We continued to enjoy Texas until last Friday. Each area we visited offered new wonders. After leaving the Harlingen area, we headed up the coast to the Corpus Christi area, staying in Aransas Pass. This area reminded us of Ft. Myers Beach. Lots of beautiful waterfront with a variety of boats, great restaurants on the water, and lots of waterbirds to enjoy. A free car and passenger ferry takes everyone from Aransas Pass to Port Aransas on a 24-7 basis. Port Aransas is a beautiful beach town that includes Mustang Island, another driving beach, the north section of Padre Island, and a protected beach to windsurf. It reminded us of our old friend,Ward who windsurfed into his late 70's.
The endangered whooping cranes migrate to this area of Texas each fall. We took a boat from Rockport-Fulton to see them. They migrate from Wood Buffalo Park in Alberta, Canada. They mate for life, fly in family units and are territorial. The cranes are five feet tall and have a 8 foot wing span. Their babies are brown for the first year. We watched them chase other cranes from their territory. The Aransas wildlife refuge is acquiring more land since the cranes are expanding as their numbers increase. They were down to only 22, but now there are over 500. We saw many water and shore birds from the boat also. A entire flock of roseate spoonbills flew up as we approached. We spent another day at the Aransas WLR on land. Lots of alligators and birds were seen from the trails and the overlooks. The gulf coast was rugged and wild. In Corpus Christi, we visited the Museum of Science and History that included a Smithsonian exhibit which showed the results of Columbus coming to America. The Santa Maria and the Pinta replicas were housed there after their US tour. It was amazing to stand on a boat that crossed the ocean with about 25 men on board, no bunks or galley. The deck had a huge slope, causing all the water that washes over to drain easily. It is amazing that they thought these boats could get to China. Lucky they ran into America. Another area of the museum featured a 16th century carved wood ceiling from Castille Spain.It was magnificent. The USS Lexington, a retired aircraft carrier from WWII, is now a museum and located here. We toured it in Key West many years ago.
We left the coast to visit San Antonio and its wonderful River Walk. It was our third visit to San Antonio and enjoyed a visit to the missions again. There is a beautiful parkway that conects the four missions and the Alamo. The missions date back to the early 1700's and several are active parishes today. The architecture of the missions reminded us of Europe. The interiors of the missions were very simple with altars made for the "day of the dead". It is their custom to remember their deceased loved ones with decorated altars. We then spent a beautiful evening walking thru River Walk and enjoying the party atmosphere.
Austin, the capital of Texas, is a great city. We were given a tour of the Capital building by a woman from Nigeria who immigrated to Texas many years ago. She gave a theatrical performance as she showed us the complex and recalled the history of Texas. A stop at the Bob Bullock Texas State History museum was next. It traced the history of Texas from the time of the Indians until present day. The University of Texas campus was unique. The area around San Antonio and Austin is called the "Hill Country". Indeed Texas does have hills and we took a great drive in the country to see them. One of our favorite stops was Johnson City and the ranch of LBJ. His Texas White house was located on a beautiful piece of land near the Pedernales River. It was interesting to review all the legislation that was passed during his presidency. Things like Medicare, Medicaid, public television and special education were all passed while he was in office. His mother was a college educated women, which was extremely rare in that time. In addition to school, she tutored he and his family at home. There was a huge live oak tree in the front yard of his home where he hosted his Texas BBQ parties. We enjoyed the German towns of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg with their German replica buildings. Authentic German menus delighted us as did the beautifully decorated rooms inside the restaurants. Another jewel of Fredericksburg was the Admiral Nimitz World War II museum. This was his home town and the museum traced WWII from beginning to end. Story after story about the war and its effect on Americans reminded us how difficult it was to be at war. As Grandma Eleanor used to say, we sold the car since you couldn't get gas to run it or tires to run on. All of those were needed for the war.
Our final stop in Texas was Port Arthur which was hit by Hurricane Isaac on Sept 13th of this year. Blue tarps were the standard roof with entire towns like Sabine Pass completely destroyed. We visited a boat harbor near the gulf and there was very little that was salvageable. A very sad sight to see. The Gulf Coast Museum was a treasure, containing memorabilia from many musical artists who grew up in the area of Port Arthur. One of the most famous is Janis Joplin. To see Janis pictures and hear her music again brought back many memories. The oil industry is vibrant in Port Arthur. Refinerys everywhere!
Leaving Texas after more than 3 weeks there, we headed east to Lafayette Louisiana, the home of one of our favorite cajun restaurants, Prejeans. Their etouffee and gumbos are incredibly delicious. We toured a museum and home which reviewed our Acadian history. Then on to New Orleans, we should have rested up for this one!!
The spirit of New Orleans is contagous. We were happy to see improved conditions after Hurricane Katrina. We were here 3 years ago, it was a nightmare. Rebuilding was evident everywhere. The streets of the French Quarter were alive with street performers, artists, and characters. The Green Bay fans were in town for Monday nite football, so they were partying in the bars. We found a great Zydeco band and enjoyed dancing and singing those old southern favorites. We stayed east of New Orleans in Slidell and viewed the wildlife refuges in the area. Bayous with cedar knees and birds were everywhere. I found myself kayaking with the alligators again.
