Holbrook, AZ

Left Catalina State Park early this am with much sadness.  We really enjoyed that stay.  We are now 240 miles north in Holobrook heading towards Chinle and Canyon de Chelly NP a Navajo spiritual place with many pueblo ruins.  We are going via the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.   The weather here is 10 degrees cooler during the day, who knows juring the night, but still sunny.  We will be looking for a local weather report as we can no longer count on continuous warm sunshine.  It was a bit of a shock to see our familiar desert give way to the evergreens and shrubs of the higher altitudes during our drive here.  We went over a pass and crossed the Salt River Canyon with incredible scenery bringing to mind a mini Grand Canyon.  Luckily Arizona posts realistic speed limits on those mountain roads allowing the 6-8% grades and tight corners to be negotiated without too much stress.  Graham did a large part of today's driving although I did most of the mileage going up and down the pass.   Looking forward to tomorrows trip through Petrified Forest and arrival at Canyon de Chelly - hopefully we can arrange a tour although it is early in the season. 

Salt River Canyon

Catalina State Park, AZ

Nature Trail, Catalina State Park

Our Site in Catalina State Park

We’ve come back to Catalina SP where we stayed in 2007 and met Brain, Cheryl, Tom and Trudy.  Because we were visiting around Tucson with them we spent very little actual time in the park and this visit  will rectify that.   We’ve hiked every day in comfortable weather (the mornings are very cold – outside temperatures of just above 0 but once the sun comes up it warms up quickly but a nice breeze keeps it from getting too hot).  

Yesterday we joined an early morning bird walk with 2 volunteer rangers and saw, and identified, more birds than we have ever seen in a day.   We saw Coopers and Red tail hawks, an American Kestral, a curve billed thrasher, 3 types of wrens, a lesser Goldfinch and two types of flickers.  Best of all was a Vermillion Flycatcher (brilliant red breast and head with a black back and eye patch) that posed in a tree with a Northern Cardinal so we could compare the reds.   We also saw a Red Tailed Hawk trying to steal food from a Raven in flight.  The hawk soared and dove, twice coming very close to the Raven but the Raven out maneuvered the hawk and flew away the victor.  

This morning we walked the Romano Canyon trail, a 1,000 climb over 3 miles with a beautiful set of pools  separated by small waterfalls as the reward for the climb.   That and great views west and north over Tucson, the park and the valley headed north up the I 10.    There were 20 or so young people at the pool when we got there (and we left the trail head at 7:30) and more arrived every 10 minutes or so while we were there and we met lots more on the way back.   Great swimming hole and lots of rocks to dive off (the pools seemed to be deep enough so this was not a problem).   In the evenings we walked the Romano Ruins trail that circles a Hohokum Indian ruin.   

We feel that this is park rates as one of our favorite state parks:  the spacious sites, especially in the non electric section; the view of the mountains where we have taken several hikes; the feeling of isolation as you wander through beautiful desert settings; the perfect weather,  all have made us feel that this is a park we would love to return to.   

Tucson 2

What a great day, the sun is shining and wed have a light breeze to keep us cool.  Spent the morning in the historic Presidio district in Tucson.  Corinne was talking to our neighbors, who have his and hers bigggg bikes and asked for advice on getting down town.  Despite the first reply "I never go down town", then ended up recommending the I10 service road which took us right there by the most direct route without having to get into the 75 mph traffic on the I10 itself.  

The Presidio district is very colorful and was not crowed at all so it was a pleasure to browse around the shops and eat at El Charro ( a Tucson institution since 1922 - famous enough that when the USS Tucson was launched they named their mess the El Charro Downunder - I assume that its a sub.

La Placita and Visitors Center - Tucson

Garces Footbridge - Presidio Tucson

Tucson, AZ

Arrived in Tucson today after 4 days in Organ Pipe.   Organ Pipe lived up to all expectations and we had a great time.   Good hikes, some very good ranger programs and we met some new friends.   Even the day of rain (only their second day of rain this winter, they are in the second year of a drought) was fine as we caught up on our work and had a nice supper with our new friends.   Organ Pipe is having a tough time – apparently all national parks have seen a drop in attendance by 25%, even the Grand Canyon, but Organ Pipe was just named as the most dangerous national park by National Geographic and this has hurt their attendance.  While we were there we encountered two separate “incidents” -in one case while on a hike we met another couple who had come across 3 young Hispanic men who were lost and by the time we got back to the campground 10 border patrol cars had arrived and swept the area; in the other incident the last night we were there a helicopter repeatedly swept the area between the campground and the border (about 4 miles) and patrol vehicles also crisscrossed the area.  

