Talk With The Animals

We are off to Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo! Normally we are not zoo people but we have heard so much about this one we had to go. We hopped on the trolley which dropped us in the center of the gorgeous, 1200 acre, Balboa Park. This is the nations largest urban park and home to 15 different museums as well as the zoo. You can't believe that this was a desert, there are trees and plants here from all over the world thanks to a lady named Kate Sessions. It's truly a botanical masterpiece.

Down the walkway lined with blooming fragile white Ornamental Pear Trees to Reflection Pond on our right and the entrance to the Latticed Botanical House on our left. The Bontanical Building is filled with trees and flowing plants, but you can't miss the displays of extraordinary orchids of every color. We followed the path back out to the main promenade, past fountains and arrived at the zoo entrance.

The zoo admission for one day was pretty good compared to some of the parks we have been to. $37 and that includes the tour bus and skyfari gondola which you can take all day. We were told to take the bus to learn the layout of the zoo first. It takes all day to see the zoo and then we probably wouldn't see it all! As the bus went down the Fern Canyon Trail you realized this was a botanical garden with a zoo enfolded into it. We arrived in the Urban Jungle area where we saw a baby Giraffe on the left and Hippos on the right.

After the tour we got off in the Outback to see the Koala's. There was a mother with a baby Koala and we were really lucky they weren't sleeping (like the rest)! Walking down the Big Cat Trail we saw Chetahs and Lepoards. We were standing at the walkway in front of the Leopard's cage when a very strange thing happened. On the road just below us a little girl was running in circles playing with her father. The cat spotted her from the back of the cage and ran aggressively from the back to the front, jumped up, and put it's paws right up on the fence and watched her. This was pure predator in action. Beautiful but scary.

Our next stop was the Polar Bears but unfortunately they were "off site" and would not be back until March. We were disappointed, but everyone needs a vacation.... We hopped on the bus and drove through Elephant Odyssey and Africa Rocks. The Painted African Dogs were very strange looking. They look like Hyenas with big ears and have gray and yellow spots.

Walking down the parkway past blooming Bird of Paradise and red Bougainvilla to Panda Canyon. It's early afternoon now and believe it or not it's nap time for the animals. We walked through Panda Canyon and Shin Lu was napping on a limb. We missed the viewing of the new mother and baby which was early this morning. Across the street was a very unusual Panda. It was a Red Panda and absolutely adorable. It to was sleeping and I couldn't get a good picture myself so I found one on line. I think he was my favorite. Unlike the black and white pandas he has a long bushy tail.

Unfortunately the park closes as 5pm today so we decided to walk through the Eagle Trail seeing Condors and South American Eagles. We took the Skyfari Gondola across the top of the zoo seeing Gorillas on our way.

It's now 4PM and we wanted to catch the Model Railroad Museum. This is the largest operating model railroad in North America. There is over 28,000 sq. ft of scale model railroad layouts. Ken loved the way they landscaped the displays and put down the different levels of track. It is an amazing exhibit, even if your not a big train buff.

There are 15 different gardens here and we just didn't have enough time to see it all. This is a great place for picnics and spending several more days if you have the time.

Unfortunately it was getting dark and we were wondering how to find a cab when lo and behold a trolley came into the plaza! Although it was well after pickup time he did stop and deposited us at our next stop... Little Italy. Once a predominent fishing village Little Italy is an active neighborhood lined with restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and shops. India St. runs through the heart of Little Italy and we found a couple of chairs on the plaza and watched people for a while. There are some 60 restaurants on this area so it was Italian night for us. We walked past many but settled on Mona Lisa. Unfortunately it was mediocre at best and we don't recommend it. To make up for this we stopped at a bakery and got a couple goodies to take back to the hotel.

We are tired after our fun day and need to rest up for tomorrow. Today was fantastic and we loved the park and the zoo!

Camping At The Hilton!

We packed up the coach, put it in storage, and headed up I8 W. We'll go through three mountain passes today taking us up to about 4000 feet. These aren't the high jagged peaks but are more rounded. Some look more like large hills. The highway twists and climbs as we pass through Devils Canyon. There are loose piles of boulders every where. There are juniper trees growing out of the crevases between the rocks. The landscape is amazing as larger rocks sit on top of smaller ones in many precarious positions. They truly demonstrate natures balancing act. As we come down out of the mountains we wind our way in and out of valleys with big ranches sprinkled all over the lush green hills.

