WARNING

Traveling across Arizona.....

Headed out of Lost Dutchman SP this morning with our first stop at Bryce Thompson Arboretum.  Walked the gardens of desert plants from all over the world.  The many varieties of Cacti were the stars, but then there were the birds, and the butterflies, all enjoying the flowers.

Next stop, Besh-Ba-Gowah in Globe.  This archaeolological park has the ancient ruins of a 700 year old pueblo.  We walked the grounds of this pueblo, which housed over 350 people in it's one, two, and three story structure.  Many artifact including pottery, clothing, and ceremonial objects were on display in the adjacent museum. And to think, this site is now located in the center of Globe, Arizona.





Last stop.....we pulled into Roper Lake State Park. A nice one day stop to replenish our water, and
charge our batteries.

We found gold near Lost Dutchman !

The story has it that a Dutch prospector in the 1880's found THE mother lode.  Unfortunately, he got lost, and to this day no one has been able to find the gold.  Well....we found it.

After nearly 25 years, we reconnected with our good friends, Keith and Shari.  Lost to Maui, Keith found us through Facebook.  And now they are living in Scottsdale; not far from where the Dutch prospector was lost. How terrific to see them again and catch up on family and happenings.  Parked BIW on the driveway for the night - and enjoyed the get together.

Moving on....Camped at Lost Dutchman State Park at the base of the Superstition Mountains.  Hiked some great trails including the Siphon Draw trail, through the Sonoran Desert and the Saguaro cactus.

Relaxed, watched the sunrise and sunset, and the
 constantly changing vistas.  This is definitely a campground we'll be coming back to.

Sunrise

Sunset

We found where all of the RVs go in the Winter........

Along Arizona 95 between Needles and Quartzite, there are at least a zillion RVs; motored, unmotored, big, and small.  We couldn't believe the RV "resorts" along the banks of the Colorado River; all filled.

We did our part for a few days.  Camped at Buckskin Mountain State Park; a very nice campground right on a bend in the Colorado river.  We watched the power boats, pontoon boats, and the kayaks traveling up and down the river.  Also took the Lightning Bolt trail which crosses highway 95 and leads into the rugged terrain away from the river; excellently maintained trail.

And we learned where all of the RVers go for entertainment, when we biked from the campground along the Colorado.  They go to Road Runner Cafe!  A floating bar (guess if business gets bad, they can just float to a new location), with a great menu and bar.  We enjoyed our nachos and a couple of drafts...........but then had we had too much to drink feeling a little disoriented, or was the raft floating up and down?  It was the raft from the speed boats traveling by.

Blowin-in-the-Wind crosses the London Bridge.....and it DIDN'T fall down!

Fifty years ago in 1964 the London Bridge was purchased for $2.5 million and then disassembled and reassembled along the banks of the Colorado River.  Do you remember this in your Weekly Reader?  With a total cost of $7.5 million, the bridge had a new home, in the newly created Lake Havasu City.  Bring in your tired, your weary, your retired.......and let's create a new community of seniors.

As the adage goes, if you can't take your motor home to the London Bridge in England, then bring the London Bridge to your motor home.  And we drove across the bridge; quite sturdy......they don't build them like they used to.

Back to Joshua Tree National Park

After a week of palm trees and golf courses, we needed to get back to Joshua trees and those big rolley rocks --  This time we camped at Jumbo Rocks.  Quite a squeeze with our RV to get into our special site, but the reward was an incredible view out of all of our windows.

Then back on the trail to Skull Rock and later Split Rock.  Cool hikes through the cool rocks.  We really like Joshua Tree NP!

La Quinta & the Palm Springs area

We don't want to make our friends in the Northeast angry; so we won't discuss the fact that it has been in the 80s and sunny, everyday here.  Although, it IS really, really nice!  Have been "camped" at Lake Cahuilla Recreation area, a Riverside County park, overlooking a lake and the mountains.  A definite recommendation for all of our RV friends, if they find themselves in the Palm Springs area.  Nice sites, electric, and water.........and of course, a great climate for this time in February.

We rented a bargain car; expecting a Chevy Spark (a tiny subcompact), but were able to upgrade to a Mustang convertible for ten cents (really!).....Nice.  With our wheels we were able to visit all of the sites including the famous Shields Date Farm where you can get a Date Shake and learn the Sex Life of a Date.

Hiked, after a climb into the mountains near Idyllwild CA.  The Deer Springs trail did a good job of keeping us in shape with a 7 mile, 1800 foot climb.  Ending at Suicide Rock, we were presented with great mountain vistas with pine trees.  What a contrast to the desert we left behind!  And of course, a stop back in Idyllwild for some ice cream before our top down drive back to our campsite.

