The Window

One of the most iconic hikes in Big Bend is in the Chisos Basin as the foot of  Casa Grande Peak in the Chisos Mountains.  The Window Trail starts at the park visitor center, descends into the canyon and then the trail goes through a very narrow passage to a point that opens up in front of you like a window in a cathedral.  It was listed as a 5.6 mile hike but our pedometers indicated we walked over 6 miles total.  If it hadn’t been so hot I think we might have enjoyed the hike a bit better but the sun beat us down to a dragging crawl up the last mile.  Yes I said UP!  We hiked 980 feet of vertical.

We spent most of the evening trying to decide what we were going to do next.  One option was to head to Padre Island, or another was to back track to AZ.  But considering the pandemic and the way places are closing, and at our age a need for good healthcare, we decided we needed to be near family and our local doctors.  We will pack up and head to Oklahoma to see our grandsons and then home to Sedalia.

Hot Springs the Long Way

After dressing in shorts and hiking boots, we hopped in the car to drive the 26 miles to the Chisos Mountain except that the peak was covered in clouds and the closer we got, the colder it became.  About half way there I convinced John to turn around as we were not properly clad and we wouldn’t see anything in the clouds.

Once back at the RV we decided to hike the 6 mile round trip over ridges, valleys and desert on the Hot Springs Canyon trail to the same hot springs we saw yesterday.  I especially enjoyed all the spring flowers on the cacti and ocotillo, and the blooms popping up on the yucca.  We got to within 1/2 mile of the springs, high up on a ridge overlooking the river and stopped to have our lunch.  Why go on to the springs when we had just seen them?  We headed back to camp.

We were greeted with sad/bad news when we got back.  The campground host informed us that a county judge had ordered all campgrounds - private and public - to be closed as of noon on Monday March 23.  We had considered moving on Sunday but decided to stay one more day.

Evening falls late in west Texas so just before 8pm we walked out on the river to watch the sun set.  It was a lovely evening.

Big Bend National Park

With all the upheaval that the Coronavirus is causing we thought that people would be canceling their camping trips and we would have an easy time finding a campground.  That is not the case although we were smart enough to arrive in the morning and snagged one of only three available walk-in sites at the Rio Grande Village Campground.  We were also concerned that the park would close but they have only closed the visitor centers and gathering places. And along our route we stopped at every market looking for TP.  We finally found one roll!

The wind has been horrendous and the sun quite hot but the walk to Boquillas Canyon on the Rio Grande was still nice.  We also checked out the hot spring that is on the river. It was very crowded.  Social distancing was not being practiced in that place.

Maverick

From Bisbee we drove across AZ and NM into Texas spending the  night in Sierra Blanca’s city park.  We discovered that this is where the southern route  of the second continental railroad line met - one from CA and one from East Texas.  Also Geronimo surrendered at this place.  But if you come here to see something special all you will find are signs.

We arrived at the Maverick Ranch RV Park shortly after lunch. Supposedly they were full for the weekend but we were able to extend our stay two more days if we wanted and we never saw a full park.  We are on the edge of the Big Bend State Park so we took advantage of the hiking trails near us.  A short hike from the RV park we watched zip lines spanning canyon spaces.  Another hike took us out into the desert and back. I love looking for all the signs of spring in this arid landscape with blooming cacti and bushes including ocotillo.

Bisbee

Sunday March 15 -

Following the winery tour we drove over to the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area which is a winter refuge for many waterfowl but especially Sand Hill Cranes.  These are big beautiful birds which we have seen in Michigan and in Florida.

The next stop is Bisbee, a quaint little town built  around the Queen Copper Mine.  It’s all hills and reminds us somewhat of Eureka Springs, AR.  The RV park overlooks the copper mine and is within walking distance of the town.  As we were window shopping and strolling along the business district we realized the people in town were lining the street as if waiting for a parade.  When we asked a local she said that there would be a short parade to welcome back the Turkey Vultures!  It’s the weirdest parade we have ever watched!  They even had a drum line concert on the corner which reminded us of the drummers in Uruguay.

Hofmann Winery

Friday the 13th

Since we couldn’t find a park with a campsite we found a winery through Harvest Host where we proved that Friday the 13th is a bad luck day.  First I made John go on a hike - he calls them ‘Kill John’ hikes then we headed to the winery.

The Hofmann Winery is a very small operation that bottles only about 500 cases a year.  Charles has only been making wine for about four years, has about 1000 vines and a small fruit orchard.  He had us park in this large empty area near some of his vines.  This is Arizona desert meaning sandy soil and it rained yesterday.  The perfect situation for an RV disaster.  We are towing the Jeep and making a sharp turn in soft sand so that the wheels of the Jeep do not track but turn sideways and pull the RV down, down, down into the soft sand until we are STUCK! John was NOT happy to say the least.  But, once we unhitched the Jeep, pushed some sand back into the tracks and backed up the RV a short distance, John was able to get a roaring start and drove right out of that hole. 

We almost headed home right then but gladly we stayed.  Charles had us tasting every one of his German wines, whites and reds, we bought a case and the next morning he showed us his whole operation.  We turned a possible disaster into a nice evening with some decent wine.