We arrive at the Hilton Bayfront right on the San Diego Bay. This is the newest Hilton in San Diego. It's very nice and we are on the 21st floor with a view of the Bay and Gas Lamp Area. Once settle we got our boarding pass for the Old Town Trolley and headed out. We walked the block to the Gas Lamp District and grabbed lunch at a little outdoor place called the Toscana Cafe. We highly recommend it. We have a 3 day plan and we hope to see as much as we can.

After lunch we hopped on the trolley and rode the whole route (about 2 hours) to get our bearings. The trolley winds it's way over the magnificent Coronado Bridge and through the town of Coronado which is across the bay. The landmark Hotel Del Coronado is located here. The last stop was in the Old Town section. This area has lots of spanish and mexican markets and restaurants. The Guadalajara restaurant was recommended for its 30 ounce Margarita! We had to try it out. Then we walked (or stumbled...) through Old Town. We found a little patio and sat and watched people for a while. The last trolley left at 4PM and it's well after that so we took the local train back to the hotel.

It was a great day and we really like this city. It's beautiful and the weather and temperature is perfect. San Diego is very easy to get around between the Trolley, Double Decker Buses, and local trains. Most places you hear about never meet the expectations, so far San Diego has more than met ours.

First Road to Southern California

Today is an exploring day. We drove out of El Centro on Rte 86N and followed this north and west through Palm Tree farms. Just before the junction of Rte 78W we went through our first Border Patrol checkpoint. They waved us through and we didn't have to stop, but they obviously know what they are looking for.

We followed 78W into Ocotillo Wells. This is a huge OHV (off roading) recreation area. The desert is covered with Ocotillo cactus and they are starting to get red/orange blooms on them. This is our first desert bloom! We pass a sign that says 'sea level' but soon the road turns narrow and winding as it starts to climb up the sides of mountains. We continue through the pass, around tight curves, and through wooded areas. The landscape turns from flat desert with Joshua Tree and Ocotillo to rolling foothills and breathtaking canyon views. The town of Julian sits in the beautiful Cuyamaca Mountains at 4000 ft. Julian is a wonderful mountain getaway that will take you back to the 1870's gold rush days. The town is quaint and offers hiking, wine tasting, and is known for growing apples. The trees are very short and not like the ones we have at home. We strolled through town and stopped at the Soup & Such Cafe for lunch. It was great! It's on Main Street and if you come this way you should stop in. We wandered down the other side of Main Street looking for a bakery as we had to have something Apple. We finally found the Apple Alley Bakery and got a strudle to take home.

It was still early afternoon so we wound our way back down the mountain road and into Anza-Borrego State Park. This is the largest desert park in America. We decided to take State Route 2 home which meanders through a landscape of desert, rolling hills, rugged mountains, and deep canyons. Driving through Shelter Valley we stopped at a historic landmark called Box Canyon. The canyon is a narrow defile about a mile long. Through the bottom of the wash went the California-Sonora Trail of the Mexican Era, the route of the Mormon Battalion, the Great Southern Immigrant Trail of the Gold Rush and after, and the Butterfield Overland Mail road. On their long march from Council Bluffs to San Diego, the Mormon Battalion hacked out, with axes, a way for their wagons to get through the chasm in the rocks, which, until then, had been a foot too narrow. Box Canyon became, the first wagon road into Southern California. The prairie schooners with their shuddering white tops and Butterfield's Concord stage coaches creaked through the canyon like ships through a canal with only inches to spare. We scrambled down the rough path and followed thewash with canyon walls rising high above us. I had my first interaction with a Hedgehog Cactus as I brushed by it with my leg - they hurt! - it went right through my jeans. The walk climbed over boulders and rocks, past barrel and other various size cactus, and through brush. It was rugged and peaceful at the same time.

Further down the road we found Aqua Caliente Springs and the Butterfield RV Park which looked realy nice. It had nice mountain views and grassy sites (which are unusual here). It is also right next to the Aqua Caliente Spa! We didn't stop this time, but made a note for when we come back through here again.

We found a state park campground sign and decided to check it out. Down the dirt road to the Bow Willow camp site. The road was a little washboard as we wound our way into a canyon where the sand was white and the ground was strewn with low bush and blooming Ocotillo. The Coyote Mountains rose up around us and it was magical. This is the type of camp we like best not the resort and snowbird parks. We drove through the designated sites which were large enough to fit your coach, but would not be big enough for a large class A motorhome. On the way back we took a side road that led up to the top of a good size hill. Wow... if we could park the coach here with the view and quiet - it would be unbelievable! The view from the top looked out over the entire canyon and mountains. We walked out to the point and saw deer tracks. You would think I would have learned, but I met another cactus I didn't like! We stood looking out over the immense expanse in front of us. There wasn't a sound and the silence hurt our ears.

