Pinyon Wash Overnighter

Monday, we headed in Blue out to the Anza Borrego Desert.  We left the pavement at Pinyon Wash and took the jeep trail about two miles up the wash to a place we had car camped last year.  We only saw one jeep go by the whole time, so we felt far away from civilization.

 We set up camp under the shade of a small desert tree.

 Nearby, were granite boulders that had tumbled down the mountain.

 In honor of Nick and Cassidy, we bowled a few frames.  You can see how the flash floods from last summer came through here.

 Desert bowling, a beautiful thing.

 From our perch on a huge granite boulder, we watched the sun go down.  You can see Blue in the middle of the picture.  Tomorrow, we hike to those mountains in the distance, and climb up though canyons.

 An ocotillo plant in the dark.

 We had a magnificent full moon that allowed us to take a night hike further up the wash.

In the middle of the night, we woke up and wondered why it was so dark.  I sat up and saw that there was a lunar eclipse.  The "blood moon" was a total eclipse that lasted over an hour.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my tripod along, so the shot is blurry.

A cholla cactus with pretty blooms.

In the morning, we began our day's hike up Pinon Wash in the slopes of Bighorn Mountain (below).  Our destination was Blue Spring, a wildlife watering spot frequented by Bighorn Sheep.

 There were many ocotillo cactus in this area, with many in bloom.  They are 15 feet or so high, and always have a vase shape.

 Barrel cactus in bloom.

 Beaver tail cactus in bloom.

 One of three Mylar balloons we pulled out of cactus.

 More cholla blooms.  Cholla is also known as "jumping cactus" because the needles seem to jump off the plant to stick you.

 High on a cliff, we spotted a Red-tailed Hawk on her nest.

I spotted an elusive Zebra Tailed Lizard.

 Gail took an interest in rocks this trip.  This was one of our favorites.

 Rugged, steep, trail-less country, and very little shade, made it seem hotter than it was.  It was probably in the high eighties.  We each drank three liters of water on the hike that lasted about six hours.

We never did find the spring.  We should have gotten coordinates and brought my GPS.

 A barrel cactus in bloom.

 The highlight of the hike was when Gail spotted this Gray Fox trotting across a slope.  It paused for several seconds to stare at us - wow!

There were several areas of spooky looking cliffs that looked to be more good nesting sites for raptors.

 On the drive out of the desert I spotted "snake on road", hit the brakes, and pulled a U-turn.  Gail asked if I had spotted a Mylar balloon!  Since there was no  place to pull off the road, I put on the emergency flashers and told her to jump out get him off so he wouldn't get run over.  You should have seen her jump when she touched its tail! It went into strike position and hissed at her.  Luckily, no one came over the rise behind us doing 70!

Just before we got to Julian, we spotted a flock of wild turkeys on the seemingly lush mountain.  Our last stop was for pizza a few minutes later in Wynola  *****!

Sarah Comes to Carlsbad

We had a visitor this week from Anchorage, Alaska!  My sister Sarah arrived in Carlsbad on Monday, and stayed until Friday afternoon.  We had trips to see Andria's family, the beach, the zoo, Old Town, and our own little house.  You know you're having fun when you forget to take enough pictures!

 Susanna took to Aunt Sarah almost immediately.

 Sarah, our family Yoga Master, captivated Nora and Soren with lessons.

 Here we are arriving at the San Diego Zoo.

 Susanna can't get enough of the sky tram, which she calls "the big swing".

Can you tell we're brother and sister?  Thanks, Sarah, for making this week a fun vacation for us all!

More Animal Happenings

This pair of House Finches are on their second family of the spring.  They build their nest above our bedroom door. We have lovingly named them Iggy and Neko.

Nearby, Gail has turned one of her past art projects into a plant stand.  She has kindly allowed Iggy and Neko to tear off little pieces to add to their nests.  The Crown of Thorns loves Gail's "installation", too!

After the first babies  fledged last month, I took down the old nest - you can see why!  While the babies are young, the parents carry off feces in fecal sacs.  However, the last few days in the nest, they leave the feces around the rim.  There must be a reason for this.  In about 4 days, the parents built a new nest, and are now tending their eggs.  So industrious!

 Reptiles are emerging - wahoo! This beautiful gopher snake was crossing a road at my local park.

Its skin looks to have recently shed, resulting in shiny, vivid colors.

New Visitors

 This Spotted Towhee lies low in the bushes, but darts out every few minutes to ground feed around our feeder.

 The first rabbit we've seen in at least a year.

 A male and female Black-headed Grosbeak have been hanging out the past few days.  They love the sunflower seeds!

What a difference between the sexes!