Death Valley 2

Well, More of Death Valley. Diana's Brother and Fam came out to be with us in DV for a few days, and all of the previous pics and the previous post occured when they were around (sorry P&R, I still need to get you those photos of y'all). After they departed back to civilization, we hung out a few days and saw more of the stark Majesty of Death Valley. As you can see from the pictures, it is indeed very stark, but beautiful because of it. In one of the pictures you can see the old wagon train that use to haul borax out of Death Valley to a train depot -135!!- miles away. Yes, in the heat and such. The wagon train weighed 36 tonnes and carried 1200 gallons of water with them to survive. We also did alot of side trail hiking as evidenced by a couple of pictures. A person can go for seemingly ever on some of the back canyons until you reach a tall waterfall (dry) or other obstruction. Another benefit of the time of the season we were there, (February) is that with the rain and runoff, the streams were running and the native fish, which have evolved to handle the high salinity of the water, were out and about. Again, this was an instance of lots of available surface water, and none of it usable/potable by us human folk. I guess that is part of what makes the Valley so Deathly, it can kill you quick if you are not prepared. As we departed we stopped at Zabriski point and the color gradients in the rocks, and the stark contrasts made the intervening hills and outcroppings almost look painted on. I have used fractal generating software to model mountains and some of them looked more 'real' than the real hills you can see in the pictures. Weird. After this, we are off to Parumph, Nevada for supplies, then back to Tekopa, CA for overnight, then off to the Mojave Desert National Preserve.

Death Valley 1

After another stint in the Palm Desert area visiting Diana's family, we headed north up to Death Valley. It was quite amazing. We spent a week there, over by Furnace Creek. Now, as many people assume, the Valley is a very desolate, hot, dry area. Too true, in summer, we were here in February, after more rain in a few weeks than is typical in a year. So, not so warm, and a lot of the roads were washed out and the salt flats were lakes. Still, the whole of it was quite amazing. We went to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, and if you look at the picture, the entire area, miles upon miles in all directions, are salt flats with the salt crystals you can see in another of the pictures. The salt is mostly Sodium Chloride (table salt) as it is not oceanic in origin, it just leaches out of the ground after the winter rains and crystallizes. We were also able to get to natural bridge on one of our hikes, and though you can not see in these photos, you can climb up and around and if you have the stones, over the bridge. We just did the up and around, must lack stones. The ranger talks each night were very informative and well done, it was obvious that the interpretive rangers knew their stuff and were quite passionate about their subjects. It is amazing that so many people worked and survived in this area. Of course, as the photo shows not all did, it -is- called Death Valley for a reason. One of the ancillary neat things about the abundant rain fall prior to our arrival was the crystal clear lakes that formed in the low areas and the snow on the peaks surrounding the Valley. It made for some interesting Juxtapositions with what Death Valley is known for. There was so much to see here in the Valley that there is going to be a follow up post after this one with more photos and descriptions. Stay tuned, because then we are off to the Mojave Desert National Preserve.

Anza Borego

What a great way to visit the relatives. Cami, Andi and Diana had the pleasure of visiting Stan and June near Anza Borrego State park. We hiked to a palm oasis and low and behold there was actually an oasis there, water and all. It looked like a giant fairy land with tall palms to climb in and around and a stream running down the rocks, creating a cool oasis after a warm hike. On our way out of the canyon, we got a distant peak at some big horn sheep heading down the canyon wall for a late afternoon drink. We wish Stan and June had plans to continue traveling a bit more as we would enjoy visiting with them. Another great warm and sunny day in the desert.
(Diana and the girls only, Flint had to do other things, oh well)

It's Snow Fun

Well, there is always the silver lining, and in this case, all the rain in the lowlands that caused us to stay in place created a lot of snow in the higher elevations only a half hour away. So, we met Pat, Rhonda, Zach and Samantha in the mountains North of Palm Desert toward Idlywild for some sledding. We were quite thankful that the Belous had friends with extra sleds so that all of the kids (and adults for that matter) could sled at will. The day was beautiful and sunny, which was both a blessing and a curse. Blessing: it was warm (though Diana still wore some type of furry animal on her head), easy to see, great sledding conditions, Curse: Every Tom, Dick and Jose (hey we were the -only- Anglos in both areas we went to) were up in the mountains (corollary curse: if you have a two wheel drive vehicle, lowered, with street tires, please do not attempt to get off into the deep snow parking lot, you -will- not -make -it- period. I could have made a month's worth of traveling money with my 4wd truck, and a tow cable, but I was out for fun, though I bet some cars are still up there). At the first place we went to, there were some good runs and we all had some good turns and then a good snowball fight (until an ice ball was thrown, but that always seems to be the case). Unfortunately it became very very crowded and ceased to be fun as we watched multiple people get shellacked by sledders (actually that was fun to watch, kind of Darwin in Action, until a young girl was almost knocked unconscious by an idiot adult who did not even stop and offer an apology). So, we went to another site that we could not enter before (see above note about 2wd cars), but was clear now. We actually had a whole hill to ourselves after awhile so it was entirely better and more fun. Eventually the cold and tiredness crept in and we headed back to Jojoba hills for a swim in the heated pool and a sit in the hot tub, not a bad way to end the day and our stay at Jojoba hills. After this we are heading back into Palm Desert area (Desert Pools Rv park with mineral hot pools) so I can do some work on Pat's house.