Unfortunately we had to head back to camp. At the end of Rte S2 we turned onto I8 E. It was a fantastic trip today. Back at camp we relaxed, talked about what we saw and got things ready for our trip to San Diego. We are looking forward to it.

Today was awesome!

Walking The Wash...

Fantastic morning. We used our 2 for 1 breakfast buffet ticket at the casino's Blue Water Grill. Food was ok. After breakfast we went back to the coach and got ready to go. Driving down Rte 95 S we turn onto Rte 62 W in Parker. This will take us across the Colorado River into California where we pick up Rte 95 S again. The air is crisp and clear, and the sun is warm. We liked this area of Arizona a lot. Lots of ups and downs this morning as we roll through the dips and washes as the road winds along the Colorado River.

We experienced our first "agricultural" check point this morning soon after entering California. The border patrol officer just asked us where we were coming from and then wished us a good day. We turned onto Rte 78 W and there are a lot more green bushes, some trees and palm trees as we ride along the river. It's pretty driving through the dirt desert floor and then coming over a hill seeing the sparkling blue river appearing in front of us. There are many farms growing hay and feed for cattle. The fields are still wet and puddley (is that a word?) from the rain last weekend. The green fields seem really bright after being in the desert plains for so long. Herds of sheep and baby lambs are grazing the fields along the road as we drive southwest. The mountains frame the horizon and you really get the feel of what it was like before the settlers came and what the land was like when they crossed in wagons. A lot of these roads are old wagon trails. We noticed some smoke rising in the distance and wondered if it was a war party.... Ken said 'no, they just picked a new chief!

We stopped for a break at a pullout and took a walk down a wash a few feet from the pullout. Some of the trees are covered with a thick vine. At first we thought these were bird nests when we saw them from the distance. Gordon told us it was Mistletoe which is an invasive plant and it's killing the trees. It was really interesting to walk through the cactus and trees along the wash. We saw some small animal prints and thought they might be coyote. Ken looked for "shiney" rocks during our walk. I think he's becoming a gold hunter... We had a quick lunch, enjoyed the mountain views and then got back on the road.

Traveling through the jagged Palo Verde Mountains, some of the dips are so deep you can see where drivers went in too fast and hit the front of their vehicle before starting up out of the dip (ouch). Suddenly out of the brush to our left a coyote came running across the road. They blend in with the dirt and brush so well we didn't see him until he was in the middle of the road...Ken slowed down as much as we could and the coyote was able to run forward and to the side.... we just missed him!

Coming into the small town of Glamis, California we weren't prepared for the surprise ahead. There seemed to be large hills of what looked like sand in front of us. A few miles up the road we found ourselves entering the Algodones Sand Dunes. These are unbelievable. They are approximately 45 miles by 6 miles and extends along a northwest-southeast line that correlates to the prevailing northerly and westerly wind directions. There was a plow (yes like a snow plow...) in front of us plowing the sand off the road. We saw a beautiful light brown hawk perched on the top of a sand dune, but unfortunately they won't let you stop on the side of the road. There was no place to pull over for pictures, but we tried to take some out of the car window. During a major winter holiday there can be 150,000 people using this recreational area for camping and off roading.

We turned onto Rte 111 S and our GPS (Adora) is in charge now to get us to our campground. This route takes us through the Imperial Valley. We passed by a huge dairy farm with about 2 acres of pens holding cattle - very stinky and we were glad we weren't neighbors.

Turning onto I8 W we are definitely back in civilization. We pulled into El Centro and the Sunbeam Lake RV Park. We have a site here for 2 days and then we'll store the coach while we go to San Diego. The park is ok, but not really on a lake. It's more like a man made lagoon. Soon we have the thunder of jets over head. This is the winter practice site for the famous Blue Angels. We watched them twist and turn as they flew singley over head.

We did about 180 miles today so we chilled and went to bed.

Trip Planning Day

Got up this morning and decided to stay in Parker one more day. We need to do some travel planning for our time in San Diego. It's a little cloudy so it's a good day for it. We'll spend 3 nights in the city. It took most of the day to plan campground, storage for the coach, hotel, and figure which attractions we want to see.

Ken did the laundry. We made Pad Thai for dinner. We had trouble with our propane again tonight. Ken thinks we got some bad gas when we filled up at the campground in Bowie, AZ. Who knows how old it was!

We went up to the casino and played. The night started out disasterous, but the cards turned and we did really well.

We enjoyed our stay in Parker and will definitely be back....

