Joshsua Tree National Park Jan. 2015

The last time we were here we did not drive over to this park from Palm Springs this time we made sure we did.

Notice the climbers on the rocks.

This is just a day climb --- I can't imagine that 19 day climb those two guys made on El Capitan.

This is a trail we took back to an old cowboy watering hole. As they went through the desert they would drive the cattle to this watering hole. Look at the terrain --- how did they get the cattle to it?

The watering hole.  There is a dam above this but very little water in it now.

Here are the Joshua trees.

Some guy I picked up.  He's cute isn't he?

We left Palm Springs and traveled to Menifee, CA and are staying at TT Wilderness Lakes resort.
While here I hope to do some sorting and housecleaning in the RV, play some pickle ball, swim in the pool and relax instead of being on the go all the time.

Below is the view from our campsite.

This picture is from my phone and I just loved the colors of the desert floor.

Two old farts and a dog headed down the highway.

Talk to you all soon. Love the Lord and each other and stay well.

Palm Springs Jan. 2015

 On the road again







Before we left Rancho Oso outside Santa Barbara we went to a stagecoach stop which is over a 100 years old. It was really something to see and when you imagine a stagecoach going thru that terrain you wonder how they did it. There is a tavern, a restaurant and a shop located there now. The food was a little pricey but not if you do  lunch and it was awesome.

We had 3 weeks at Rancho Oso and never ran out of things to do.

Our next stop was 8 days in Palm Springs where we enjoyed phenomenal weather. The pictures below were taken on our drive there.

In 2009 when we made our trip west there was no green like this. It is obvious that CA has gotten some rain (not much since we've been here).

I love seeing the valley full of windmills as you drive toward Palm Springs.

As you can guess this is entering Palm Springs.  We made 2 stops in downtown Palm Springs.

We went to  the street market which was a lot of   fun and I took a picture of the British flag for Jane. We did not ride the incline this time but we will when we go back in March.

Beautiful mountains any which way you look.
We made a day trip to Idyllwild , CA in the San Bernadino mountains.  So many switchbacks and so narrow but it was a beautiful drive. Often called the drive from Palms to Pines.

Yes, that road below is the road going up the mountain.

Now we are in the pines. Isn't it beautiful?

Met this really nice couple on the way up the mountain. They have hopes of traveling like we are some day.

Idyllwild is like the Mt. Gretna of PA. It is a very what I call Artsy town.

When we were west in 2009 we met this lovely couple -- Vern and Arlo Mallory . We were able to spent some time together and it was great to catch up.

The sun was just wetting as we traveled back down the mountain.

I will post this and then take you to Joshua Tree National Park on the next post.  That was one of the other things we fit into our 8 days in Palm Springs.

Castle ruins and painted cave, Santa Barbara, CA

A short distance from Rancho Oso are two must see items. The painted cave. Which is neat but really it;s the road there that is phenomenal. The switchbacks are amazing and it's really only a one lane road with 2 way traffic.

Once you get up to the top of the mountain the view is fantastic. You are overlooking Santa Barbara.

 I felt like I was in Europe with Jim and Jane.

The Knapp castle was built in 1906 and destroyed by fire in 1940.  What a shame.

Here we are at the painted cave.  If you don't look for it on the road you will miss it.  There is limited parking space.

The drive to and from these two destinations was beautiful.

Adios dear friends and family.  Lee says I need a cowgirl hat--- what do you think?

Our visit with daughter, Karen, and grandsons, Mike and Luke

This truly was the highlight of our trip so far. We had a wonderful time with our daughter and grandsons.We just don't get to see them enough with them so far away. We, of course, look forward to seeing more of them this year.

They came to Rancho Oso because they had never been to Santa Barbara before.  We rented them one of the cabins and that worked out really well. They were able to bring their dog, Sporty, and Nicky liked that idea.

Sporty and Nicky after a long day of hiking.

On one of our hikes we came across this watering hole and decided to take a little break.

Karen , Luke and Mike.

There are  endless hiking trails here-- that's one of the reasons we love it here.

I love how this tree made an archway to view the mountains through.

The mountains here have their own form of color--not like fall in the east but beautiful none the less.

 Isn't she gorgeous.  My baby girl--love her so.

Here's the crew just heading out.

Karen and Duke

Luke and Pepper.

Mike

Luke

Karen loves her boys.  Here she is with Mike.

Karen and Luke

A lot of time spent playing Mexican Train and Spot it.

These guys are the main reason I am on this trip.  Spending time with them means so much to me. Everything else is just fluff compared to that.