As we head to Dauphine Island,AL for the Thanksgiving week, we wish everyone a very Happy and restful Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Santa Fe, NM to Harlingen, Texas
Our final side trip in the Santa Fe area was to the Los Alamos area with stops at Bandelier National Monument and Jemez. Jim had visited Bandelier about 25 years ago when working on a project for Argonne at Los Alamos. It was great to return. The road to Bandelier was spectacular with cliffs and canyons, mountains and mesas. The ruins were in a wilderness area that seemed undisturbed in the years since the Indians left. The walk started in the canyon to see the ancestral pueblo of the Anasazi Indians that once farmed this land. The Indians lived in this area from the mid 100's to the mid 1500's. The canyon walls were volcanic rock that had solidified into unusual shapes.The walls of the canyon were filled with cave rooms used by the Anasazi. Ladders were braced against the rock formations to view the rooms. It was eerie to imagine what it would have been like to live in these rooms and in this rugged area at an altitude of 6500 feet. Our final climb consisted of about 250 ladder steps that led us to the ceremonial cave. There was a ladder down into the kiva to view the room below. The view from this high cave was spectacular. We looked down below at the canyon, a stream and the cottonwood trees whose leaves were a brilliant yellow-gold. Our next stop was Jemez Springs which led us on a search for some natural springs but instead led us to a beautiful waterfall. Jemez is a town of monasteries. We viewed the Handmaidens of the Precious Blood nuns walking comtemplatively on their grounds. Another feature of the area is the Valles Caldera National preserve. The caldera was formed by a volcano that erupted about one million years ago. The preserve is home to many animals including elk, black bears, and mountain lions. It is one of the best elk hunting grounds in the US.
Leaving the Santa Fe area, we travelled down route 25 to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro in the town of San Antonio. The refuge is well known for the thousands of white snow geese and sandhill cranes that live here in the winter. Not yetat its peak , we saw hundreds of white snow geese on a single small lake. At some unknown signal, they all took flight at the same time to another lake in the refuge. The sound was deafening. It sounded like a jet taking off. The sand hill cranes were busy during the day grazing on the corn fields planted by local farmers for the birds. and roosted in the ponds at night. The cranes were endangered and the habitat was designed to increase their numbers. A festival of cranes is held here later in November.
Continuing thru New Mexico, on our way to Roswell, we passed the " Trinity Site" , the site of the first atomic bomb testing. No access is given to the public, but just driving by this site sent a shiver down your spine. We stopped in Roswell, the site of a possible UFO event in 1947. The International UFO Museum/ Research center proved to be very interesting with pictures, testamonials and newspaper articles dealing with what supposedly happened on a farmer's field with the landing of a UFO containing alien people. Many sightings of UFO's are documented in this museum. You leave the museum wondering when and if we will ever know for sure. Another highlight of Roswell was the Roswell Museum & Art Center. It contained a large collection of Southwest culture, including models of conquistadors in full battle array, cowboys and soldiers. There was a large collection of weapons used in early days. The science area contained the inventions of Robert Goddard, the "father of modern rocketry". He tested many of his unusual inventions in the Roswell area. The art collection featured a spectacular mural of an Indian ceremonial dance and other southwestern artists.
Continuing west, we arrived in Ft Davis, Texas for a visit to the McDonald Observatory. we were treated to an evening of star gazing using the Observatory's 36 inch telescope to view Jupiter and its moons. Other objects seen were double stars, nebula, and even objects not in our galaxie. An added bonus were the shooting stars and sattalites we saw crossing the sky. It was a breathtaking evening up at the top of 6800 foot Mount Locke, one of the highest points in Texas. Marathon, Texas , the gateway to Big Bend NP, was our next stop. We had visited this wonderful NP 3 years ago and were delighted to return. Unfortunately, since the hurricane hit this area in July, the Rio Grande river has overflowed its banks and closed all the canyon hikes we loved. The river looked muddy and rough and the workers were bulldozing mud and plowing it like snow. We enjoyed the park and its roadrunners and deer. Marathon and Ft Davis have the Texas flair with old buildings and elegant hotels. We met a group of seniors travelling in restored Model A Fords. They were driving them throughout Texas and we met them again at Big Bend.
Driving from Marathon, we hugged the Rio Grand thru Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and spent the night in Mission. A visit to Bentsen-Rio Grande state park gave us our first look at a Green Jay,a Great Kiskadee, and a screech owl. Amazing birds ! We continued on to Harlingen to attend the Rio Grande Birding Festival for a few days. We learned to look on the wires for the Crested Caracara and the Kestral. We learned the call of the Plain Chachalaca and saw many hawks and falcons. One trip was a boat ride on the Rio Grande and a visit to King ranch, one of the largest ranches in Texas. We were lucky to see the Ferruginous pigmy owl that roosts there. Many new wading birds were seen in this area including the black necked stilts, avocets, and curved billed curlews. On a trip to South Padre Island, we saw the marbled godwit with its incredible pink legs. That was a first for us. The beach at South Padre is driveable although we saw some non 4 wheel drive vehicles stuck in the sand and needing a tow. The beach is wild and beautiful with huge crashing waves and some unusual shells. It was great to walk on a wilderness beach on the Gulf of Mexico again. Brownsville was another interesting town to visit. It was so close to the Mexican border that you had to be careful not to go thru the border without realizing it. We enjoyed another wildlife refuge and a visit to the Gladys Porter zoo, the home for many cranes from Africa and Asia. Each bird was vibrant in color and a joy to observe.