Patagonia State Park

Thursday March 12

When it comes to finding a camp site on the weekends, we usually run out of luck or have to do some special planning.  So for the next few days we will travel no more that 200 miles on any day.  We wanted to stay at Patagonia State Park through the weekend but they were adamant that all sites were taken on Friday and Saturday.  Since the weather was going to be iffy over the weekend we had hoped to be able to snag a cancelled site but that did not happen.

Just adjacent to the park is the Sonoita Natural Area with some nice long trails.  I had hoped to walk an 8 mile trail on Wednesday but it rained!  So we adapted and walked a 3 mile trail on Thursday morning and then headed on down the road.  It was a lovely walk along the river and then up the hill.  The budding trees indicate that spring is coming in AZ.

Rincon Country

Tues March 10

We reluctantly left Joshua Tree on Friday since there was no place to camp in the park and headed to Tucson.  Friends from Sedalia winter there, one couple at Rincon Country Resort and the other couple just a few miles from there.  We were able to snag a spot for five days and enjoyed our stay and our visit with our friends.

We played more pickle ball, caught up on chores like grocery shopping and laundry and enjoyed hanging out with Tom and Judy.  One afternoon was spent watching them play in an exciting (sort of) Bocce Ball tournament.  We also found some nice places for dinners out.

This afternoon was spent cruising through the Saguaro National Park East.  This giant cacti only grow at this longitude and are a protected species.  The park is also populated by Staghorn and Chain-fruit Cholla plus other cacti like barrel and beaver tail as well as varieties of yucca and scrub bushes.  It was a lovely drive.

Lost Palms Oasis

Thurs. March 5 -

Just a half mile from the campground is a fan palm oasis with cottonwood trees.  Then four miles south east into what felt like the heart of the desert of Joshua Tree National Park is a crack in the crust that has allowed water to seep up to the surface.  A large grove of giant fan palm trees have been growing there for decades and created an oasis in a long canyon where the desert creatures come for shade, water and food.  Of course, we didn’t see any animals as we didn’t get there until mid-day but it was a pretty site among all the cactus, ocotillo, scrub bushes and yucca plants.  The four mile hike back to camp seemed to take a lot longer and felt more strenuous that going out.  I think the sun and our physical condition may have been a factor in that.  But we can still say we hike 8.6 miles and lived to tell about it! 

Lost Horse Mine

Wednesday March 4 -

Today we drove all the way back north to where the Joshua Trees are most abundant as well as the boulder piles and many trails.  It has been over 10 years since we have camped in Joshua Tree but we remember taking this hike although it sure seemed a lot longer and more strenuous than the last time.  Think maybe we have aged a bit and are slowing down!

Anyway, it was a good day for hiking and it was interesting to see the stamp mill at the old mine.  We stopped at Keys View to look out over the valley where Palm Springs, Indio, La Quinta is located.  All the mountain peaks had fresh snow caps.  We then walked out to Barker Dam where John was sure I was trying to punish him by making him walk the loop trail!  On the drive back to camp we stopped for a quick photo op at the Cholla Cactus Garden.

Joshua Tree National Park

Tues. March 3 -

We had decided that we would leave Indio on Sunday to go up to Joshua Tree National Park but the weather took a turn for the worse with predictions of high winds and possibly some light rain on Sunday and Monday.  Well the wind came through but not until late on Sunday and into Monday, the rain was a non-event.

Since we were in town an extra day we met with Mike and Diane for supper at their favorite restaurant - RD RNNR (if this were a license plate you would read it as Road Runner).  Very good food and service.

Tuesday dawned windy but sunny and warm so we loaded up and headed up the mountain to Joshua Tree.  We decided to enter the park from the north in the hopes of snagging a walk-in site at Belle campground but no luck so we drove all the way to the southern entrance where we had reservations in the Cottonwood Spring Campground. Its a good thing John knows how to handle this big rig as it took a fair amount of maneuvering to park in our site.

There are two nice hikes out of this campground so once we were set up we took the shorter hike up to Mastodon Peak - only four plus miles!! 

Indian Waters

Sat. Feb 29 -

This past week has been spent at an RV resort called Indian Waters in Indio, one of many cities considered a part of Palm Springs.  The park has about 200 nice sites with amenities such as pools, spas, and pickle ball courts.  We have been able to meet up with our friends Rory and Sue from Sedalia who spend winters in Palm Springs and spent some time with a Mike and Diane who live in La Quinta.  

We’ve played pickle ball almost daily, and I have taken a couple of line dancing classes.  John has struggled with the pickle ball due to a pulled leg muscle but he keeps working at it.

Yesterday morning I signed us up to go on a hike with a group from the park.  The 17 folks hiked the Cove to the Lake Trail near Lake Cahuilla, a 7.7 mile out and back hike.  The day started off cloudy which kept it nice and cool but as the morning wore on the sun came out and beat down on us.  We have hiked parts of the trail in the past where it adjoins a vibrantly green private golf course.  This time a couple of mountain sheep crossed the path on their way to nibble on that green grass.  