Sunrise from our campsite - Organ Pipe NM

That said Organ Pipe was beautiful – we were in the middle of a saguaro cactus forest and there were many organ pipe cacti – the park is the only place in the US were they grow naturally.  The desert here is green with creosote bushes, Paulo Verdi trees, brittlebushes, cacti and cholla, ironwood and mesquite trees.  We took a van trip with a ranger who pointed out the various plants to us and filled us in on saguaros.   The saguaros live to be 200 and grow for 70 to 90 years before putting out a limb.  They store an amazing amount of water and have very shallow roots that grow out in a circle with a diameter as big as the cactus is tall.   

We spent time at the visitors center which is named after a young ranger that was killed by smugglers – this obviously deeply affected everyone who works in the park and they still are affected by it.  

When we arrived at our campsite I noticed that the man in the neighboring site was scowling at me and I wondered whether I was in the right site or perhaps was doing something wrong.   Turns out our site was where he and his friends took their nightly “happy hour” due to the good shade at 4pm.  They had been there for 11 days already and had done this with the previous occupants of the site and continued with new friends after the other couple left.   Bruce and Gina are extremely outgoing friendly couple and have found that a happy hour is a good way to meet fellow campers and share experiences.  

Fortunately with made friends with Bruce and Gina and by the second evening we were invited.  We met their friends Nancy and Eric and we shared happy hour making various snacks to share each evening.   On the last evening we had cold winds and rain so we went to Nancy and Eric’s for happy hour (they have a lovely 1997 Airstream wide body with a great dining area that seats 6 easily) and then to our place for pasta with shrimps.   I made scones and we shared them with tea in the early afternoon and finished them off after supper. 

Nancy, Bruce, Gina and Eric - Supper at our camper

 

Today after driving to Tucson we stopped off at the Mission San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson – a beautiful mission church that is still in use and has been freshly renovated.   Since it is situated in the country south of Tucson it can be seen from afar as you approach and is quite striking.  It has been called the western Cistine Chapel because of all the paintings on the walls and the sculptures.   It must have been incredibly impressive in the 1700’s.    

Mission San Xavier del Bec

Gila Bend, AZ

Our last blog described the last camp ground in Borrego Springs and how much we loved it.  We realized that that particular area was so delightful because the surrounding mountains funneled what winter rains there were onto the desert floor in that valley increasing the amount of moisture at that spot and there by turning the area into a wonderland of flowers at this time of year.   It was sad to say goodbye but such is the life of a traveller.

We had intended to break up this trip by staying in Yuma - famous as the winter location of snowbirds, both Canadian and American. Yuma has 14 campsites listed in our AA campbook and obviously there are many more.  Apparently almost all edged on I8 (not for us).  We are now camped in Gila Bend about a 100 miles further east in a small campsite with more open space and beautiful views of the mountains (and the highway in the distance).

Sunrise at Augie's Quail Trail RV Park - Gila Bend

The drive here was interesting - a more drab desert - but in the southern part of Anza Borrego SP we passed through an Ocotillo forest (a first although we had see had seen many single trees).  We saw our first sugaro and organ pipe cacti for this trip as we moved west - more typical of the desert we are now entering in Arizona. 

As we drove I8 we were able to see sections of the wire fence that separate the US from Mexico and went through one of the immigration check points, few cars actually being stopped and searched but we did see one sniffer dog going through a vehicle. 

I did my first driving today, surprising I know but this trip has been such short little hops that Graham's driving sessions have covered the distance each time.   I guess we'll pay the price for that when we begin driving home. 

Corinne

Borrego Springs 2

Not often we get to do 2 messages from the same place!  We booked into a 4th day at Anza Borrego so we had a free day today.   We started off with a hike up Borrego Palm Canyon on the path we didn't take last time and had a nice talk with an American woman (married to an Canadian and looking for advice for a future trip to our maritimes(!)

