Sand dunes

There are amazing sand dunes outside Yuma. The big attraction for locals is the potential for dune buggies. It made it hard for us to photograph any that didn't have tracks across them.

Yuma

We've been there, done that with Yuma. Everyone we met who comes down for the winter said they thought it was the ugliest place they'd ever seen when they first came and vowed not to stay but ended up liking their neighbours so much, they now come back every year. Happy hour at 3:30 every day helps.
When our host was trying to find something for us to do, the Territorial Prison was the only thing that sprung to mind. The restored nineteenth century prison is interesting if bleak for about an hour and after that, it is hard to find much else. We noticed some nature walks along the Colorado River and tried that in the heat of the afternoon. It shows promise. The river on the Arizona side is being reclaimed - invasive plants have been removed and native grasses and trees planted. There is an extensive watering system set up and so they will eventually become established. We saw two coots - the extent of the wildlife but the heat might have had something to do with that. It is much healthier than the river Bill and I remember from twenty years ago that we could jump across just before it crossed into Mexico.
Our hotel pool was decked out in banners reminding us of the proximity to Mexico and their cheap dental work, glasses, drugs and liquor. Many of the people we met buy new glasses and have their annual dental work done while down for the winter.

Spook Mountain

We were invited to attend a mysterious event that happens nightly in a remote area outside Yuma - named, of course - Spook Mountain. We met in a parking lot in town at 6:00 pm and set off on a back road that at times was more of a track. We passed through a remote area occupied by apparent squatters - derelict trailers with ragged plastic covering the windows, abandoned vehicles, and a few dirty tents. Our driver mentioned hearing banjo music in the background.

We carried on before having to stop to pull in the truck side-mirrors then carefully driving through a narrow culvert under a railroad line. Around a few more corners and up a bumpy path we came across five or six other trucks parked on various hill tops all pointing towards the hills across a valley.

Tables, chairs and coolers were removed from the trucks. Wood was pulled out and stacked in previously-used fire pits. With some sort of fire starter liberally applied, in no time we were drinking, roasting hot dogs, and waiting - sitting in a line facing the hill side - for the sun to go down.

The night was clear, the air warm and the stars brilliant. We passed the time looking through binoculars at the moons of Jupiter and the craters on the crescent moon. After about an hour, a vague light seemed to grow over much of the side of the hills on the opposite valley. "There it is!" the resident experts shouted and we watched the dull green fog hug the hills. It lasted about a minute then, as if the light switch was turned off, disappeared. We let the event settle in our minds and ten minutes or so later, the light appeared again then just as quickly disappeared.

According to our sources, the theories include everything from the ghosts of gold miners turning on and off their lanterns to phosphorescence escaping from the ground. We found it puzzling and agree that there is something strange is occuring at Spook Mountain but truth be told, the chat around the fire pit was just as mysterious and quirky!

A picnic and scorpions in the windy desert

We went on another night walk tonight. This time, the wind was howling and the storm clouds threatened. We all hung in there for two hours after a very windy picnic and were rewarded with more flourescent green scorpions as promised but once these were spotted, we said Goodbye! to the tour leader and headed back on the dark path by ourselves - anxious to get back in the warm car and out of the freezing wind.

We're off to Yuma for three days to see what that area offers.

Dawn to Dusk

It's hard work having fun sometimes. We were up at 6:30 to head up to Morongo Valley to join the twice-weekly bird count. We wondered if the experience could measure up to last year's and weren't disappointed. Following the experts, we were treated to about 15 amazing bird sightings including the brilliant vermillion flycatcher, the bright yellow and black hooded oriole and a flock of dazzling bluebirds dancing in the air like butterflies. Such amazing colours in the drab world of the desert!

We returned to town in time to drop in at the College of the Desert Market where we sat and ate hot-dogs and drank down lemonade in attempts to cool off after spending money on "amazing bargains".

After a quick supper we headed up the winding Pines to Palm's Highway to join the Astronomical Society of the Desert and their monthly Star Party. We wondered if it would happen since the sky was overcast or cloudy for the most part but two society members were there with giant telescopes set up. We spent a chilly hour looking at stunning views of Jupiter's four moons, Mars' polar ice cap, our moon's ethereal crescent and shadowed craters, and Orion's nebulae nursery of stars. The volunteers are keen to encourage anyone who appreciates the wonders of the natural world and engaged us with stories and information until the clouds called the party off.