Burros Rule Route 66

Another great day. After breakfast Anna went to work (unfortunately) and Gordon, Ken, and I headed for a day of exploration. We stopped by Gordon's friend "Ken" who is really fun. He and Gordon are going to join a club in the mountains and go prospecting for gold. It's a social group and they do find gold in "them thar hills"!

Off we go up Rte 95 N to I40W. We took the Oatman exit onto historic Route 66. Driving Route 66 was a real treat and a really fantastic drive through the foothills and up into the mountains. We started t0o see wild burros on the plains. The elevation went from about 500 feet above sea level to a little over 4000 feet. The road led us past old mines and into Oatman. Oatman is a former mining town in the Black Mountains. The town is extremely proud of its Route 66 heritage and replicas of 66's black-on-white US highway shield are posted all over town. It began as a tent camp and in 1915 two prospectors hit a gold find of $10 million. The town grew to 10,000, it's now a town of 150 - not counting the burros! The burros are decendants from pack animals turned loose by the prospectors, and they own the town. They roam the streets and sidewalks greeting visitors. If you feed them carrots they will follow you all over. The baby burros have little stickers on their foreheads that say "no carrots".

We had lunch at the Old Oatman Hotel. This is a historic landmark and is well known as the honeymoon stop for Clark Gable and Carole Lombard after their 1939 wedding in Kingman, Arizona. Gable grew to love the Oatman area and returned many times to play poker with the miners. The restaurant and bar is papered with dollar bills. The dollar bills have peoples names on them and where they are from. We added a bill to the wall so now Bradford, NH is represented. We had a great lunch. I had my first buffalo burger, it was really good. There was a duo called the Oatman Outlaws singing and they were very good. We wanted a picture so I went to sit on the step in front of them. One of them handed me a 'little tamborine' and I ended up playing with them for the rest of the song.

After lunch we drove back to Gordon's, picked fresh fruit from the trees and headed back to camp. It was a great visit - Thanks Gordon & Anna!

We got back and relaxed at camp. Tuesday night was BINGO night so off we went to the activity center. It was fun and we met a nice couple from Oregon. We didn't win, but had a good time. We got back about 9pm. Nice thing about these activities is they are never late!

We called it a night and we are looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

Emerald In The Desert

Sunny, crisp and cool as we headed down Rte 95N to Emerald Canyon Golf Club. As we turned onto the road leading to the course canyon walls rose up around us and we began to see areas of lush green. The club house looks out over the Colorado River and the 1st tee from the top of a hill. Every view gets better as we hit the links. I couldn't play today due to a back problem, so I was designated photographer.

The course takes you to a canyon where you can tee off and watch the ball fly between the canyon walls. We follow the cart path up to a bluff high in the rock wall and tee off hoping the ball will land on the green way below and not in the gully. The tees and greens showcase the spectacular natural surroundings. One of my favorites was a tee high on a hill with the yellow flowering brittlebrush around the edges as you look down onto the lush green. This is the most beautiful course we've ever played! As we got to hole ten we saw our frist Roadrunner and there were Quail running everywhere. We all had a great time and the 18 holes went really fast.

After golf we went to the Roadrunner Cafe for lunch. The cafe is a floating dock restaurant right on the river and it's a fun place. Gordon and Anna invited us up to their place in Lake Havisu. We went back to camp, packed an overnight bag and headed out. We had a great visit. Anna made a roast chicken dinner with peanutbutter sheet cake for dessert...yum...I found Anna and I have something in common. We both collect Santa Clauses. She has a great collection of all sizes and she has some fantastic pieces. Their home is really cute and homey. Off their patio they have grapefuit, orange, tangelo, and lemon trees.

After dinner we relaxed and called it a night.

Meeting Friends

Well our first rally is over and we really enjoyed it. We met some new friends and learned a lot of tips for maintaining our RV and keeping safe during our travels. We said goodbye to our friends Glenn, Marcie and Bear. Bear is their wood carved mascot. He sits by their RV. When we met him he was dressed in a life preserver due to all the rain.

On our way out of town we drove down to the 4 corners to take some pictures of Quartzsite. We are traveling down Rte 95 N to Parker, Arizona. Rte 95 is a "roller coaster" road with lots of dips. If you go over these fast enough you leave your stomach behind! The ride was pretty as we crossed the Cactus Plains with the Mojave Mountains in front of us.

