Wildflowers carpet the sandy soil along the Bajada trail. Poppies dance in the breeze, humming birds flit
among the brilliant red trumpet shaped flowers of the Chuparosa, and the buzz
of bees is everywhere. I could sit here
all day.
We find our way to the north side of the park where the
Joshua tree forest rules. Many are about
ready to bloom. The rolling terrain is
dotted with piles of huge boulders; eroded remnants of the most recent volcanic
activity and the work of 1000s of years of wind and water. From Key View overlook snowcapped peaks rise
above the haze blown in from LA. It is not
as clear a day up here as we hoped but still worth the drive.
We go on to Barker Dam trail where a mile-long walk loops
past a lake in the desert. A natural
tank has been enlarged by dams built by cattle ranchers who have long ago moved
on. It is mid day and there are lots of
people around so not much wildlife. A
covey of 4 quail makes an appearance as do the regular desert birds. I am still looking for the big horn sheep. Even so, it is a beautiful cool oasis among
huge boulders.
Just the two of us taking in some desert time at Joshua Tree
National Park. We roll in on a beautiful
clear afternoon. A leisurely stroll to a
nearby palm oasis includes jackrabbits, a verdin busily building a nest, and
the ever present desert dweller, phainopepla (P2). We close out the day under a lovely star-studded
dark sky.
We meet up with Mike, Tracy, Willa and Katrina in Claremont
where they have some business to attend to.
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden is highly recommended and within easy
walking distance. Willa joins us to
check it out while Mom and Dad are busy at work. It is a natural setting with zones that
include pretty much every desert plant you might expect to find in the US. A special exhibit of large origami sculptures
makes for great accents among the plant life.
Unfortunately, our timing is off and very little is blooming; add a few
dark menacing clouds that bring a chilly rain and our visit is cut short.
We move to an Airbnb in Hollywood/Little Armenia that is
perfectly located for the kids’ business meetings and a great place to
stroll. Kent and I check out Barnesdale
Park and tour Hollyhock House, a Frank Lloyd Wright house that has been
preserved by the city of LA. It has an architectural
motif that looks very Aztec-like to me and appears everywhere both inside and
outside the house. As it turns out, it
is Wright’s geometric interpretation of Mrs. Barnsdale’s favorite flower, the
Hollyhock. The poured concrete entryway
and door are a bit tomb-like and the motif almost overwhelming. Great for a visit but probably a bit much for
everyday living. They continue to fight
with reoccurring roof leaks – our docent says that is a frequent issue with FLW
houses – guess he is too focused on the creative and unique to worry about
mundane stuff like roof leaks? The
docent is great with lots of stories to tell and pictures on her ipad to show
various remodels and a look at original construction.
Our neighborhood strolls take us past (well not always past)
a great Armenian bakery with a huge assortment of sweets and shelves loaded
with loaves of crunchy outside chewy inside bread. The pastries never make it all the way home but
everyone seemed to enjoy the bread.
Lunch at a street vendor includes chicken marsala and a
spinach dish over excellent spiced veggie rice (delicious) all accompanied by cucumber
lemonade (refreshing).
This one is a hike not a stroll
Kent and I head to Griffith Park and the top of observatory
hill. The sandy trail up the Ferndell
side is all steep switchbacks but it is a clear cool day so a wonderful
hike. The view is fantastic: LA and the
ocean beyond, snowcapped mountains to the east and Hollywood just below
us. I stop to take in an observatory
talk about the life of stars with a reminder of exactly how amazing it is that
this one place called earth ever even came to be and how many things had to
come together just right for humans to even come into existence. There are lots
more displays and some great sounding shows in the theatre and planetarium. Those
will wait until another visit.
Meals make for perfect family time – Everybody out for great
Thai food in the neighborhood and a simple spaghetti dinner at home.
Check it out: Willa on a star. We strolled the walk of fame and posed on the
red carpet – never mind that it is plastic covered! This is Oscar’s weekend so things are all set
up around the Dolby theatre.
We meet up with Tracy and Katrina at a coffee shop. There is outdoor seating with a fountain and
as it happens, a shop called “I love pie”.
