Tucson, AZ

There were two stops on my itinerary today, Tombstone and Bisbee, both of which are south-east of Tucson. Both are shameless tourist traps, but hey, I’m a tourist so trap me!

Tombstone is only an hour or so east of Tucson on I-10 and then south on AZ-80. It’s a pleasant drive through the desert mesa with hills and mountains all around at various distances away. It was fairly early when I arrived and so there weren’t a lot of tourists but as the day progressed, more and more appeared. The area to visit is fairly small in size and it’s easy to take everything in wandering about on foot.

There are different re-enactments of the famous Shoot Out at the OK Corral around town, but I figured the one called the OK Corral would be the logical choice. For some reason, in my head, the shoot out should take place on the Main Street, but then they couldn’t charge for it, now could they. I watched the Historama, which was cheesier than most of the rest of the place, but it did the job of filling in the huge gaps in my knowledge regarding this historic gunfight. It also told the story of Tombstone as well.

Tombstone grew after the discovery of silver in the area and was a thriving town until the cost of extracting the silver got too expensive due to the need to manage the water table. Twice the main streets of Tombstone burned to the ground, and it was quickly rebuilt. Then a disaster at the mine, when salt water was used accidentally instead of gas for the generators which kept the water out of the mines, meant the mine shut down. Tombstone stayed alive as the county seat for a while until it was eventually replaced and fell into disrepair.

After watching the famous re-enactment, I wandered the shops for a bit, and then grabbed some lunch on the main drag (Allen Street) at the Longhorn Restaurant. I had a steak sandwich that was fantastic. It was a thick sirloin cooked to perfection served on Texas toast and was melt in your mouth tender.

Boothill Graveyard awaited my exploration and so I backtracked a little to take a look at it. The Graveyard is a registered National Historic Site. The gravestones often indicated how the individual had died, and you quickly realized just how wild the west really was at that time.

During my time in Tombstone I was reminded of another town that was inspired by a silver rush, Dawson City, Yukon, which I visited with my friend Nanci a few years ago on our northern adventure. It didn’t have the Wild West (cowboy and Indian) element to it but I have to say, that overall, the quality of the re-enactments, and the organization and presentation of the buildings and history in Dawson City was far superior to that of Tombstone. Skagway, Alaska also has similar history and they have done a great job of capitalizing on the Alaskan cruise ship tourists by presenting the history and providing tourist opportunities.

After taking some pictures of the town, I jumped in the car and headed south on Highway 80 to the Mule Mountain community of Bisbee. It’s 5000 feet above sea level so the remnants of the recent snow were still in evidence on the north slopes an sides of buildings and even on the Main Street. Despite Bisbee’s claim to fame that it has near perfect weather year round, it was only 9 degrees but the sun was warm making it feel much warmer.

From it’s historic roots, the town, which is in such a ruggedly beautiful setting, has grown into a popular getaway for residents of Tucson and Phoenix as well as tourists from everywhere. The main streets are filled with shops of all sorts, but mainly art, and restaurants. There is much said about the how the environment there “stimulates creativity and an appreciation for freedom”. It definitely appeared from some of the locals I saw that it is attracting an “alternative” lifestyle in the desert.

Once again I’m reminded of a Canadian town that is somewhat similar to Bisbee, Nelson, BC. I wandered along the main street, and into some shops but I’m afraid I didn’t do anything to help stimulate the economy. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anyone offering to take Canadian money at par.

Then it was off for home. On the return drive I had the delightful treat of watching the warm light changing shadows on the mesa and the mountains to the east and north as the sun went down behind the westerly mountains.

Tucson, AZ

Today I stayed relatively close to home after being on the road yesterday.

The first place I headed was the Sabino Canyon Recreational Area in the Coronado National Forest in the Santa Catalina Mountains. There is a lot of history in this canyon which goes almost 4 miles into the mountains. As early as 1200 AD, Hohokam Indians built dams on the creek for use in irrigation and for generations the area has been used for recreation and agriculture. In the 1930’s 9 bridges were built at various points over the creek to allow easier access up the canyon and hiking trails and picnic areas brought thousands of visitors. So many visitors, in fact, that in 1978 the National Forest Service restricted private cars in the area and started running trams into the canyon to help maintain the area.

