Salton Sea to the Pacific 2010

Well, we're only 2 years behind on our blog. What can I say? We got lazy and the further behind we got, the easier it was to put it off. However, friends and family have been asking about it, so we're making an attempt to catch up. Don't forget the drill - most recent pictures at the top, oldest at the bottom so it is best to scroll down to the bottom and work your way up. Hope you enjoy!

April 15 2010 – How can you tell we’re almost home? SNOW!!! Yesterday there was a big storm in Lethbridge; the power was off for hours. The first thing I did when we got home was shovel the sidewalk. Welcome home!!

April 13 – Of course, just as we’re ready to leave all my cacti start blooming! Our final trips to the swap meets and Algodones were made, farewell happy hours and suppers were over and our good-byes had been said. Time to head north.

April 4 - Ted’s cousin and his wife, Rick and Leslie, from Edmonton joined us for Easter weekend. We went to the Date Farm, Signature Hill and other points of interest only to return to find we had missed an earthquake while we were driving. The epicentre was closer to Mexicali, but the aftershocks made the earth tremble in Yuma and caused vehicles to shake. I wondered why some of my dishes and pottery had shifted a little, but it was only when friends from Calgary called to see how we were doing, did we know that we had experienced an earthquake. We had another aftershock later on that week and that one we did notice. The house shook causing the curtains to sway. It was just a minor little aftershock, but it was big enough for me. Now when we go back to Alberta, I take all the pictures off the walls and ornaments off the shelves. You can never be too careful!

We paid our respects once again by leaving a rock at the grave of Lonesome the Dog. The request to leave a rock or two was made in a touching letter written by Lonesome’s owner when his beloved pet died in 1983. Now the dog’s owner, Roy Morgan, one of the last prospectors at Picacho, has joined his pet. His ashes were scattered over the dog’s grave when he died in 1991.

We found the fossil of a leaf in a rock. Despite the temptation, we were good stewards of the environment and followed the golden rule: “Take only pictures and leave only footprints”.

We took a side trip down to Bear Canyon where Ted, Doris, Patty, Cathy and Lil checked out the animal tracks next to the pool of water.

March 31 – Back home in Yuma, eight of us went for a desert run to Picacho State Park in California. During our infrequent rain storms, the water rushes down to the wash below causing major erosion on the hillsides. 

Back at Carlsbad State Park, we walked down the staircase to the beach. Going down was much easier than going up!!

This gives you an idea of what the Hale telescope looks like and how it works.

March 24 – We drove up a winding road to the top of Mount Palomar where the Palomar Observatory is located. It is an incredible facility home to 5 telescopes - the 18” Schmidt which has now been retired, a 24” robotic telescope that monitors weather on Saturn’s largest moon, the 48” Samuel Oschin telescope, the 60” telescope that takes the load off the Hale telescope and the 200” Hale telescope that does everything from hunting for asteroids near earth to probing distant galaxies and quasars. It was the largest telescope in the world (our world, anyway) from 1948 to 1993.

Another benefit of a good zoom lens. You can watch people surfing (and wiping out) up close.

A beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

One of our friendly neighbours. He isn’t nearly as big as he looks; a zoom lens contributed to his size.

March 23 – We moved westward from the desert to the Pacific Ocean. A year ago we were visiting San Diego with Joyce and Ken and drove up to Carlsbad State Park because we heard it was so beautiful. We thought this was one place where we definitely wanted to spend more time. Apparently getting into this campground in the summer is like winning the lottery and I can understand why. Fortunately there is no problem in March. This was the view from the back of our 5^th wheel. Awesome, hey??? I’d love to wake up to that view every morning!!

While we were driving around Borrego Springs, we came across several extremely large sculptures on the outskirts of town. This one portrays a large bird protecting its young (I think).

A small stream alongside the path on the return trip.

A close up of the palms. If you were to trim off all the dead foliage, they would look more like the palms you see lining the streets in Yuma, Palm Springs and many other cities in the southern states.

A view of the palms from behind the grove.

Ted rested against a giant rock under the palms. It was a very warm day and it felt great to cool off and have a refreshing drink of water.

This hike led to a native California palm grove. The palms are grouped around natural springs in the floor of the valley which offers a nice quiet oasis in the middle of the desert.

March 22 – To celebrate Ted’s birthday, we drove south to Anzo Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park outside of Alaska. We chose to hike the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail (3 miles round trip) and were delighted (at least I was) to see the prickly pear cacti and other wildflowers in full bloom.

Palm Canyon Drive on a Sunday afternoon.

Leslie Nielson (a great Canadian actor and one of our favourites) is one of the hundreds of stars honoured on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. The Walk was founded in 1992 and honours those who have “contributed to the worldwide prominence and name recognition of Greater Palm Springs”. Nielson’s star is located on Palm Canyon Drive and was placed there on December 4, 1997.