Leaving the Santa Fe area, we travelled down route 25 to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro in the town of San Antonio. The refuge is well known for the thousands of white snow geese and sandhill cranes that live here in the winter. Not yetat its peak , we saw hundreds of white snow geese on a single small lake. At some unknown signal, they all took flight at the same time to another lake in the refuge. The sound was deafening. It sounded like a jet taking off. The sand hill cranes were busy during the day grazing on the corn fields planted by local farmers for the birds. and roosted in the ponds at night. The cranes were endangered and the habitat was designed to increase their numbers. A festival of cranes is held here later in November.
Continuing thru New Mexico, on our way to Roswell, we passed the " Trinity Site" , the site of the first atomic bomb testing. No access is given to the public, but just driving by this site sent a shiver down your spine. We stopped in Roswell, the site of a possible UFO event in 1947. The International UFO Museum/ Research center proved to be very interesting with pictures, testamonials and newspaper articles dealing with what supposedly happened on a farmer's field with the landing of a UFO containing alien people. Many sightings of UFO's are documented in this museum. You leave the museum wondering when and if we will ever know for sure. Another highlight of Roswell was the Roswell Museum & Art Center. It contained a large collection of Southwest culture, including models of conquistadors in full battle array, cowboys and soldiers. There was a large collection of weapons used in early days. The science area contained the inventions of Robert Goddard, the "father of modern rocketry". He tested many of his unusual inventions in the Roswell area. The art collection featured a spectacular mural of an Indian ceremonial dance and other southwestern artists.
Continuing west, we arrived in Ft Davis, Texas for a visit to the McDonald Observatory. we were treated to an evening of star gazing using the Observatory's 36 inch telescope to view Jupiter and its moons. Other objects seen were double stars, nebula, and even objects not in our galaxie. An added bonus were the shooting stars and sattalites we saw crossing the sky. It was a breathtaking evening up at the top of 6800 foot Mount Locke, one of the highest points in Texas. Marathon, Texas , the gateway to Big Bend NP, was our next stop. We had visited this wonderful NP 3 years ago and were delighted to return. Unfortunately, since the hurricane hit this area in July, the Rio Grande river has overflowed its banks and closed all the canyon hikes we loved. The river looked muddy and rough and the workers were bulldozing mud and plowing it like snow. We enjoyed the park and its roadrunners and deer. Marathon and Ft Davis have the Texas flair with old buildings and elegant hotels. We met a group of seniors travelling in restored Model A Fords. They were driving them throughout Texas and we met them again at Big Bend.
Driving from Marathon, we hugged the Rio Grand thru Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and spent the night in Mission. A visit to Bentsen-Rio Grande state park gave us our first look at a Green Jay,a Great Kiskadee, and a screech owl. Amazing birds ! We continued on to Harlingen to attend the Rio Grande Birding Festival for a few days. We learned to look on the wires for the Crested Caracara and the Kestral. We learned the call of the Plain Chachalaca and saw many hawks and falcons. One trip was a boat ride on the Rio Grande and a visit to King ranch, one of the largest ranches in Texas. We were lucky to see the Ferruginous pigmy owl that roosts there. Many new wading birds were seen in this area including the black necked stilts, avocets, and curved billed curlews. On a trip to South Padre Island, we saw the marbled godwit with its incredible pink legs. That was a first for us. The beach at South Padre is driveable although we saw some non 4 wheel drive vehicles stuck in the sand and needing a tow. The beach is wild and beautiful with huge crashing waves and some unusual shells. It was great to walk on a wilderness beach on the Gulf of Mexico again. Brownsville was another interesting town to visit. It was so close to the Mexican border that you had to be careful not to go thru the border without realizing it. We enjoyed another wildlife refuge and a visit to the Gladys Porter zoo, the home for many cranes from Africa and Asia. Each bird was vibrant in color and a joy to observe.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
LasVegas to Sante Fe NM
After a few days in Vegas ( saw a couple of shows the best being Love, a Cirque Soleil to Beatles music), we flew home to see the kids and grandkids, relatives and friends. It was great to see how much the little ones had grown in just 7 weeks. Everyone is in school and doing well. Before we left Vegas, we toured the Hoover Dam. What an impressive piece of engineering. The tour into the dam was very informative. We drove over it with the RV as we left the area to head to the Grand Canyon. Last fall, we visited the North Rim so the South rim was a natural choice. ( the North Rim is closed this time of year for the winter). The Grand Canyon has spectacular scenery and wildlife. Our first view of the Canyon showed the end of the Bright Angel Trail that we took about 20 years ago with our children. We walked to the overlook of the river and back up in the same day. The kids have never forgotten how tough and fun it was. This time there was only an hour to jump down the trail and come back up. What beautiful sights from inside the canyon! Ledges, arches and petroglyphs were visible on the hike. A lecture by a NP ranger on the California condor was informative and exciting. We learned about the efforts to restore the population of the condor after only 22 remained in the world in the 80's. The program has been successful with about 60 living in the Grand Canyon now and 275 in California. We dreamt of seeing one but it was not to be. During the lecture, we were on the lookout for any to appear, Another reason to return to the GC. A family of Longhorn sheep were walking along the canyon walls that evening. Mom, Dad and baby walked and ran easily along the canyon walls often looking like they would go over the edge. We topped off the evening with a beautiful sunset which caused the canyon rocks to glow.