So that’s how I got up to the end of the canyon today. And given the recent rain and snow in the mountains, the creek was flowing over all but one of the bridges along the canyon and hiking was pretty much out of the question for anyone without proper footwear. The trams could plow through the fast moving water on the bridges and some hikers with waders or just by rolling up their pants and taking off their shoes make the hike, but I wasn’t about to freeze my feet when a tram did a perfectly fine job of getting me from point A to point B. I actually did hike down two tram stops from the top, which didn’t involve any bridge crossings and walked along the creek for a bit. The sun was warm and it was very quiet except for the various bird songs along the way. It was a beautiful way to spend the morning.

In the pictures you can see some of the boulders are of grey stone which is a little different from the rest. This is because these boulders were thrown down into the creek by an earthquake early in the 1900’s.

Then it was over to a “historic oasis in downtown Tucson”. Old Town Artisans is a city block in the historic Presidio area of downtown that has been converted into various artisan shops with a lovely courtyard cantina where I stopped for a very late lunch. I wandered through the really nice shops with some quality tourist items, primarily of Mexican and western themes. I picked up some prickly pear and champagne jelly. No art.

Then it was back home to enjoy some sun and the late afternoon happy hour at the Cantina.

Tomorrow the plan is to be up and out early to do a tour through Tombstone, and Bisbee in south eastern Arizona

Tucson, AZ

Today I made the short trip down the road south from Phoenix to Tucson and to the Tucson/Lazydays KOA.

It’s a really nice park and my site even has a lemon tree. They are scattered throughout the park along with orange and grapefruit trees. In the background of the picture you can see the sun screens over a row of RVs. They also hold solar panels and there are a couple of them in the RV Park, so they would be able to generate quite a lot of solar power.

After checking in and setting up, I enjoyed the sun for a bit on my patio.

This KOA also has a Cantina serving simple meals and with a bar. Since it is the college football national championship, the Cantina had a happy hour margarita special, which I happily participated in. Not a lot of attention was paid to the game except for a few die-hard fans at the bar.

I made an early night of it.

Tortilla Flat, AZ

Just a few minutes from my KOA in Apache Junction, State Highway 88 (also called Apache Trail) runs between the Goldfield and Superstition Mountains and heads north toward Roosevelt. The trail was originally built as a stage coach route for the cowboys and miners to get around and then eventually to carry materials into the site of the Roosevelt Dam. There are all sorts of wild tales of gold mines found, miners murdered and gold mines found again and gold hidden in the mountains and lost, and of a German miner named “The Dutchman” who the State Park called Lost Dutchman State Park is named after. You can read more of the mystery of the area here: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/LODU/

Now it’s a fabulous scenic route, frequented by tourists that winds through Sonoran Desert with Saguaro and other cacti past Canyon Lake, the tourist stop of Tortilla Flat, past Apache Lake and on to Globe.

I got a late start this morning, mostly just because I was being lazy and was waiting to see what the weather was going to do. It was cloudy all day but the rain held off until this evening, and the sun did poke through at times.

Superstition Mountain Museum was my first stop along the Trail, which is mostly just a place to trap tourists but which had some charm. They’re also making some upgrades to the landscaping which looks like it will be really nice when they are done.

And the next stop, at Goldfield Ghost Town didn’t pretend to be anything but a tourist trap. But again, it had some charm, and the blueberry pastry from the bakery on the Main Street was excellent. I wandered the street and was about to leave when it became apparent something was brewing. Some nasty looking gang types were milling about and we were warned to stay off the street as it was possible a gun fight might break out! And wouldn’t you know, it did. It was fun, and the kids in particular, enjoyed it. There was a train to ride, a museum, a historic church, mulitple shops to extract dollars from tourists and horse back riding opportunities. Wait a minute, time for me to leave as I’m allergic to only two things and one of them is horses. There were horses hitched a couple of places and a few walked through town on their way out onto the desert trails. They seemed like really well kept and spirited ones and it made me sorry that I couldn’t participate.