March 21 – After having lunch at the Elephant Bar (an excellent restaurant) in Palm Desert, we drove to Palm Springs, the former hangout of stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope and Marilyn Monroe. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway takes you from the desert to the alpine in 10 minutes. At the top is the Mount San Jacinto State Park which gives you access to miles of hiking trails.

On the return trip we came across a reminder that the Cahuilla Indians once lived here. Broken pottery and bedrock mortars like this one have been found. Cahuilla women ground mesquite beans and other seeds here. Can you imagine how long it would take to grind it that deep?

The view from the top was amazing.

Ted is standing on what appears to be a natural staircase on the trail.

Our goal is to reach the top of Mastodon Peak.

Our last hike of the day was at Cottonwood Spring. After the Cahuilla Indians left the area, prospectors and miners travelled from Mecca to mines in the north. Water was necessary for gold processing so a number of gold mills were located here. Above is the remains of an arrastra, a primitive type of gold mill.

Our next stop was the Cholla Cactus Garden. I love chollas, especially the jumping Teddy Bear variety. Believe me, they are not as soft and cuddly as a teddy bear, but they do seem to jump out and attach themselves to anything or anyone unsuspecting/dumb enough to get close, namely me! I made the mistake of taking a shortcut from one path to another through the chollas and the spines actually went right through my running shoes into my foot. It was extremely painful and I learned a very valuable lesson. Do not mess with cholla!!

We came across a rock covered in petroglyphs on the Barker Dam trail but who knows how old they are. They look almost too colourful to be ancient petroglyphs, but who knows?? At least it doesn’t say “Bobby and Susie 1998”!!

We were lucky to see some of the Joshua trees in bloom. It is said that you know you are truly in the Mojave Desert if you see Joshua trees. Joshua trees are not actually trees, but a species of yucca. They can grow over 40 feet tall at a rate of an inch a year.

 The 20’ long and 10’ high Barker Dam was built around 1900 to hold water for cattle and mining use. A few remnants of the cattle operation can still be found.

Another rockpile located on the Barker Dam trail behind a small rain-fed reservoir created by the dam. I liked this picture so much I framed it and hung it in our Yuma house!

The Jumbo Rocks. I wouldn’t want to be parked or having a picnic below the giant rock teetering on the top. There is a very complicated explanation as to how these rockpiles formed 100 million years ago but I won’t bore you with it (mainly because I really don't understand it myself) but it is mainly a result of volcanic magma rising from deep within the earth. I'm sure you can get the details from Wikipedia!

Joshua trees line the road from Keys View to Hidden Valley Campground.

The Coachella Valley - in the background are the Santa Rosa Mountains with the Indio Hills just in front of them. The snow-covered peak is Mount San Jacinto and right in the middle of the picture runs the infamous San Andreas Fault. When the big one hits, you do not want to be anywhere near this area!!

A neat-looking dead tree with Mount San Jacinto in the background. I’m trying to be more artsy with my picture-taking!

March 20 – Our next excursion was to Joshua Tree National Park. Here is the Salton Sea as seen from Keys View in the Park. Keys View is 5,185’ above sea level which provides a great view of valleys, mountains and desert.

The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge was created to help protect migrating birds and endangered species. Here is a Gambel’s Quail we saw at one of the bird-viewing lookouts.

Over the past several years it has become a boondocking haven for snowbirds and about 150 permanent residents. There is no power, water or other services. Most campers use generators or solar panels for power. Next door to hundred thousand dollar motorhomes, you’ll find uniquely decorated abodes such as this. Someone had a lot of spare time on his hands.

Another quirky place located just past Salvation Mountain is Slab City. It is named after the concrete slabs that remain from the abandoned World War II Marine barracks Camp Dunlap.

You have to see it to believe it. The "mountain stands "50' high and 150' wide. It is covered with birds, trees, flowers, scriptures, a golden staircase and much, much more. It is made from local adobe clay and decorated with donated paint. It certainly stands out in the middle of the desert.

Welcome to Salvation Mountain!! It's located a couple of miles from Niland, CA on the east side of the Salton Sea. It was created by Leonard Knight as a tribute to God's love. You have to see it to believe it. The “mountain” stands 50’ high and 150’ wide and is covered with scripture, flowers, birds, trees, etc. made from local adobe clay and decorated with donated paint. It definitely stands out in the middle of the desert!

March 19, 2010 – We decided to take a holiday from our holiday and head to Indio, CA for a few days. Our first stop was lunch with our friends, Denis and Irene, at Red Earth Casino and then we started on our circle tour of the Salton Sea. Here are the facts about the Salton Sea. It is one of the largest inland seas in the world and one of the lowest spots on earth at 227’ feet below sea level. It was created in 1905 when heavy rainfall and snow melt caused the Colorado River to spill over the canal gates leading into the Imperial Valley. By the time engineers were able to stop the rushing water in 1907, the Salton Sea was 45 miles long and 20 miles wide. With time the Sea has evaporated and shrunk and is now saltier than the Pacific Ocean. This has caused the disappearance of several native fish species, but the marshes along the Sea have become a haven for pelicans and other birds.