Our next stop was Canyon de Chelly NP in Arizona. On the way, we stopped along I40 to see the best preserved Meteor crater in the world. The vast floor of the crater has a circumference of 2.4 miles and is more than 550 feet deep. It is the NASA training site for the Apollo astronauts especially the Lunar Rover work because the site's surface is most similar to the moon. A guided hike to the edges and overhanging observation decks as well as a meteor rock that came from the collision 50,000 years ago. It astounded and amazed us!
We arrived later that day at the Canyon de Chelly in a remote section of eastern Arizona. We felt like we had driven to the end of the earth. The NP sits on an Navajo Indian reservation and the campground was within the NP and free to stay. The setting was beautiful with cottonwood tree leaves turning a blazing yellow. A full day jeep tour led by our Navajo guide, Arnelle, took us 40 miles out and back along the floor of the canyon. The open air jeep bounced and powered thru the sand at the bottom of the canyon to see the ruins. The red sandstone walls of the canyon jutted out and up at every angle. The Anasazi Indians had built their homes on the sides of the sandstone mountains and lived her from 800 AD to about 1300 A.D. The remains of their homes were visible today as well as pictographs and petroglyphs that were drawn at that time. The North route explored the Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of the dead) and we returned thru the South Canyon to see Canyon de Chelly. Our nine hour tour made us wonder how these people thrived. Currently about 25 Navajo families live in the canyon. Some of them offered their crafts for sale as well as their fry bread. Their horses and cows lined the dirt paths of the canyon.
On our way to Santa Fe, we stopped at the Acoma Pueblo to see the oldest continuously imhabited community in the US. Sitting on top of a mesa, the Acoma people live without the conveniences of running water or electricity or plumbing. Their pueblo consisted of many well kept homes, kivas, a church, and a cemetery. They referred to the burying of their dead as planting as they strongly believe in the afterlife. No pictures were allowed of the church or the cemetary and a permit was purchased to take pictures of the pueblo. Their society is a matriarchal one with the land being passed down through the mother to the youngest daughter. Many native artisans live in the pueblo who make unique and amazing pottery to sell to their visitors. After our tour, we walked down from the mesa on the stone stairs that the Acoma people used to go to the valley for water. We could not imagine navigating those crude stairs with a water jug perched on our head.
Arriving in Santa Fe, we visited the Cathedral, the Chapel with the miraculous wooden spiral staircase, the Georgia O'Keefe museum as well as the Capital building which housed over 600 pieces of art. What a spectacular display of New Mexican art in a beautiful round building. The square and many of its buildings were being renovated for the 400 year birthday of Santa Fe next year. We drove up to Taos on a beautiful road that hugs the Rio Grande river which is lined with cottonwood trees. In the early days, travelers would know that if you needed to find water, look for the cottonwood. Taos is a beautiful artist community that focuses on health and spiritual enlightenment. It was back in the 60's that young people from all over the country migrated to the Taos area to live in communes and harvest their own food. Most of them are gone or turned into B&Bs now. The Santa Fe area especially Taos deserves another visit in the future.
Our next stop was Canyon de Chelly NP in Arizona. On the way, we stopped along I40 to see the best preserved Meteor crater in the world. The vast floor of the crater has a circumference of 2.4 miles and is more than 550 feet deep. It is the NASA training site for the Apollo astronauts especially the Lunar Rover work because the site's surface is most similar to the moon. A guided hike to the edges and overhanging observation decks as well as a meteor rock that came from the collision 50,000 years ago. It astounded and amazed us!
We arrived later that day at the Canyon de Chelly in a remote section of eastern Arizona. We felt like we had driven to the end of the earth. The NP sits on an Navajo Indian reservation and the campground was within the NP and free to stay. The setting was beautiful with cottonwood tree leaves turning a blazing yellow. A full day jeep tour led by our Navajo guide, Arnelle, took us 40 miles out and back along the floor of the canyon. The open air jeep bounced and powered thru the sand at the bottom of the canyon to see the ruins. The red sandstone walls of the canyon jutted out and up at every angle. The Anasazi Indians had built their homes on the sides of the sandstone mountains and lived her from 800 AD to about 1300 A.D. The remains of their homes were visible today as well as pictographs and petroglyphs that were drawn at that time. The North route explored the Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of the dead) and we returned thru the South Canyon to see Canyon de Chelly. Our nine hour tour made us wonder how these people thrived. Currently about 25 Navajo families live in the canyon. Some of them offered their crafts for sale as well as their fry bread. Their horses and cows lined the dirt paths of the canyon.