Back on the road, the highway wound its way up into the mountains past Lost Duchman State Park. I stopped as often as the road would allow to take pictures of the fabulous views along the Trail. The area around Canyon Lake was particularly beautiful. They have created a nice recreational area for boating and bathing, but it was all closed for the season and I couldn’t get close.

I arrived at Tortilla Flat just in time for lunch at the historic Superstition Saloon. It is a crazy place with $1 bills stapled to the walls throughout. It’s estimated that there are $300,000 worth. People have written notes and their names on the bills and the maintenance guys are kept busy finding new places for them. The washroom had a bright and interesting paint job as you can see by the pic of me in one of the stalls. I’m crouching down, BTW so you can tell how short the doors are. Quite bizarre. And the seats at the bar were saddles. It was a fun place and I had a great Beef Taco Salad there. The salsa had a really nice kick to it.

I had planned to keep going along the Trail (Hwy 88) to Globe and then back to Apache Junction by Old Highway 60, but when I came out a low area just east of town was flooding! I certainly wan’t when I arrived. There has been an unusual amount of rain and snow in the area, and although I could have driven through it (and I watched a truck coming through the other way), I didn’t want to chance running into similar and worse problems further along, so I returned the way I had come, with somewhat improved weather and nicer light for picture taking.

I was back into town early enough to go see Star Wars at an IMAX just 10 minutes from my camping site, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

BTW, didn’t get to the Heard Museum or anywhere downtown Phoenix today because it’s the college football championship here tomorrow and the whole downtown has been taken over as “Fan Zone” and they said not to try and park down there, and even the Light Transit was crazy busy. Next time……..

Scottsdale, AZ

Well, it was one busy day in the greater Phoenix area for me.

I started and ended today at the Desert Botanical Garden. Given how much I like cacti, you can imagine how much I appreciated this garden even more than usual. So I’m afraid you’ll see that I got a little carried away choosing pictures for today’s blog. I had only a short time there in the morning but I went back at the end of the day to see the garden again because they have a special light show on right now. So I got back there at 3:30ish and saw some more of the plants in daylight, then grabbed some wine and a salad and waited for the sun to go down.

I learned more than I can write about desert plants partly because there was so much info but mostly because I just can’t remember it all now. I really appreciate the recommendation that several people gave me to visit this venue and I would highly recommend it to others.

Next it was off for my 11 am appointment to tour Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and architecture school on the side of the hills in Scottsdale. I first learned about FLW in an evening interior design course I took back in Winnipeg in 1976-79. We learned just a little about the history of furniture design and architecture and FLW was one of the architects we studied. He was an amazing man, especially given he didn’t have any formal training beyond high school. What he did have was a curious mind and a strong will.

He loved nature and that really comes through in the design and construction of Taliesin West. His use of what was called desert organic rubble masonry, was the most obvious indication. The walls were made of the rock and sand of the desert, and most walls were built at a 15 – 18 degree slant because that was the slope of the mountain in behind the house. And he didn’t close in rooms unless really necessary, instead allowing the breezes and light to come into his work spaces.

He was an interesting character personally, and from some of the stories, it sounds like he wasn’t a person that you could easily like. His apprentices worked hard, but were rewarded with learning from a master. They travelled with him from his summer home/school in Wisconsin (Talieson) to the one here in Scottsdale. The school of architecture continues today with 45 students who continue to travel back and forth during their studies.

He owned 85 cars in his lifetime and was apparently a terrible driver. In the end his wfie used to have to drive them. His favourite color was red and you’ll notice that in the pictures. He likes to mix it up with shapes, with triangles being his favourite. He loved movies and his grandaughter, was Anne Baxter, a film star who starred in All About Eve, among others.

Of the list of 100 significant buildings in the U.S. 11 of them are designed by FLW. There are still 400 buildings of his design left and the Foundation is working to preserve as many of them as possible.