Temecula

Since we were staying in Temecula area instead of heading to Quartsite, we decided to explore the Old Town Temecula area and farmer's market. The old town is quite interesting, established in 1859. There is some older style architecture and quite alot of antique stores and also a fair amount of tourist kitsch. There was also a really nice cheese and wine store. They make their own cheese from their dairy and also import alot of good cheeses, quite the treat. Diana could have sat and had the wine and cheese taster tray, but did not want to have to drink the equivalent of a half a bottle of wine herself. chicken. Every Saturday there is also a farmer's market with local fresh produce, honey (mmm, bought a 5 lb jug of Avocado flower honey, it is amazing with hints of molasses and a distinct almost savory taste), tamales (also tasty) and fresh cooked gyros with a wonderful tatziki sauce (actually I ate very little of that, my girls demo-ed it pretty fast). On the last Saturday of each month, the Old Temecula Gunfighters stage a show in a vacant lot. We caught their first show and were quite entertained (though actors they are not, by a long shot, though the enthusiasm was commendable) . This seemed like a better way to spend a Saturday than out in Quartsite in the mud.

The best laid plans....

Well, the weather collaborated to keep us in the Temecula area. No Quartsite trip for us with the Belous. A series of large rain and thunderstorms rolled through the area and after long consideration (not really that long) we decided to stay in Jojoba hills with full hookups and do some reading and relaxing. The pictures may seem benign, but all that water happened within an hour or so and the trees are not like they are in Eastern Washington, they don't normally lean sideways and have all of the branches to one side. It was very reminiscent of the Monsoons growing up. The whole area around us had flooding, mudslides over the road, crashes, etc. So, again after long consideration of 'hmmm, full hookups, wireless connection, heated pool and hot tubs vs. potentially getting stuck, not being able to put out or slides, no hookups and having to stay inside due to weather in Quartsite' I think we made the correct decision. Diana's parents did venture out for an abbreviated trip to a rally for Alpine Coaches to see friends. They reported lots of mud and wind and had to 'rough it' one night with their slides in. The rally was apparently pretty subdued this year, but at least no one got stuck and needed a semi grade tow truck to haul them out. So, we decided to sit tight, visit Temecula some more (after the roads opened), visit Auntie Dean (Diana's grandmother's sister (93 ish years old and sharp as a tack) in Hemmet. Plus we saved $200 in Diesel getting out there and back. I am sure that Quartsite will still be there if we decide to head that way someday.

Point Cabrillo

After leaving Carlsbad beach we headed out past Temecula to the Jojoba (said with an H sound, we are in So. Cal after all) Hills SKP park for a few days before heading out to Quartsite, Az. The park was a nice, well run park with very nice views. We boondocked for a couple of days before deciding to move up to full hookup sites. The park had a nice jacuzzi, sauna, and a heated pool, so the girls were quite happy, plus with ice cream socials on M W and F, we enjoyed it alot. We headed out toward San Diego one afternoon to visit REI (needed shoes, bought some Vibram five finger shoes for everyone but Andie (too small feet yet), everyone should have a pair of these, look em up), Whole foods, Christmas returns and last but not least, Point Cabrillo National Park. The downside is that we arrived later than we wanted due to our other errands because a person could spend easily a whole day at the park with its stunning views, the lighthouse, tide pools, history, bunkers and on and on. We watched a variety of navy ships depart the shipyard close by, even a submarine, though the picture did not come out. We did not spot any of the whales that are reported to be around, but again, we lacked for time. The lighthouse was very interesting and the display was done well. There is a spiral staircase through all three floors and it is tiny but does make for fun photos. There was a group of school kids there and it was a good reminder of why we home school, let us say there was an, um, lack of situational awareness and respect of others while in the lighthouse. Cami and Andi were able in the time allotted to finish up another Jr. Ranger course of study and receive their Pt. Cabrillo Jr. Ranger Badge (#3 for those counting). All in all a recommended park, especially if you have lots of time to sit and take in the vistas. After this it is back to Jojoba hills park to get ready for Quartsite with the Belous.