On our way to Santa Fe, we stopped at the Acoma Pueblo to see the oldest continuously imhabited community in the US. Sitting on top of a mesa, the Acoma people live without the conveniences of running water or electricity or plumbing. Their pueblo consisted of many well kept homes, kivas, a church, and a cemetery. They referred to the burying of their dead as planting as they strongly believe in the afterlife. No pictures were allowed of the church or the cemetary and a permit was purchased to take pictures of the pueblo. Their society is a matriarchal one with the land being passed down through the mother to the youngest daughter. Many native artisans live in the pueblo who make unique and amazing pottery to sell to their visitors. After our tour, we walked down from the mesa on the stone stairs that the Acoma people used to go to the valley for water. We could not imagine navigating those crude stairs with a water jug perched on our head.
Arriving in Santa Fe, we visited the Cathedral, the Chapel with the miraculous wooden spiral staircase, the Georgia O'Keefe museum as well as the Capital building which housed over 600 pieces of art. What a spectacular display of New Mexican art in a beautiful round building. The square and many of its buildings were being renovated for the 400 year birthday of Santa Fe next year. We drove up to Taos on a beautiful road that hugs the Rio Grande river which is lined with cottonwood trees. In the early days, travelers would know that if you needed to find water, look for the cottonwood. Taos is a beautiful artist community that focuses on health and spiritual enlightenment. It was back in the 60's that young people from all over the country migrated to the Taos area to live in communes and harvest their own food. Most of them are gone or turned into B&Bs now. The Santa Fe area especially Taos deserves another visit in the future.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Los Angeles to Quartzite, AZ
Leaving the bay area, we travelled to a lightly visited National Park, actually a double NP, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. We felt like we had driven to the end of the earth. Very few cars or people were seen in our 2 days there. The 2 largest (not the tallest) trees in the world, General Sherman & General Grant were their names. General Sherman is the largest by volume and it continues to grow each year. It is estimated at 2200 years old. What a site. We felt like midgets gazing at these trees. Driving up the side of the mountain to enter the park was a thrill. You could see where you came from down below and looked up to see where the road would take us. We enjoyed hiking among the Sequoia trees and climbed the 400 steps up Moro rock. What spectacular 360 panoramic view of the mountain ranges in the distance from the top of the rock ! We were so excited to get to the top of a rock without doing rock climbing with all the danger and equiptment. Kings Canyon was a canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon but not as large. The view down into the canyon was breathtaking.
Our next stop was Los Angeles to see Allie (Marge's youngest daughter) in college at Azusa Pacific University and my cousin Marilyn who live in Woodland Hills just north of LA. We arrived at our campground in VanNuys without hitting the famous LA traffic jams on the freeway. What a blessing! The drive through the " grapevine" on I-10 outside LA was a long uphill climb. We quickly understood why they have a huge number of accidents on this road in the fog. A drive down to the ocean on the winding roads thru the hillsides showed beautiful homes hanging from the hillsides. We drove thru Malibu and Santa Monica before we stopped at Venice Beach Boardwalk. The boardwalk is colorfully adorned by beauties and beasts on bikes, skateboards, and rollorblades. Many unusual shops dotted the boardwalk. We passed the muscle beach where we saw a gym where Governor Arnold reportedly worked out. Surfers abounded in the waves and a beautiful sunset was enjoyed.
We met Allie for lunch and a tour of her apartment and campus. It's a small Christian college, Azusa Pacific University, with 2 campuses. After a delightful lunch, we viewed artwork by Jackson Pollack on campus. We wondered what made it art, as it looked like any 2 year old could accomplish the same. One campus had beautiful modern buildings while the other was much older. We loved seeing Allie in her element with other students calling out to her as we walked by. Allie must be the most popular girl on campus. She loves the fact that her professors know her by name as her classes have about 15-20 students. The next day she was going home to celebrate her 20th birthday.
The next day was spent with my cousing Marilyn and her family. What a delightful visit we had. Marilyn was originally from St. Charles Il and had gone to nursing school at Little Company near my home when I was about 10 years old. She and my mom were best buddies in those days. She moved from Il to Conn to California. She is a psychologist by trade and enjoys doing it part time. We enjoyed meeting her daughter Ann and her husband David and her son Jim and his wife Monica. Jim is a photographer and Geri had lots of questions for him. Ann has an internet business called Plush Puffs, a gourmet marshmellow that she manufactures and sells. They were served at the Emmy Awards last year. So if you have sweet tooth, go to plushpuffs.com and try them.
Driving out of LA was a breeze as we left early in the AM. We headed down to Joshua Tree NP for the day. We walked among the chollas and unusual plants trying not to touch them as they sting. The Joshua trees were unique in size and shape growing only 1/2 inch a year, They were named by the early Mormons as they thought they were reaching up to heaven. Huge boulders were visible in many parts of the park. Their unique shapes were so appropriately named such as Skull rock. Many of the hiking trails required some scrambling over the boulders. We met many young people at this NP as they love to go "bouldering". They carried a huge mat on their back that they used to cushion the fall they probably would take while climbing up the boulders. You've got to be young to be a true boulderer. The hikes featured an old dam and a small arch by Arches standards, Seeing a roadrunner and a jackrabbit told us we were truly in the desert. A beautiful park that combines the Mohave dessert with the Colorado desert.