After my immersion in architecture this morning, it was on to History and Art as I headed to Old Town Scottsdale for lunch and to do a little window shopping. I stopped for a sandwich and I might have a had a sundae, at the Sugarbowl on the main drag in Old Town Scottsdale. It is a old diner style restaurant serving all kinds of ice cream treats. I might have had a hot caramel sundae.

Then I worked off some of lunch walking around Old Town and up and down one of the streets that is specifically non-stop art galleries, mostly specializing in artists and art from the area. They have Thursday evening Art Walks that includes wine and food along the way, or did the last time we were there. I didn’t find anything I couldn’t live without.

Then I was on my way back to the Desert Botanical Garden for the night light show as I mentioned above. A long, but happy day.

Apache Junction, AZ

Well today, at least, it wasn’t anywhere near hot in the Sonoran Desert!

I travelled today from Yuma, Arizona to just east of Phoenix in a suburb called Apache Junction. My route travelled through the Sonoran Desert and the warmest it got to today was 14 and it was a chilly 11 degrees when I set up camp in Apache Junction. And wouldn’t you know, after I had set up I put the heater on to take the chill off and………right, no propane. Luckily they refill propane at the KOA and so the tank was off, filled up, and back on in no time. I’m getting quite a lot more proficient at getting that task accomplished.

The most exciting part of today was that I saw a WILD (well, I guess natural would be a better description) Saguaro Cactus for the first time on this trip. It’s the symbol of Arizona and you see them used in commercial or residential landscaping, but it’s kind of like seeing animals in the wild versus seeing them in zoos to see the Saguaros in the wild. Well, maybe not quite like seeing a lion or elephant, but you get what I mean.

I took some pictures with my little point and shoot along the way today and they’re not great, but they will give you an idea of how beautiful the countryside was that I drove through today. In the next couple of days, weather permitting, as I use Apache Junction as a base I hope to get some better quality shots to add to my collection.

This desert (or at least the part I travelled through today) is not what you normally expect – sand, sand, and sand dunes with the odd oasis. It has quite a lot of vegetation which is pretty green. Maybe more so this year due to the extraordinary rain. It’s still pretty barren for the most part, but beautiful just the same. And with the purple, rugged mountains poking up toward the mostly blue sky it makes quite the sight.

Since I let you know when I visit a great KOA or other RV Park/campsite, I thought I’d share today’s experience with you as well.

When looking on line to book tonight’s KOA I had noted in the camper reviews that this KOA is under new ownership and they were having some issues with the change in terms of taking payment by credit etc. I had no trouble with that, but when I arrived I discovered that the advertised pool is closed for work (including the hot tub which at 11 degrees would have been nice) and the Recreation room, with big screen TV etc, is closed for renovation for the time I am here. Then when I tried to get wifi, I discovered that I wasn’t able to access it from my site despite being able to log in at the office. So, uncharacteristically, I stopped into the office and suggested that since some of the advertised features of their KOA were not available to me that I ought to have a reduction in my rate. They assured me that the new owners were not interested in refunds or reduced rates. I asked to speak to the onsite manager and she said she would talk to the owner but that she hadn’t been successful in getting any concessions previously. So I left it with her, with the comment that I had planned to stay on a few more days depending on the weather etc but that I wouldn’t be if there was no reduction in the fees. And I did mention that I did a travel blog and was effusive in my praise when it was justified and had no problem being just as profuse in my disappointment where warranted.

So we’ll see what transpires. I’ll let you know.

Note from Editor: No refund or reduction in fees was ever secured. Nor was there any further communication from management.

Yuma, AZ

One of the best things about being as involved as I have been in politics is the great friends you make along the way. Most of them support the same political party as I do and share the same values and vision for the country.

Yesterday, in Yuma, I shared food and drink with two such groups of friends.