Beaver Tail Cactus in bloom

and a separate talk with a little girl (7) who could have passed for Ann Shirley!   We had started out before breakfast and the desert was wonderful.    

After breakfast we took the bike through the back corners of Borrego Springs and found a lovely farm with fresh dates, grapefruits and a great souvenir shop.    We got a big bag of greapefruit and lemons for 3 dollars(!!) and a bag of delicious dates fresh from the processing (they pick them here and send them to Indio for processing).  We then took the back country road back passing through all kinds of metal sculptures that a local artist made and distributed around.   

Back in Borrrego Springs for a second lunch at Carmelito's - its so nice to find a place you're so happy with that you return!
Well tomorrow its on to Yuma and into Arizona - hope the weather stays as beautiful as here.   

Borrego Springs, CA

Well we just signed in for another day here at Anza Borrego State Park.  We are enjoying the flowers and the hikes and these little side trips into Borrego Springs - a sort of desert Wakefield.   I'm sitting in front of the library using their free wifi service while Corinne shops.    

We did the Borrego Palm Canyon hike this morning, starting at about 8 and hiking the 3.5 miles in about 3 hours including stops where ever we found shade.    The wildflowers are amazing.

These are actually pictures from our campsite, I haven't uploaded the ones from the hike yet.   But the desert is certainly in bloom.   Lots of yellow flowers but also reds, purples, blues and white.   There are not a lot of cacti in this region but we have seen barrel catci and beaver tails both with blooms.  We'll have lots of photo's to bore people with when we get home.    Days are hot and we try to be in the shade for the middle of the day and do our hiking in the morning and evenings.   Corinne thinks she may like Anza Borrego more than any of the other deserts we've visited but I think its cheating to be here at the height of the blooms - something we've never seen anywhere else. 

Anza Borrego State Park, CA

We’ve just finished 6 days in Joshua Tree National Park, 3 in the Mojave Dessert section in Jumbo Rocks Campground and 3 in the Colorado Desert section in Cottonwoods campground.   Today we drove south west to Anzo-Borrego State Park, California’s largest park.   

Joshua Tree exceeded expectations – two very nice camp sites with great walks, rides and ranger programs.  Our first day was cold with strong winds and we were thinking we may only stay the one night.   But we did a ranger program in the afternoon visiting the remains of the Ryan Ranch.   We also did a good hike to the nearby Skull Rock.   By the time we went to bed we had decided to stay for a while.  Just to the north west of our campsite is a large Joshua Tree forest with large and complex trees as well as a mix of smaller trees.  Really interesting.  The weather has been wonderful, cool at night (often 8-10 degrees C when we wake up) but warms quickly as the sun rises – often reaching 20 by 9 o’clock.   We’ve had lots to do since there are plenty of ranger programs and hikes.   The Mojave section of the park is all above 3,000 feet and our campsite was at 4,500.   On one of our outings we rode up to Keys lookout and could see the Coachella Valley from Palm Springs in the north to the Salton Sea in the south.   Visibility was excellent (really surprising since one of the exhibit panels at the viewpoint explained why you couldn’t see the mountains on the other side of the valley very distinctly).  

Cottonwoods campground is in the Colorado Desert section (south  easterly section) and is lower (2,000 and less) with very different plants.  It is also hotter and drier and the hikes took more out of us but were still great.  

Today we drove through the Coachella Valley which is watered by an irrigation ditch from the Colorado River and is covered by farm fields: lemon and orange groves, vines, date palms etc etc.  Very green fields alternating with desert.   We passed the Salton sea (which is almost as low as Death Valley (I think about 50 feet higher). 

We just set up here in the Anzo Borrego State Park in their serviced campground for one night and plan to move tomorrow to the primitive dry camping area once we had our showers and (hopefully) got the wifi working. We took a little ride into the visitors center (which is underground and well designed) and the little town of Borrego Springs for some Mexican food and grocery shopping.  I’m sure we’ll make another visit before leaving.  

Twentynine Palms

Yes that is a town in California.    We drove south from Baker today accross the Mojave Desert Preserve.  We actually drove through a Joshua Tree forest - how neat is that.    We encountered some wind and stopped at Kelso - a one time railway depot with the most magnificent railway depot - in the exact middle of no where (otherwise known as the Mojave Desert).  