Who could skip that? We enjoy an
assortment of mini single serving pies; cherry, mixed berry, chocolate brownie
and vegan apple. They have savory pot pies too …
The kids and Willa head to la Brea tar pits and Santa Monica
beach with a stop on the way home at a vegan sandwich shop. They brought us sandwiches that were
amazing. Typically, if I go vegan, I
avoid the meat substitutes and just enjoy the savory vegetable dishes, but
these were full on meat substitute meals and they were not missing a
thing. Kent’s BBQ brisket burger was spot
on flavor wise and the texture pretty darn close. The BBQ sauce cinched it…just plain
delicious. I had grilled chicken. Both flavor and texture were so close I would
not have known it was vegan if they hadn’t said so.
We all hike- Mike, Tracy, Katrina, Willa, Kent and I
plus friends from the girl’s earlier years all meet up at Griffith Park for a
great afternoon hike before we all must head out. LA haze veils the view from the summit, but
it is still a nice way to close out our visit.
Back down at the trailhead the kids grab a Lyft for LAX while we gather
up to head out of town for a bit more desert time.
Some menu items are too authentic for our palate – specials
include a stew of kidneys and tripe in red broth and various dishes featuring
beef tongue. Complete menu descriptions
are in Spanish but we have English subtitles and pictures plus our waitress is
fluent in English so we manage to order.
I try the sopes with marinated pork and Kent a wet burrito. The plates are beautiful when they come out
and we both enjoy our choices.
I couldn’t resist the homemade sweets and take a bit of
sweet potato candy to go. I would have
thought served with hot tea or coffee but the waitress recommends it served
with a little milk on it. Perhaps we will try that.
There is a project in the Coachella Valley that results in a
wide range of art installations scattered across the desert landscape. We found our way to four of them around
Mecca, CA. Terminal Lake Exploration: a
pontoon boat outfitted with cameras and sensors monitoring and playing back at
the state park all things measurable about the Salton Sea. Mosquito Net: a water’s edge sculpture of people
and creatures. Point of View: a cluster
of 5 sets of stairs to nowhere out in the open desert. Gossimer: an abandoned gas station draped in
bright colored fabric waving in the wind.
There are dozens more scattered between here and Palm Springs ranging
from simple
shapes to complex visual projections. It could take a whole weekend navigating this
rugged terrain to check them all out. We
will leave that to others this year.
The drive into Borrego Springs involves dodging rising water
in several places as the rain continues, just as forecast. It is easy to spot the restaurant/diner, it
has a giant Red “O” on the roof. Our
waitress (the only waitress it seems) is friendly, cheerful, and does a great
job keeping up with the increasing crowd.
Quiche and biscuits and gravy.
How could we go wrong?
We enjoy our last sip of delicious coffee and head out. It is still rainy, grey, and cool so we head home and do some planning as we watch the weather play out across the valley.
Our boondocking site is back a sandy wash and the overnight weather
forecast includes over an inch of rain.
Can you say “flash flood zone”? We decide that we ought to move to firmer,
higher ground before that rain gets here.
Our new site is only about 4 miles east and offers a great view of the valley
while sitting high and dry on rocky ground. We take a short hike through the wildflowers
and back Coachwhip Canyon knowing that the weather will likely keep us in
tomorrow.
First, the quest to find the elephant tree. Soft sand and big smooth stones make the
access road too treacherous. We have to
walk the last ½ mile to the trail head. We are actually out on an ancient alluvial fan
winding our way through smooth rounded stones heaped in rows where raging water
left them many years ago. One can’t help
but be impressed by the power of water! One
more zig or maybe zag and we come upon the one remaining living elephant tree
on the trail. Pretty cool shape and
amazing anything that big can survive here; but I can’t see why they call it an
elephant tree.
In the desert where there is water there is wildlife. I am anxious to check out the trail to Yaqui Well to see who might be hanging out there. We wind our way through a great cluster of green leaved ocotillo with bright red blossoms like flags on the stalks. No critters to be heard or seen. We move on. At about a mile in we hear sparrows and the sharp tweet of the P2 moving among the mesquite. Ok, sounds like the water theory might be a good one. We walk on, turn one last corner and find…..a sign that says area closed for restoration! There is no artesian well here, no impoundment for wildlife, just a damp depression in the desert soil. I am bummed. We explore the area a little more but leave the area and retrace our steps settling for a nice walk in the desert sans local fauna. Check out the cool old fresh-air potty. Wait, is Wilson in the Women’s Room?
