Fun With the Eberts

We're keeping pretty busy this week! Went into Indian Canyons this morning and hiked to a waterfall,felt great in the 97 degree temps. We had a picnic in the shade of giant palms along the river.

Jack and Derek have been playing golf at Santa Rosa. Katie, Maddy and I drove into Palm Springs yesterday to shop and have lunch. Every afternoon is pool time of course. Madison loves the water (what kid doesnt??) and I think it's a real treat to get out of the pool and still be warm and not have to bundle up in a towel.

On Tuesday we drove up to Joshua Tree and had another picnic and a hike to Skull Rock. Madison got a little Junior Ranger booklet at the Visitors Center and kept track of all the plants and animals she saw.

Back to the pool this afternoon to cool off before dinner. Looks like we'll be headed to Fishermans tonight for some fantastic Fish and Chips.

Take One,Leave One

I like to read.  When we travel I'm always scouting the RV parks for the book exchange room. Generally there is a sign that states "take one,leave one". Sometimes I take two. Sometimes I leave two.I have been disappointed more than once by a book exchange room filled with only Harlequin Romances. I am never without books and I gravitate to bookstores in any town we visit. I can spend hours in a bookstore and I can't imagine ever "reading" a book via a Kindle or online. I like to hold a real book and turn the pages.

Lately I have been reading about RV travel....living vicariously through other's adventures on the road. It is making me anxious to begin our own travels again. Our departure date is in 50 days.  In the meantime I have been looking over my home library and thinking ahead to those books I always travel with....North American Birds,Seashores of the Pacific Northwest,Desert Wildflowers and North American Weather (about clouds). I'll take my Intro to Spanish book as well but so far after three years I am still on lesson 2.Maybe this year I'll get through the entire book and be able to communicate with Martin the gardener.

Countdown to....

I love lists and I love countdowns. Here is a countdown to some important dates:

195 days until my birthday (Oct 6)

57 days until we leave the Desert (May 15)

37 days until my last day at work (April 30)

12 days unti I launch my business (April 5)

and the biggest one.... 7 days (March 28) until Katie, Derek and Madison arrive!!

Kathy's Top Ten

Garden of the Gods

The other day Jack and I were discussing some of our favorite spots we've visited and where we thnk we'd like to spend more time. I came up with my personal top ten list (in no particular order):

1. Colorado Springs area for: Pikes Peak,Garden of the Gods

2.Deadwood South Dakota for: Crazy Horse Monument, fun historic town,Black Hills

3.Crescent Bar,Quincy WA for: Columbia River, close to Leavenworth and Wenatchee

4.Spectacle Lake Tonasket WA : not a luxury campground but on the lake and an annual family fun get together

5.Fort Flagler Nordland WA for: crabbing,clamming,the beach,close to Port Townsend,close enough for family to join us

6.Newport,Gold Beach and the entire Oregon Coast for: breathtaking beauty,beaches,crabbing,clamming,rocks

7.San Diego CA for: close to Imperial Beach and Coronado,all day trolley for $5

8.LaConnor WA for: cute town,fresh Summer berries

9.Kalaloch WA and the entire Olympic Penninsula: probably my most favorite spot on earth,rugged coastline,sandy beaches,the best rocks anywhere, rain forests

10.Bend OR for close to Sun River,Sisters,Mt Batchelor,Crater Lake,lots to do and see

Overlooking the beach at Kalaloch WA

The Dude,Bandit and the Green Guys

Jack and I have two Hummingbird feeders on the patio. Every evening we relax with a glass of wine to watch them. They can be quite entertaining. We have named several of them....the major players are The Dude, Bandit,Little Green Guy and Big Green Guy (although we think the green ones are female).  There are at least 5 different ones that we can distinguish on the feeders.The Dude has been around for at least three years and has a beautiful purple head. He used to be the main man on the feeder,always chasing off intruders,but it looks like this year the green ladies have taken over and are chasing him away every night. I found some interesting facts about Hummingbirds:

• Hummingbirds are found only in the Americas.
  They are unknown in the Eastern Hemisphere. With 343 species, hummingbirds make
  up the Western Hemisphere's second largest family of birds.
• Hummingbirds require lots of energy. They have the fastest wing beats of any
  bird and their hearts beat up to 1,260 beats per minute.
• A Hummingbird's flight speed can average 25-30 mph, and can dive up to 60
  mph.
• In their non stop quest for fuel, Hummingbirds may visit 1,000 flower per
  day. For protein, hummingbirds eat spiders and strain gnats from mid-air. They
  will pull insects out of spiderwebs including the spider itself. Sapsucker holes
  are a double treat, netting both insects and sap!
• Many species that migrate to the U.S. travel impressive distances. Many
  ruby-throats make a 2,000 mile journey between Canada and Panama. The trip
  includes a non-stop, 500 mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico.
• Hummingbirds are very territorial and will aggressively protect nectar
  sources especially when migrating. It is important to have several feeders, out
  of sight of each other, to prevent one hummingbird from dominating your feeders.
  
• Hummingbirds have a unique way of keeping warm or conserving their energy -
  at night, or any time they cannot get enough food to fuel themselves - they go
  into torpor - a state in which their metabolic rate is only one-fifteenth that
  of normal sleep.
• A hummingbird can rotate each of its wings in a circle, allowing them to be
  the only bird which can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways or sit in
  sheer space. To hover, hummingbirds move their wings forward and backward in a
  repeated figure eight, much like the arms of a swimmer treading water.
  
• Hummingbirds do not mate for life - the female raises the young on her own.
  
• Hummingbirds can live a decade or more in the wild.

Itinerary

Jack and I put together a partial itinerary for this Summer. Our first month from May 15 to June 14 will be in San Diego at Bernardo Shores.

 After leaving San Diego we'll spend a couple days in the Simi Valley where we want to tour the Reagan Library and Museum. From there we will head north through California and Oregon, not spending more than a night or two on the way until we reach Washington..... we'll probably land in Ilwaco then Lake Sawyer (Auburn WA). The Fourth of July is up in the air. Sometimes RV parks block out holidays, so we'll play it by ear. July 9-16 we'll be at Spectacle Lake in Tonasket (WA)...then back over to the west side and Fort Flagler. From that point on we have nothing settled. August is generally a nice month to spend along the coast. I need to get back over to Kalaloch for another load of rocks for the "beach" in the front garden. The Oregon Coast is another option but we don't want to point South too soon. It's nice having options. We can change our mind if we don't like the weather or the scenery and move on down the road. Fuel prices are high (around $4.25 for diesel here) so we will take that into consideration and try to limit our mileage this year.

The Classic Club

Happy Hour tonight at The Classic Club. A beautiful spot.

Wildflower Festival

Sharon and Pam on hike

Chuparosa

Lupine

Sharon,Pam and I attended the Wildflower festival at Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitors Center. We parked at a church and took the shuttle bus to the Visitors Center. On our hike the guide pointed out numerous wildflowers. Some of them looked like weeds to me but others like the Chuparosa and Lupine (above) were pretty. Last year I missed out on the hikes because I was using the restroom and they left without me! The guide said that Desert Tortoises are so well adapted to the desert because they have a special water bladder for storage. You should never pick up a Tortoise because they will pee and can lose 3-4 months worth of hydration.

The festival also has a wine tasting (too early in the day for us!) live music, vendors and a raffle giving away gift baskets. It was a fun way to spend the morning.

Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Giant Terydactyl in the Desert

Snow in front of Julian Pie Co

More giant statues

We drove east on I-10 and then turned south to visit the Anza Borrego State Park Wednesday. It is the largest state park in California with 500 miles of dirt roads,12 wilderness areas,hiking trails and numerous campsites. I think it may be the only State Park closed in the summer. This from the Ranger's handout " No reservations allowed between May 15 and October 1. Summer heat makes this desert park a dangerous place with temperatures ranging from 110 to 120 degrees"

There were many  occupied "dry" campsites. Some of the rigs we saw had solar panels and I imagine the rest of them use generators. This location appeals to off road enthusiasts and star gazers.

The life size statues in the pictures are scattered throughout the desert along the hiway to Julian. Julian is a small town that sits at  an elevation of  4200 feet. There was snow on the ground when we arrived at the Julian Pie Company. Julian was first settled as a mining town but later became famous for it's apples used in the Julian Pie Co apple pies. There was a line of people waiting to purchase pies when we arrived.