A week in the desert

We've had a week of family visits with hot weather, golfing and shopping. Thursday night we made our way to the Palm Springs Street Festival and walked down the avenue picking up fresh tomatoes, avacadoes, asparagus and lettuce, then filling up our bags with almonds, dates and kettle corn! By the time we'd arrived, the crowd had thinned and as we stopped to eat some street food, we watched the parade of pedigreed dogs and their proud-as-punch owners go by. One woman purposefully strolled up and down with her pekinese dressed in a little pink hat and pink coat. Both noticed us watching them and came over to allow us to admire and possibly take a picture. We stayed long enough to watch the vendors go through the take-down process. Giant vans pulled up and were loaded with propane tanks, grills, tents, supports, and boxes and bins of treasures yet to be appreciated. Hard way to make a living.

The Follies

So we resisted for two years but finally succumbed and went to the Palm Springs Follies. It pretty much sums up what staying in the Palm Springs area is all about. The geriatric dancers and singers refuse to say die and are kicking and smiling their way through their sixties and seventies! The women could fool most people from a distance but as the MC said, "Only half of what you see is the original!" The six men shuffled and grinned bravely but I would have been less inclined to cringe if they had given the smooth, blonde, duck-tailed wigs a miss. The music was canned, the speakers set to "High for Largely Deaf Audience" and the viagra-laden jokes were laid on. I doubt if anyone in the audience was any younger than the dancers on stage. The MC/producer tormented selected people in the front row and I know I will never, ever, ever buy tickets within shouting distance of a stage for fear of the same treatment.
The final act was an unashamedly brash, over the top rendition of all the patriotic songs ever written for "our" America with the audience proudly standing, hands over hearts for the national anthem. The probability of 1/3 of the audience being Canadian didn't cross anyone's mind - we were just assumed to be part of the love-in. Oh well, better than watching local TV as the republican candidates duke it out night after night.....

Fancy digs

When we arrived, we were disappointed in the bare outside area so headed out to fix it up. Bill found an extra piece of lattice leaning against the fence and attached it to two poles with $15 worth of hardware, found a patio table on Craig's list for $25 which he jammed into the trunk of his car and we bought flowers to fill the empty pots. Now, once it warms up, we'll sit outside.

Winter storm

So the predicted late winter storm happened - not dramatic - just cold and wet! I took a picture of the mountains as the clouds formed Saturday morning. They disappeared until it cleared up this morning and the snow-capped tips showed up. It is still cold. We are back to fleecy jackets and furnace turned to HEAT! Forecast is for warmer by mid-week.

Spider holes, lion ants, queens and lacewings

We spent the morning with an entomologist in Andreas Canyon searching for bugs - not much luck since the weather has changed and the clouds threatened rain. The bugs got the weather report long before we did and had disappeared but we still learned lots from a senior research scientist of UCR. He did his best with his net and special tube and we did see one lone butterfly - a Queen, relative of the monarch. The wind came up now and then and a few drops of rain fell on us but a full-on rain storm waited until we got home before dumping on us. It is really cool now - 15 degrees cooler than normal but the good news is that the desert will probably bloom before we leave!

Desert blooming

The flowers are beginning in Joshua National Park. They had a rainfall in September that washed out roads and trails. Three inches in three hours! Large water-swept areas are still evident but the good news is that with a bit of rain this spring, flowers may arrive. We'll keep checking.

Pictures include lichen on shady side of boulder and the parasite, mistletoe, with red fruit.

Desert musings....

I have a strange love/hate relationship with Palm Desert. I love the desert ecology: the wildlife, the exotic plants that brave the extreme conditions, the colours and vistas. I even love the heat if it stays around 80. But the other side! I shake my head at the huge number of people who think the green grass medians are personal toilets for their little white dogs, at neighbours who cut down lime trees while birds nest in them just to keep the leaf litter under control, at the whole area sucking up water to keep golf courses or boulevards green while draught conditions exist. I was horrified by the rainbow of chemicals coming from Los Angeles that passed for a sunset last night.

My emotions go back and forth. We listen to Victoria's weather report on CBC and know what a luxury it is to be able to eat breakfast on the patio or sit at an outdoor table in the evening and we are having a lovely time meeting with interesting people who willingly share knowledge and who are fighting hard to keep a balance in this complicated place.
Oh well, back to my Field Guide to Desert Holes - best concentrate on that.

Twilight in the desert

We went on a night walk in the Coachella Valley preserve tonight. It is an oasis of palm trees located on the San Andreas fault and has all sorts of life in it because of the presence of water seeping up through the fault. We arrived in daylight and watched two pesky hares reaching up for tender bits on the pathway then as the sun went down, followed the biologist out to a pond where she shone a spotlight on the bats flying above. She had an ecolocator so we could listen to their clicks as they hunted.