Have been keeping very busy with visits with our friends as well as biking along the landscaped boulevards of the gated communities and golf courses.

Today, we biked to the old town of La Quinta for Sunday's farmers market.  Before leaving the area in the next few days, we plan to visit the Living Desert, a stroll down El Paseo & Palm Canyon Drive, and maybe some relaxing.

Even made it to Sunnyland, the Annenbergs estate that is now used for important international summits.  Since Ronald Reagan, Presidents have been using this estate as a West coast Camp David.  We lucked out as Obama had been here with the King of Jordan over the weekend, so Sunnyland was open to tour early in the week (usually only on the weekends).  Stopped into the very modern glass, steel, and stone visitor center where we learned of all the important summits and dignitaries who have visited.  Also toured the magnificent gardens!

Morey with his favorite Manzanita;
can I grow this in New Jersey?

Phoenix Dactylifera Telephonium Portabile

Thanks to this genus of Palm, we are able to communicate. Similar to the Pinus Telphonium Portabile along the Garden State Parkway, this version grows in the Palm Desert area of California.

Modern science in action.

Hiking among the Joshua Trees

We've done a lot of hiking while at Joshua Tree National Park.  How could you not?  Well marked trails through desert, through canyons, around the rocks, between the trees....all made for great hikes!  Perfect weather and a little light rain added some early wild flowers to our days.

We camped for a few days at both Indian Cove and Black Rock Campgrounds.  Beautiful sites with great views.  And there were trail heads within walking distance from our campsites.

Trails included: Boy Scout, FortyNine Palms, Hidden Valley (we found it!), High View, Barker Dam, and Black Rock Canyon.  Loved seeing all of the different cacti and especially the barrel cactus.

An added bonus...our friends Nancy and Joe joined us for a day of hiking and their first overnight camping in a RV.  Good times, and we hope they'll join us again.

Now we are heading toward the Palm Springs area where we will no longer be dry camping. Wow, electricity and water at our fingertips.....

Camping in a very quiet place

After getting reacquainted with Blowin-in-the-Wind, our motorhome, we headed to Mohave National Preserve.  This is not one of the tourist hot spots, but a visit well worth it.

Driving the 20 miles off of Interstate 40, we quickly became surrounded by the desert.  Not sand and dunes, but cactus, grasses, rocks, all in a very arid climate.  Camping in a campground that could have accommodated 100 campers, we were with a few others along with the camp host.  We dry camped, as there is no water, electric, or the other amenities.  Quiet, peaceful, and quite beautiful.

First day we hiked the one mile Rings Loop Trail.  Called this, since as you climb into the canyon, you come to a set of rings that help hikers get to the top of the canyon slot.  Pretty cool!

The next day, we biked past great scenery, grazing cows, and old ranches.  All uphill....but then, what goes up comes down....Although we had to be careful because we were biking on an unpaved road.

A day in San Francisco

Continued our drive to San Francisco to see our friends, Jackie & Mattie, living in El Cerrito (just north of Oakland).  Enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Kokkari Estiatorio with them in the city, following a walk and a BART ride.

A quick goodby and then back to San Francisco for the breakfast we missed on our last trip three years ago (closed on Mondays, after we had biked the Golden Gate Bridge with Mama's as our goal).  A brunch worth going back for!

Leaving on a very full stomach, drove back to Las Vegas.  Picked up our RV and spent the night at the Oasis RV resort.  Nice

Pinnacles National Park, our newest NP

After our visit with Ray & Ann, we headed up 101 on the way to San Francisco with our rental car.  Having been at many National Parks, how could we not stop at the newest one?  Pinnacles was named a National Monument by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908, but wasn't designated a National Park until 2013.  An ancient volcanic field rising out of the Gabilan Mountains.....this park has great hiking and views.

Driving in the East gate, we beelined to the visitor center so we could get the hiking information.  After the young Ranger sized us up and suggested an easy one mile loop trail hike, we asked what is the highlight of the park.  Next thing we knew, we were hiking up the 5.3 High Peaks trail with the "pinnacles" in our view.  Rated strenuous with an elevation climb of 1350 feet, we had no problems hiking to the top.  We skineed between the pinnacles using footholds cut by the CCC in the 30s, while grabbing the metal railings.  An adventure well worth the effort.

Not to forget, as we climbed, we watched the California Condors circling the rocks, riding the air currents. Twenty pounds and 9 foot wing spans, these birds are impressive.

The next morning, we drove in the west entrance, and hiked the Balconies Cave trail through a talus cave. These caves are formed in narrow canyons where large boulders have fallen, creating a cave.  Good thing we brought a good flashlight; this cave was DARK.  And the rock scrambling through the cave was spooky, but fun!

We'll need to come back here with our RV.  A nice campground, general store, and even a swimming pool, beckons us back.