I had breakfast with Guenter and Diane, from Prince George, BC, who I met during their time in the lower mainland. Retired, they are living back in Prince George now, and wintering in Yuma. Guenter suggested Beer and Burgers (just east of 4th Ave at 20th Street), and I said that was fine as long as I didn’t have to have either a beer or a burger at 10 am I was good with that! Turns out their breakfasts are pretty darn good. I had a traditional eggs and bacon but Guenter and Diane both chose more adventuresome Mexican breakfasts that looked great. It was great to connect again and to pick Guenter’s brain as he has been a Rotarian for 33 years and that is something I’ve considered getting involved with when I eventually settle back down in Ottawa. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of Guenter and Diane. Guess I wasn’t quite awake.

After being relatively stationary in Palm Desert for 5 weeks, on the way to Yuma, wouldn’t you know that the maintenance light came on. So I stopped in at the local Toyota Dealership and they kindly fit me in to their shop yesterday afternoon for the routine 16,000 km maintenance. Yup, I’ve put over 17000 km in on the Venza since Ottawa.

Then last evening, I spent some time with my friends Lee, Charles, Sue and Garnett. Lee has been a friend since 2000 and I’ve gotten to know his husband, Charles and his parents (Sue and Garnett) in more recent years. I once stayed with Lee for a month in Malyasia on the beautiful island of Langkawi. We started with a tour of my “house” and then it was back to their place where I had such a lovely evening visiting, eating snacks and a beautiful meal prepared by Sue (the day after they returned from a week in Mexico over New Year) and a hilarious time playing a very politically incorrect game.

So great to catch up with friends and important to keep in touch. Thanks to them all for taking the time.

Yuma, AZ

OK, the title was meant to catch your attention. Hope it worked. Read on and you’ll see what it’s about.

This morning I started the next phase of my “No Fixed Address North American Tour”, travelling only 3 or so hours east from Palm Desert to Yuma, Arizona. I hated to leave Emerald Desert RV Resort as it was a great Park and I had a great stay, but it was time to move on. Today my “house” entered it’s 4th State along our journey since Yuma is just into Arizona. Great to be on this side of the time zone now, so that it stays light later.

I headed east on Interstate 10 to California 86, just east of the string of desert cities. Hwy 86 headed south and just west of the Salton Sea. I didn’t take any pictures because I was on a freeway and I didn’t think they would look like much. This sea has a very unusual story which I had read about and thought about as I drove along. Very briefly, the Sea originally started as a low area of land that got flooded by the Colorado River (it’s not clear whether it was accidentalor intentional) and became a usable sea where resort areas sprung up in the 50s – Palm Springs with a beach. But then it started to become polluted by the chemicals from the farms surrounding it and the fish stocks died leaving millions of fish carcases on the beach stinking. It’s now mostly deserted.

You can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Se a

This link is to a personal account which differs somewhat from the Wikipedia version, but it’s an interesting read: http://www.vice.com/read/i-went-to-cali fornias-post-apocalyptic-beach-town-sal ton-sea

I joined Highway 78 and then down to Interstate 8 for the rest of the drive in to Yuma, running very close to the Mexican border. The fence was even visible for some miles. The countryside for most of the trip was not that interesting, although there were some great sand dune areas along Highway 8 just west of Yuma.

I am staying tonight and tomorrow in an RV Park, which is primarily for permanent residents or snow birds with just a few spots for transients, because I happen to know some of the snow birds from Smith Falls, ON who are staying there. I will see them tomorrow, along with another couple I know from Prince George, BC who I got to know in the lower mainland. More on that tomorrow.

When I asked what I should see in Yuma it appeared the most interesting thing would be to visit the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. Thus the subject line. So after I was set up I headed off to see this historical state park. It’s built into the hillside near historic downtown Yuma and just off Interstate 8, overlooking a relatively new riverside park which runs along the Colorado River. There is a small charge ($6 or 8, I forget) to get into this well maintained and laid out site.

The prison was in use from 1876 – 1909 when it was closed because of overcrowding and the prisoners were transferred to another state prison. There were a total of 3069 prisoners held there over the years, including 29 women, who according to the accounts there, created a lot of trouble for their jailers.