It was a short drive to Parker. Parker is a nice area. We were up the road in Lake Havisu several years ago for a vacation and we drove down to Parker to go to and RV show and ended up at the Blue Water Casino. This time we'll meet our friend Gordon Hollabaugh here. We got settled in at the Blue Water RV Park. The park is about 38 years old but very well kept. Most of the people here are 'snowbirds'. They have nice facilities and BINGO on Tuesdays! We will spend an extra day here to do some travel planning for the Sabn Diego area which will be our next stop.

We met Gordon and his friend Anna for dinner. We went to the Blue Water Casino. It was really good. Anna was playing video poker at the bar and got a Royal Flush and a nice payoff ...yea!... We made plans to play golf tomorrow at Emerald Canyon Golf Club. Gordon & Anna headed home and we went to the casino. We had a really good night.

We are looking forward to playing Emerald Canyon tomorrow.

Rocks Can Be Exciting!

Wow sunny and nice... We drove down the road to a little trailer that was selling Cinnamon Buns (for $3.25 each) and got some for breakfast. After two days of pancakes we needed a break. Ken went off to his electrical seminar and I went for a walk. After Ken's seminar I joined him for the Fire Safety seminar. This was wonderful. Everything was covered from types of fires, how to escape and the importance of practice, and maintaining your fire extinguisher - which I didn't know you had to do... I got to use a fire extinguisher, which I had never done, and put out a fire.

After the seminars we went to the rescheduled Hot Dog Bash. Then we joined Glenn and Marcie and headed for the Pow Wow Gem & Mineral Show. There are hundreds of of dealers and sellers here from all over the world. We didn't know there were so many different kinds of crystals and rocks with treasures of tourmaline, peridot, and fossils in them. It was eye opening. We bought a couple geodes (rocks that have crystals inside). You can take the rock home, split it, and hopefully you have a treasure. Rock Hounding or hunting for geodes and crystals is really popular now as a hobby.

Back to camp there was a beautiful sunset over the mountains. Later we had a great spaghetti dinner with home made sauce at Glenn and Marcie's. Then we went to the Rivoli Patriotic Show. It was good. After the show we said goodnight to our friends. We'll see them before we go our separate ways tommorrow.

The Road To Yuma

Stopped raining and it's windy and cool. This ralley is put on by the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) and is the International Organization which we belong to. We are members of the Coach House Owners Club and they're a chapter of FMCA. There are about 350 coaches and 700 people at this rally.

We went to breakfast and I made plans to go to the "Red Hatters & Ladies Lunch" with Marcie. Then Ken and I took off to go exploring. We took Rte 95 S which is the road to Yuma. It was a beautiful drive. The water that was "gushing" through the washes and over the roads last night is pretty much gone now. The road took us through the Kofa Mountain Wildlife Refuge. We took a side road that lead into Kofa Canyon. The road wasn't too bad at first but then started to get muddier and soft from the rain so we stopped, took picures, and turned around. Ken is now talking about trading the HHR for a Jeep.... He would love to have a 4 wheel drive so we could explore more (hmmm). Further down the road to our right was the Chocolate Mountains (and they are chocolate brown). Soon we entered the Yuma Proving Grounds where they tested missiles and rockets. Lots of signs that say danger - guess you don't go hiking across this area of the desert!

We headed back to Quartzsite so I wouldn't be late for lunch. We passed some of the Long Term Visitor Areas where RVer's can stay for the entire winter. They are Bureau of Land Management sites. They have beautiful mountain views and you get to pick your own piece of desert to live on!

Back at camp I'm off to the Red Hat Ladies Lunch. The Red Hatters tell me they just want to have fun... and we had a great time. Seeing all the red & purple hats and how creative designs and decorations was interesting. The entertainment was a fashion show where our lovely "male" models from 'Husbands of the Rally' showed us the latest styles in purple 0plastic table cover dresses with feather fans and sequin purses. They were really good sports!

We hung out for the afternoon and about 4ish we headed to the Grubsteak restaurant for all you could eat Fish Fry for $9.99. We though 4ish would let us beat the rush - oops - everyone else in Quartzsite was there! There was a 1 1/2 hour wait and they weren't taking names any more.. guess everyone knew happy hour was from 2pm to 4pm. If your in Quartzsite this time of year be sure you go for happy hour so you can make dinner!

We had dinner at the Palo Verde Cafe and then headed back to camp for the entertainment. A husband and wife duo Kay & Ron Rivoli are signer songwriters who have performed with many featured artists. They are also fellow RVer's -and their songs reflect life experiences along the hi-way and bi-way like 'Making The Road Home' and Bury Me in WalMart-so my wife will visit me! Their show was high energy and great humor.The two hour show went really fast. The Rivoli Review was a great cap for the night. They will do a patriotic show tomorrow night and we are looking forward to it.