Our next drive took us south along the Salton Sea, the third largest inland salt-water lake in the US. A stop at the Sonny Bono Natl Wildlife Refuse rewarded us with sightings of many of Geri's favorite water birds. White pelicans, great blue herons, eggrets and woodstorks as well as many birds and ducks were spotted. We continued our drive very close to the Mexican border ( we could see the fences) to Yuma and points north. Tonight we are camping on BLM land outside of Quartzite Arizona. Tomorrow we will head north to Las Vegas where we will try our luck for a few days before we fly home to Chicago to visit our children and grandchildren.
Our next stop was Los Angeles to see Allie (Marge's youngest daughter) in college at Azusa Pacific University and my cousin Marilyn who live in Woodland Hills just north of LA. We arrived at our campground in VanNuys without hitting the famous LA traffic jams on the freeway. What a blessing! The drive through the " grapevine" on I-10 outside LA was a long uphill climb. We quickly understood why they have a huge number of accidents on this road in the fog. A drive down to the ocean on the winding roads thru the hillsides showed beautiful homes hanging from the hillsides. We drove thru Malibu and Santa Monica before we stopped at Venice Beach Boardwalk. The boardwalk is colorfully adorned by beauties and beasts on bikes, skateboards, and rollorblades. Many unusual shops dotted the boardwalk. We passed the muscle beach where we saw a gym where Governor Arnold reportedly worked out. Surfers abounded in the waves and a beautiful sunset was enjoyed.
We met Allie for lunch and a tour of her apartment and campus. It's a small Christian college, Azusa Pacific University, with 2 campuses. After a delightful lunch, we viewed artwork by Jackson Pollack on campus. We wondered what made it art, as it looked like any 2 year old could accomplish the same. One campus had beautiful modern buildings while the other was much older. We loved seeing Allie in her element with other students calling out to her as we walked by. Allie must be the most popular girl on campus. She loves the fact that her professors know her by name as her classes have about 15-20 students. The next day she was going home to celebrate her 20th birthday.
The next day was spent with my cousing Marilyn and her family. What a delightful visit we had. Marilyn was originally from St. Charles Il and had gone to nursing school at Little Company near my home when I was about 10 years old. She and my mom were best buddies in those days. She moved from Il to Conn to California. She is a psychologist by trade and enjoys doing it part time. We enjoyed meeting her daughter Ann and her husband David and her son Jim and his wife Monica. Jim is a photographer and Geri had lots of questions for him. Ann has an internet business called Plush Puffs, a gourmet marshmellow that she manufactures and sells. They were served at the Emmy Awards last year. So if you have sweet tooth, go to plushpuffs.com and try them.
Driving out of LA was a breeze as we left early in the AM. We headed down to Joshua Tree NP for the day. We walked among the chollas and unusual plants trying not to touch them as they sting. The Joshua trees were unique in size and shape growing only 1/2 inch a year, They were named by the early Mormons as they thought they were reaching up to heaven. Huge boulders were visible in many parts of the park. Their unique shapes were so appropriately named such as Skull rock. Many of the hiking trails required some scrambling over the boulders. We met many young people at this NP as they love to go "bouldering". They carried a huge mat on their back that they used to cushion the fall they probably would take while climbing up the boulders. You've got to be young to be a true boulderer. The hikes featured an old dam and a small arch by Arches standards, Seeing a roadrunner and a jackrabbit told us we were truly in the desert. A beautiful park that combines the Mohave dessert with the Colorado desert.
Our next drive took us south along the Salton Sea, the third largest inland salt-water lake in the US. A stop at the Sonny Bono Natl Wildlife Refuse rewarded us with sightings of many of Geri's favorite water birds. White pelicans, great blue herons, eggrets and woodstorks as well as many birds and ducks were spotted. We continued our drive very close to the Mexican border ( we could see the fences) to Yuma and points north. Tonight we are camping on BLM land outside of Quartzite Arizona. Tomorrow we will head north to Las Vegas where we will try our luck for a few days before we fly home to Chicago to visit our children and grandchildren.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay area is the home of many of our relatives. We started our tour with a weekend visit to Meadow Vista where Jim's cousin Kim and her husband Ted had built a amazing new home near Kim's parents, Uncle Claus and Aunt Dorothy. The house is patterned after a Tuscan Villa with a wonderful view of the golf course below. Each room is a treasure. They are very gracious hosts and they love entertaining. It was like staying at a 5 star resort. Old times were discussed and laughed over. Kim and Ted hosted a BBQ for their family including cousin Stacey and her daughters, Jenai and Taryn as well as Uncle Claus and Aunt Dorothy. It was a scumptious feast topped off by Kim's homemade rhubarb pie. Kim drove us to Nevada City to see a real gold rush town. We enjoyed the farmers market and the quaint shops that lined the streets. We also visited an old gold mine with a fine display of rare and precious stones. Finally,Ted and Kim took us on a tour of their beautiful golf course which they have both mastered(?). It's landscape and design would make the course a challenge for any level of golfer. When we visit again, we'll bring our clubs and lots of balls. It was a very special weekend which we will fondly remember.