After lunch and naps we played bocci ball and dined with Mike and Diane. We almost didn’t make it to pickle ball this morning as we found it very hard to get out of bed!

Coronado Island

Sat. Feb 22

The day started out kind of yucky with cloud, periods of rain and wind but as the day wore on we got tired of sitting around so off we go in the car to explore the area some more.  Our first stop was a really nice meat market where we stocked up on steak, pork chops and some nice thick cuts of lamb chops. We also found our favorite cheese, Prairie Breeze!

Then we drove across the two mile bridge to Coronado Island. It was late afternoon, rather gloomy so we opted not to stop in town but drove on out to the beach where we stopped to touch the Pacific Ocean and collect a few small shells.

On down towards the point of the island is Imperial Beech where we parked and walked on the beach a short way, then out on the pier and back through town.  When we got to the car it was running!  John forgot to turn it off when we got out so it idled the whole time we were walking! A sure sign old age is creeping up on us!

That’s about it for San Diego.  Time to move on.

Balboa Park Museums

Friday Feb 21

Day 3 of the tourist tours.  We chose to visit museums today as the weather was on the cool side.  There are over 20 museums in Balboa Park beside the Zoo. Some are free but most have some sort of entrance fee.  We got a one day pass to visit 5 museums.

First stop was the Air and Space Museum which had exhibits about our space history.  One of the nine capsules shot into space is located in this museum.  Another one is closer to our home in Hutchinson KS.  I guess we’ll need to stop there one of these days.  And what would be an air museum without airplanes - from the Wright Brothers all the way up to the stealth jets and bombers of today.

Next door to the Air and Space is the Automotive Museum which was featuring cars of the 1970’s. But they also had some unique automobiles and antique motorcycles.  One of the unique cars was Louis Mattar’s Fabulous $75,000 Car.  Its an 1947 Cadillac outfitted to run endurance non-stop trips.  The first trip was from San Diego to New Jersey and back without any stops. The second non-stop run was from Anchorage to Mexico City.  It towed a trailer that held 230 gallons of gas which fed the car and could be refilled without stopping.  Also without stopping the car could air up the tires and hydraulic jacks allowed tires to be hanged while moving.  The front seat held a tape recorder and hookah pipe while in the back seat you could find a washing machine, ironing board and iron, an oven, food storage, refrigerator, and a chemical toilet.  The trailer also held water so you could shower plus it had a telephone and TV.  

Another unique exhibit was the Plank Road from Yuma to El Centro across the Imperial Dunes.  It was used from 1912 to 1926.

After lunch we walked through the Model Railroad Museum.  It is so big that when they are running all the trains they use a control system that was once used on regular rail lines.  The detail that goes into these displays is fantastic.  In our pictures there is a scene with police cars and an ambulance stopped by a car with the trunk open and a body in the trunk!  The big deal is that all scenes are scaled to the size of the trains.  They use pictures of actual places to create landscapes, mountains, rivers and trestle bridges.

We are getting tired so the next two museums don’t get a very thorough examination.  The Fleet Science Center is definitely for kids with lots of hands on activities and people to guide the kids at each station.  The Natural History Museum is multi storied and features not just dinosaurs but whales and ancient sea creatures.  A special exhibit of skulls caught my eye.  There were skulls of lizards, mice, humming birds up to the apes & human, turtles and elephant.

We also were impressed with some of the  architecture of many of the buildings.

Today we stayed in the city until after rush hour.  A friend of ours, Austin, is a chef at a seafood restaurant where we stopped to visit and he prepared a couple wonderfully tasty dishes for us. The restaurant was next to the USS Midway. 

Cabrillo National Monument & Old Town

Thurs. Feb 20

Day two of the tourist visits took us out to Loma Point through the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and part of the Naval Air Station to the Carrillo National Monument. 

Juan Carrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of the US.  Even though it was a bit foggy, we had nice views of the coastline, the city sky line and the entrance to the San Diego Harbor.  Beside the statue commemorating Cabrillo, there is a lighthouse complex and the remnants of battlements and gun placements posted during WWII.  We also hiked along the shoreline where we looked for sea anemones in the tidal zone, enjoyed the early blooming flowers and spotted some sleeping sea lions.

We found a good seafood place for lunch and then drove over to Old Town San Diego where we strolled along the streets, stopping in historic buildings, shopping and enjoying the nice afternoon.  Again we headed home after rush hour had started so it was stop and go traffic all the way home.

Lions & Tigers & Elephants & Birds

Wed. Feb 19

After running errands, getting hair cuts and grocery shopping on Tuesday we started our tourist visit to San Diego.

First stop is the San Diego Zoo!  A very friendly volunteer helped us chart our course through the maze of trails, animals, and food courts.  A lot of the animals were ones we had seen on the African Safari or on our visits to Australia, South American and Costa Rica.  But new ones were some of the apes and monkeys, the Red River Hog (Congo), Andean Condor, Stellar Sea Eagle (Russia), tigers, bears from Borneo and Andes, the cheetah and a rhinoceros.  We had been warned to leave the zoo before 3 pm or we would get caught in the evening rush hour.  Even though we tried to leave early, it was after 3:30 and the traffic was already stop and go (mostly stop).