go...

Feb 13, 2013 - Anza-Borrego, Day 2

Day 31 (am temp 40) Anza-Borrego, Day 2 There are three primary factions involved with Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: 1) the State Park itself, 2) the Anza-Borrego Foundation, whose purpose is to help support, protect and preserve Anza-Borrego, and 3) the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, dedicated to increasing awareness, knowledge and appreciation of the desert, through educational and interpretive programs. All three offer numerous guided tours, hikes, historical programs, etc. Today, I opted to try sort of an intro to...

Feb 12, 2013 - Joshua Tree to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Day 30 (am temp 35.1) Joshua Tree to Anza Borrego Desert State Park Stark. Barren. Rocky. Sandy. Desolate. Uninviting. These are words I would use to describe the hills and mountains I have passed by and traveled through these past few days, and I guess it really struck me as I was motoring down through the Coachella Valley with the mountains on both sides. Oh sure, there are a few low lying shrubs and plants that cannot be distinguished from several miles away, but the overall appearance is very bare. Quite a contrast to the PNW. I can...

Feb 3, 2013 - Some Maintenance

While David is still fighting the last of his strep throat invasion, and I am trying to kick a rotten sinus/chest thing, we just haven't gotten out to do too much of anything. We did attend Hannah's soccer awards banquet. Since it was held at a country club, I looked through my closet for a dress. Guess I didn't keep any. And I hadn't looked for one in a year, apparently. Luckily, I did hold on to a Coldwater Creek outfit that was very comfortable, but I think it is rather dated. Just an excuse to go shopping with Hannah when we get into...

Jan 18, 2013 - Return to Stagecoach Trails

It has been a year since our first trip to this beautiful area. We have returned to Stagecoach Trails RV park, and we have signed up for a month-long stay. $300 for the space, and $100 deposit for the metered electricity. This is one of our more frugal stays, and it is also a bit remote. There is no Verizon cell service here, but we are told that AT&T covers the area. I am considering getting a prepaid AT&T phone just to have in case of emergency. It is a little tough to feel that one of the kids can't just call us if they need us. An...

May 13, 2012 - Rancho Cucamonga & Disney Safari Park

5-7-2012 We spent the week parked in Chris & Deb’s driveway. It was so good to see them and the family again. They treat us and feed us like royalty .Chris fixed wonderful dinners and BBQ’s, all accompanied by numerous bottles of wine. Debi had tickets for San Diego Safari Park and we spent a whole day at the park. We couldn’t believe how much it has expanded since our last trip many, many years ago. It was a wonderful day. In the evenings we played board games and sometimes the Grandkids joined us which made it a lot of fun. They are such...