The rest of the week was spent riding BART into the city to do the tourist sites. A farmer's market started our day with Geri purchasing some of the finest produce since Nevada City as well as fresh walnuts. We enjoyed walking (downhill only ) in the city and stopped by Marge's office in the Embarquedero building. Quite the impressive office. We rode the cable cars from one end of the city to the other with stops at Lombard St, and the Wharf. Watching the cars drive down Lombard St. made us want to do it, so later in the week we did it. What a gorgeous street filled with flowers and curves. On the wharf, we stopped to taste and buy Bedouin sour dough bread. They also showed how it was made. What a delicious treat.
While in the city we had special times with Marge and her son Dan and daughter Lauren. A visit to Dan's apartment in the city was great. With Ansel Adams and one of his original photographs on the wall, it was hard to tell which was Dan's and which was Ansel's. Dan and Marge took us to one of their favorite restaurants in the city serving Asian- American Fusion cuisine. Each dish was cleverly presented and the food was unique. Another evening, we had dinner with Dave, Marge, and Lauren in Dublin. Dave was reliving their trip in an RV across the country when gasoline was only 39 cents a gallon. ( How old are they??) It was great to catch up on old family stories and RV travelling.
Lauren is a student at Cal in Berkley, so she took us on tour of the campus and her apartment. It was great to see the diversity of the student body, the architecture of the buildings , as well as the natural surroundings. Hearing Lauren's college stories brought back a few memories of our experiences. On Saturday, we attended the Cal- ASU game. It was a close game with lots of action. We enjoyed cheering Cal on to a win. Thanks Lauren for those Cal sweatshirts and those game tickets.
We spent another day driving from Half Moon Bay to the Marin headlands over the Golden Gate Bridge. What sights we saw along the ocean! Rugged rocks with endless beaches and crashing waves delighted our senses. Surfers were visible along the coast. Each beach gave us a different view and angle of the Golden Gate bridge. What an achitectural marvel.
The final highlight of the week was a sensational meal at Aqua, the restaurant where Dan performs his Sommolier duties. Dan invited us to dinner with Marge and we feasted for five hours. It's hard to imagine how one can dine for five hours but at Aqua it happens. Each course is served with impeccable elegance and beautiful presentation.
Dan carefully paired a different type of wine with each course. His choices of wines ranged from California wines to French and German wines. As he poured, he explained each wine's provenance to us novices. Geri's favorite was a Reisling from Germany, while Jim and Marge enjoyed them all.(Surprise) The food at Aqua is prepared by the chef and finished by the server at the table who explains the preparation and ingredients in each dish. The first course was caviar which told us this wouldn't be just any meal. Next our Tuna Tartare was combined at the table with quail egg yolk and a myriad of fresh herbs and spices. A gastronomic delight. The third course included raw oysters,crab and foie gras. Our next course was a delicious cheese souffle with porcini mushrooms.. Our fabulous entrees included ahi tuna, halibut, and scallops. The wonderful cheese course followed. Are we full yet? Dessert was an art to behold. Passion fruit souffle, a chocolate truffle and strawberry glacee were each presented so beautifully, it was tough to eat them. Dan served us our favorite dessert wine from Far Niente Winery. At the completion of the meal, we thanked Dan and the staff of Aqua for making it truly a dining experience of a lifetime.
To all our midwest relatives, this is what you can expect when you come to California.
The rest of the week was spent riding BART into the city to do the tourist sites. A farmer's market started our day with Geri purchasing some of the finest produce since Nevada City as well as fresh walnuts. We enjoyed walking (downhill only ) in the city and stopped by Marge's office in the Embarquedero building. Quite the impressive office. We rode the cable cars from one end of the city to the other with stops at Lombard St, and the Wharf. Watching the cars drive down Lombard St. made us want to do it, so later in the week we did it. What a gorgeous street filled with flowers and curves. On the wharf, we stopped to taste and buy Bedouin sour dough bread. They also showed how it was made. What a delicious treat.
While in the city we had special times with Marge and her son Dan and daughter Lauren. A visit to Dan's apartment in the city was great. With Ansel Adams and one of his original photographs on the wall, it was hard to tell which was Dan's and which was Ansel's. Dan and Marge took us to one of their favorite restaurants in the city serving Asian- American Fusion cuisine. Each dish was cleverly presented and the food was unique. Another evening, we had dinner with Dave, Marge, and Lauren in Dublin. Dave was reliving their trip in an RV across the country when gasoline was only 39 cents a gallon. ( How old are they??) It was great to catch up on old family stories and RV travelling.
Lauren is a student at Cal in Berkley, so she took us on tour of the campus and her apartment. It was great to see the diversity of the student body, the architecture of the buildings , as well as the natural surroundings. Hearing Lauren's college stories brought back a few memories of our experiences. On Saturday, we attended the Cal- ASU game. It was a close game with lots of action. We enjoyed cheering Cal on to a win. Thanks Lauren for those Cal sweatshirts and those game tickets.