Kelso - Mojave National Preserve

Inside the depot is a Visitors Center and a great Cafe (too bad it was 9 AM and not a great time for lunch or breakfast).   The Ranger on duty told us that a wind advisory had just been published for the area - to last 12 hours from 10 am to 10 pm.   Gusts up to 70 mph sufficient to overturn an RV.   He advised that we not try camping in the preserve but to head south to Twenty nine Palms and Joshua Tree NP.    We took him up on his advice and headed south.   On our way we encountered more and blustery winds.   At one point looking across a dried up lake we saw the dust rising and increasing to the east until in engulfed a mountain.  Fortunately very little traffic but lots of jostling as the wind hit the RV from various angles.

By lunch we were in Twenty nine Palms and had found an RV park with on again off again internet access - thus this post.   Its an RV resort with its own golf course and all the fixings.  

We used the bike to visit the Joshua Tree NP visiting center and hike to Mara Oasis (an easy 1/2 mile).   Withe the laundry done we are ready for an extended stay in the park dry camping and hiking.   Fortunately we have 5 days of continuous clear and warm forecasts.    

Baker CA

Boulder Bay, Lake Mead NRA

Valley of Fire SP, NV - Arrowhead Trail Hike

Sunday, 6 March, 2011

Just arrived in Baker, California on the edge of the Mojave Desert Preserve.  We spent 3 nights in the Lake Mead National Recreational Area and 3 in the Valley of Fire State Park just north east of Las Vegas.  Both spectacular with great hiking weather – cool mornings with the temperature around 10 and warm days with the temperature just above 20 – sunny or partially cloudy.   Temperature seems to have fallen a bit today and the clouds have moved in but we have high hopes for the rest of the week.  

During our stay in the Lake Mead NRA, we stayed in Boulder Bay, just north of the Hoover Dam.   We had a bit of trouble with the bike when we got if off loaded and had to replace its battery too – that makes 3 out of four batteries replaced since taking the RV out of storage.     However, there was a nice shop just a block away from the Canyon Trail CG in Boulder City so we got the battery replaced there.   All is now well (well fine after an embarrassing attempt to start bike once we got it back from the shop – it started well, then died and wouldn’t restart, we tried pushing it to lots of jibes from the neighbors until someone asked me if the gas was on – it was’t.  

We spent a day at the Hoover Dam and the area around it, hiking the Historic Train Trail (which uses an old train track that brought supplies to the dam construction site and was one of three train tracks laid to build the dam.   The hike offers great views of Lake Mead and passes through 5 tunnels.  Fortunately for us the track was closed after the 5^th tunnel and we had to turn back after 2 miles.   Lake Mead itself is both beautiful and frightening.   The lake is seriously reduced since it was lased filled (1983).   Our campsite used to be on the lake side but now is over a half mile from the water.   In many places you can see 30 or 40 feet of white “bathtub ring” on places where the shore is a shear cliff.   I read in one place that the lake is only 40% full and that is believable when you look at the shore.   People here talk about a ten year drought and are waiting for it to end but you have to wonder.   Water allocations were set during the 1920’s when the Colorado had the most water annually that it ever has had.  

We took the Lake Mead Parkway north from Boulder Bay to Valley of Fire State Park.   Beautiful drive through Mojave dessert country with glimpses of the lake.   Valley of Fire was spectacular, probably the best state/provincial park we’ve encountered – it rates with the second level National Parks easily.   The park is in a valley with red Navaho sandstone  exposed in a variety of features with lots of holes, arches and curved surfaces.   The sandstone takes on different colors throughout the day as the light hits it from different angles.  At one point we could see rocks in an amazing array or colors: red, white, yellow, purple, brown and colors in between.   We did walks and great rides through the park and thoroughly enjoyed it.    

We had a great site snuggled against a red sandstone hill which the kids could easily climb and hide in the little caves and holes.   As we were there over the weekend the camp ground filled with people from Las Vegas coming out to get away into the country.  

Looking forward to the Mojave Desert and Joshua  Tree National Park (although we saw Joshua Trees in Death Valley last fall and more on the drive down today, but mostly smaller ones).   We have been seeing lots of desert plants and some great birds although we are still trying to identify them all from the pictures.