The tour starts in a museum building with artifacts and a 7 minute video presentation, and then you exit outside to the cell block area, where some of the cells are set up to represent what it would have been like. One interesting take away was that in 1901, steel bed frames were installed throughout because they were not able to do away with the bed bug problem any other way. And another interesting story is of a woman prisoner who had a child while in prison. The child stayed with her until he was 2 and then she and he were released out of concern for the child.

The prison is built on a hill overlooking the Colorado River, and they have done some work on rejuvenating the shoreline which you can see from the guard watch tower in the prison.

I realized at that point that I hadn’t had lunch yet and it was now almost 5 pm Arizona time so I stopped in Historic Downtown Yuma at an appropriately named restaurant, Prison Hill Brewery, for a great chicken salad sandwich, in house made chips and coleslaw with a kick! So much for my resolve to eat healthier. And they had a $3 a glass wine special……so how could I resist.

Thanks for joining me again on my journey around north america. Remember to let me know if there are any stops I should make along my way. I’m headed east now as close to the Mexican border as I can go without crossing it, all the way to the Florida Keys.

Andreas Canyon, CA

Today I joined friends David and Kathleen and their kids, Alex, Pauline, Nick and Peter hiking in Indian Canyon, just south of downtown Palm Springs. (Nick and Peter are twins and I hope they will forgive me if I got them mixed up). To get there, I took Highway 111 almost to downtown but turned south on South Palm Canyon Drive and drove just a few minutes to the toll gate entering the area. The cost was $9 for adults, and $7 for seniors and students.

The Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the canyons around Palm Springs area centuries ago. They thrived in this area because of an abundant water supply provided by springs throughout the area and were able to grow crops of melons, squash, beans and corn.
Today the canyons in their reservation lands have been developed into hiking and equestrian trails which range from short walks along the canyon floor to more ambitious, longer hikes up the sides of the canyons to what must be spectacular views. The three canyons in this area and the nearby Tahquitz Canyon have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The website for the attraction is:

http://www.theindiancanyons.com/

I met up with David, Kathleen and the kids at the Andreas Canyon Trail parking lot where we had planned to take a guided hike in the canyon. Turns out they cancelled the guided tour today but we struck out on our own, which worked out just fine since it allowed us to go at our own pace. After getting set up with water bottles, and toilet stops, we headed out for a great afternoon.

The first part of the hike was above Andreas creek looking down on the various palms which follow the creek. They were primarily the skirted palms, but close to the creek were also quite a few California Fan Palms, my favourite. The juxtaposition of the desert mesa and the green palms was gorgeous and the rock formations of the canyon walls were ever changing. Top it off with a bright blue sky and it just doesn’t get a lot better.

At the turn around point of the loop path we spent some time taking pics, floating leaf boats in the clear water of the creek, drawing, using palm fronds as fans and climbing rocks. On the return trip we followed the creek bed in the shade of the palms. All in all, it was a beautiful hike.

Next we drove to the trading post at the beginning of Palm Canyon which is up high on a hill looking down into Palm Canyon and has a spectacular view. We couldn’t resist going down into the canyon to check out some dome structures made from palm fronds. There were some odd Palm trees along the canyon, one that grew quite curvy and another that had fallen yet continued to grow, with the fronds growing out of the side reaching towards the sun.

Having worked up an appetite we headed to Olive Garden for dinner, and after a short wait for a table, we enjoyed a pasta loading. I know, I know, you’re supposed to do it before the exercise, but this suited us just fine.

Then the crew came back to visit my little “house” so they could imagine me in it as I continue my North American No Fixed Address Tour. It was great that our time in Palm Desert intersected and we were able to share some time together.

Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Happy New Year Everyone!

Time for a fresh beginning; a clean slate; a clear prospective; a new year for exploring; and the continuation of my North American No Fixed Address Tour.

2015 was a fabulous year with lots of adventure and adding experiences to my life’s memories. Looking forward to 2016 to being even better.