On our way back, in pitch dark, we used black lights to highlight gold sand scorpions! They are impossible to see in regular light but show up like iridescent gems in the black light. They ranged in size from half an inch to two inches long - some were sitting right in the pathway, others under bushes but all had their pincers and stinger at the ready. Bill managed to capture this one with his iphone.

We are heading to Lowe's tomorrow to buy a black light!

Fresh veggies and giant lemons

We went to the farmers market in La Quinta old town this morning - came back with a week's supply of fresh vegetables. Some of the heirloom tomatoes (this one, yellow) are huge. After filling our bags, we sat with our coffee and listened to a musicians while watching the crowd pick out their greens..

Earlier this week, we were given lemons picked off the tree while we watched. This giant one is the size of a huge grapefruit. Lemonade coming up!

Star party

No sightings of George Clooney but amazing views of Venus, Jupiter, etc, this star party takes place in the relatively dark parking lot of the National Monument visitor center! Amateur astronomers set up their huge telescopes, set their sights on something interesting and then stand back proudly while people line up for a one-eyed view. We found the close-up of the very red Mars and Orion's nebulae interesting but the conversation even more so. The enthusiastic experts love the questions and are keen to answer. Our last lesson of the night was a review of constellations with an amazingly powerful laser light that seemed to reach each star being pointed out.
In two weeks, we're going to another - this one up the mountain far beyond the lights of the city. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

What quail can tell you

We attended a lecture at UCR (University of California, Riverside) to hear Dr. Gee talk about the hybridization of quail. The lecture actually was intended to show the place of quail in evolution but Dr. Gee admitted in the question period that she preferred not to use 'that word' as it caused all kinds of trouble- especially when humans and apes are mentioned....
Apparently the California Quail we loved to watch in Sooke and the Gambel Quail we see here in the desert aren't fussy and there is a patch of California where hybrids thrive. The mixed up birds aren't spreading though because it seems Gambel's don't like the rain and Californian's don't like the heat. Being raunchy isn't enough to get over the different preferences in weather - sounds vaguely familiar...

Desert landscape

Unlike last year, there has been little rain in the desert and the landscape is a beautiful taupe with ghostly smoke trees and glistening cholla cactus. A contrast to the artificial green valley of Palm Springs.

Our digs

Not a bad place to spend two months, eh? We've met the neighbours, registered for the gym, been to the tourist center, signed up for two hikes in Andreas Canyon and got our internet organized. I even have a quilting room! Good thing, we have grandbabies to come home for....

Morning jogger

Tomorrow I'll have my telephoto close at hand.

Wild warm wind

We spent the day getting settled. The weather forecast was for two days of wind and it hit just after noon. It came up suddenly and our fragile mobile home is shuddering and shaking. I can sure understand why mobile home parks are matchsticks after a tornado goes through. We occasionally look up to see if the roof is still attached.

So today, instead of Canadian flags horizontal on the skyline, it is palm trees!

From windy Victoria to 28 degrees!

We’ve just arrived in Palm Desert today after leaving on the Coho on Saturday. There was a strong wind blowing and we wondered about the crossing but it we slept through most of it - so either the drugs helped or the wind died down when we weren't looking!
We have always avoided the interstate, I5, and once again know why. It must be the ugliest way of spending two and a half days – nothing to indicate where in the world you are other than constant signs of fast food places, outlet malls, and casinos.
There are subtle changes in scenery – we started with winter brown grass and lichen–covered bare branches. This changed to green for a while as we climbed up through Grant and Shasta passes – then back to the brown of a very dry California occasionally broken up by miles of almond trees just finished blooming. A powerful and distinct smell alerts the traveller to upcoming feedlots and signs posted every mile or so warn Californians of the political choices congress is making that will result in all farm land drying up. (Hard to tell if the signs are old and the prophesy is already true or if it is just a dry year.)
However, if you are wanting to get from A (Victoria) to B (Palm Desert) the fastest way possible, our GPS said this was it. Bill decided to let it guide us the whole way but wondered about the choice as we drove into Los Angeles before being directed off the six-lane freeway to another truck-filled interstate for 70 more miles into Palm Desert.
While driving we watched the temperature increase steadily with the biggest jump as we crossed into California. Eight degrees quickly became twenty. The increase continued today as the day went on and we hit twenty-eight by noon. So that is why we are here – let the good
weather roll!