We spent another day driving from Half Moon Bay to the Marin headlands over the Golden Gate Bridge. What sights we saw along the ocean! Rugged rocks with endless beaches and crashing waves delighted our senses. Surfers were visible along the coast. Each beach gave us a different view and angle of the Golden Gate bridge. What an achitectural marvel.
The final highlight of the week was a sensational meal at Aqua, the restaurant where Dan performs his Sommolier duties. Dan invited us to dinner with Marge and we feasted for five hours. It's hard to imagine how one can dine for five hours but at Aqua it happens. Each course is served with impeccable elegance and beautiful presentation.
Dan carefully paired a different type of wine with each course. His choices of wines ranged from California wines to French and German wines. As he poured, he explained each wine's provenance to us novices. Geri's favorite was a Reisling from Germany, while Jim and Marge enjoyed them all.(Surprise) The food at Aqua is prepared by the chef and finished by the server at the table who explains the preparation and ingredients in each dish. The first course was caviar which told us this wouldn't be just any meal. Next our Tuna Tartare was combined at the table with quail egg yolk and a myriad of fresh herbs and spices. A gastronomic delight. The third course included raw oysters,crab and foie gras. Our next course was a delicious cheese souffle with porcini mushrooms.. Our fabulous entrees included ahi tuna, halibut, and scallops. The wonderful cheese course followed. Are we full yet? Dessert was an art to behold. Passion fruit souffle, a chocolate truffle and strawberry glacee were each presented so beautifully, it was tough to eat them. Dan served us our favorite dessert wine from Far Niente Winery. At the completion of the meal, we thanked Dan and the staff of Aqua for making it truly a dining experience of a lifetime.
To all our midwest relatives, this is what you can expect when you come to California.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Yosemite National Park II
We loved Yosemite NP. What a treasure! It was our first time there and it was incredible. We instantly came to know and love the many granite peaks in Yosemite. Our campsite was next to the Merced River with great views of Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, and Cathedral Rocks. We ate at the Ahwahnee Hotel , a beautiful setting. What a work of art that building is. These great old National Park Lodges(Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, the Ahwahnee) are attractions all by themselves. The Ansel Adams Gallery held great interest for Ger as she walked with a photographer who worked for the grandson of Ansel. The group went out to a meadow where Ansel took his famous photo of Half Dome and the Sierra peaks. It was amazing to stand in the same area and view what he viewed almost 50 years ago. In many spots in the valley, we photographed other places that Ansel loved, such as Tunnel View, where all the peaks are visible in a 360 panoramic view. One evening, a ranger performed a one man play of " Yosemite thru the Eyes of a Buffalo Soldier " which will soon be published as a book and made into a movie. Buffalo Soldiers were Black regiments of the U.S. Army who were the 1st guardians of the park in the late 1800's. Hiking and biking are the best modes of transportation at Yosemite. We could bike anywhere in the Valley and took numerous hikes. We took the shuttle bus to Glacier Point and hiked down 3200 feet. The sights were spectacular. Yosemite Falls were dry for lack of rain and snow but we hiked up to Bridal Veil and Vernal Falls. The higher you climbed the more beautiful the falls. At Bridal Veil,we had an encounter with a rattle snake. It was laying on a rock right next to our path. Luckily, he was not in the mood to strike anyone as tourists just walked by him as though he was harmless. Mirror Lake was another hiking destination. The lake used to mirror the peaks of Yosemite but is slowly turning into a meadow as it fills in and dries out. What a huge lake it was but the view of the peaks was fantastic. Yosemite is the destination of climbers from all over the world who come to climb El Capitan and Half Dome. There were as many as 10 groups of climbers at a time on El Capitan with one to three in each group. We were mesmerized by the tiny dots on the sheer granite face and used the spotting scope to see the climbers more clearly. They took 3-7 days or longer to climb the wall using advanced climbing equipment. It was hard to imagine climbing El Capitan but even harder to imagine sleeping on the face in a hanging hammock. One evening, we went out to watch the climbers turn on their headlamps while eating their evening meal on the wall. Little white dots of light sparkled from high above us. We left Yosemite vowing to return again as we both were mesmerized by our experience. We drove out of Yosemite on scenic Route 140 which followed the Merced River for many miles.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Yosemite National Park,CA
Before coming here, we visited Angel's Camp, the Gold Country and the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The size of the Sequoias is unbelievable. After a very exciting drive on Route 20 Oak Flat Road, we arrived Sunday morning in Yosemite with Geri's sister, Marge. The road was anything but flat with lots of hairpin turns as we climbed in elevation. Marge only had 1 day, so we went up to Tioga Pass. The vistas of the high Sierras were magnificent. The lakes reflected the mountains and vistas. We could walk to the edges of glacier granite. Yesterday we took a ranger-guided tour of the Valley. The sights are breathtaking. We now have 3 days(not enough) to tour and hike on our own. Our internet is spotty, so no new pictures until we leave here on Friday.
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