I’ve had a great stay in Palm Desert, and lovely Christmas and New Year with friends and family. Karen and Allen have been amazing friends and we’ve done a bunch of fun stuff together. Gill joined me for 5 days right after Christmas, and MMOS (my much older sister) Lynn and her hubbie Wally came from Lake Havasu City to visit with Gill and to see my “house” this week. And last evening before heading out for our New Year celebration we visited with my friend David, his wife Kathleen and their 4 wirey and energetic offspring Alex, Pauline, Peter and Nick who are down from Vancouver for a week enjoying the desert. I’m hoping to have another visit with them before I leave. (And hope this time to remember to take a picture!).

Gill and I had a late New Year’s Eve night, well, early morning really, as we joined Karen and Allen and Karen’s Uncle Hy and his friend Teri for dinner at Five Guys, a movie (Gill and I saw the Big Short, and the others saw Star Wars-long story) and then back to Karen and Allen’s for nibblies, bubbly and to watch the new year rung in at Time Square.

Then today, Gill and I started the year off right with a day spent exploring Joshua Tree National Park, just north of Palm Springs. After gassing up, picking up water and tea and breakfast sandwiches at Starbucks we were on the road by 9 am. It was cool to start, about 5 – 6 degrees, and stayed that way until we came back into the Coachella Valley late this afternoon where it jumped up to 18 or so degrees C.

We drove from Highway 10 up through Desert Hot Springs (not a terribly inspiring place) and then north on Highway 62 through the Morongo Valley and into the Yucca Valley. We took a side trip from the town of Yucca Valley just 4 miles north to Pioneertown which K&A had told us about. There is a restaurant and motel that are famous for hosting great music in the evening. It wasn’t open when we were there because of reduced hours for New Year’s Day, but it sure looks like an interesting place and Gill has pledged to return some day for dinner, music and a stay at the unique western style motel.

We carried on through the town of Joshua Tree and into the north gate of the park. Joshua Tree National Park is part of the Mojave Desert and is named for the odd looking tree native to the area that isn’t really a tree, it’s a type of yucca plant. The Joshua Tree grows only 1 inch a year and can grow to a height of 40 feet, although we didn’t see any taller than about 25 feet.

Our first destination in the park was Keys View, which at 1581 metres, high in the San Bernadino Mountains, had a fabulous view southward overlooking the Coachella Valley where Palm Springs and the other desert cities are located. The air quality was great today so we could see as far away as Salton Sea, south east of the desert cities and even further. There were dozens of motorcycles also out for a ride today and they stopped to see the view and to wam up.

Then we headed back to Hidden Valley and hiked the 1 mile trail through the valley taking pictures and loving the sights and atmosphere. We saw prickly pear cacti, junipers, pinto pines, and Mojave yuccas anchored among the piles of boulders forming a hidden valley which was a legendary cattle rustler’s hideout. We had taken a picnic lunch and we stopped after our hike to enjoy it in the very fresh air. We didn’t dawdle since, although we were warmed by the desert sun, it was still only a chilly 8 degrees or so.

Back on the road, we wound our way along Park Boulevard and past several campgrounds (which were all full, BTW), and past many hiking and climbing opportunities. We turned south along Pinto Basin Road towards the southern entrance and Cottonwood Visitor Centre. There were some great views of the Pinto Basin and multiple mountain ranges surrounding the basin.

We stopped for a short walk along a pathway through the Cholla Cactus Garden. These odd looking cacti have yellow-green flowers whose shape reminded me of raspberries. There is a huge field of them in this area and they don’t seem to be found elsewhere. They are really prickly and can easily get attached to pant legs so the developed pathway was welcomed.

Gill and I left the park by the southern entrance on to I-!0 and headed west back into the city, glad of our time together in this beautiful part of the world.

Sadly, Gill heads for home tomorrow. It’s been wonderful having her sharing my “house” this week and although it’s been “cozy” I think it worked out OK. I will treasure our time together forever and as I head into the next phase of my trip, the memories of this week will hold me over until I am reunited with she and Phil in Ottawa in the spring. I will be doing errands and getting organized over the next few days to hit the road again on January 6th. It will be sad to leave PD but I am getting itchy feet to get on the road again.