HUMMINGBIRD FESTIVAL AND SEVEN FALLS

On the way to Seven Falls we saw a sign for the Hummingbird Festival.  Intrigued, we changed direction and stopped at the festival.  It was at the Starsmore Discovery Center in Colorado Springs.  We missed the talk about hummingbirds but caught the show with the skunk, ferret, prairie dogs and American Kestral Hawk.  The locals set up booths selling their wares, everything from glass blown hummingbirds to healing oils.  We met Austin Box, an artist, warrior, adviser and mentor.  He was born in 1930 and grew up on the Southern Ute Reservation in Ignacio, Colorado.  At age 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served for 21 years.  He was a very interesting character.

They had five different local bands playing all day

This guy was on the edge of a busy road ... I hope he got home safely

Yes, that a cute little skunk

Western Hognose Snake

American Kestral Hawk

We still had time to visit Seven Falls and ride the in-mountain elevator 14 stories through solid Pikes Peak granite.  Seven Falls is the only waterfall in Colorado to make National Geographic's list of international waterfalls.  We walked about 250 steps to the top of the Falls.

Entrance

The dynamited the tunnel to the elevator

Those are the stairs we walked up

Climbing

Pretty steep

Chilly day with off and on rain showers

Nice view of the Falls

Quick stop at Walmart before heading home to make steamed rice and salmon.

Our high altitude headaches are gone, the rain is almost gone and life is good.

Thanks for stopping in.

Arches National Park

We were sleepy heads this morning and didn't wake until almost 9:00.  That's okay because we only had to drive 160 miles to get to Spanish Trail RV Park in Moab.  The park is located ten minutes from the entrance to Arches and we have a picture window view of the mountains.  This is the most money we've EVER paid for a site at $42 per night.... yikes.   But with Arches ten minutes away and Canyonlands a half hour away, the park is perfect.

After setting up and lunch we decided to take a ride to Arches Visitor Center to watch the orientation movie and stamp our passport.  They have a National Geographic movie that covers both parks and it explained how the rock formations called arches, spires and fins were formed.  The visitor center was one of the best we've seen and very informative.  I bought the book 50 Common Reptiles and Amphibians and finally learned what that white tailed lizard is called that we saw at Superstition Mountain with Amanda.  It's called a Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus).

They grow up to 17" long 

Vegetarians - Predators are hawks, coyotes - they hide from predators by crawling into rock crevices and filling their lungs with air until they are wedged in tightly and safely

We're excited about tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping in.

Zion National Park

Utah here we come

What a nice ride from Vegas to Utah.  No traffic, roads were in very good condition and the views were beautiful.  This is our first time to this area and it's exciting.  South campground has 126 sites and when we arrived at 10:30 we pulled right in, no problem.  A few hours later all sites were filled.

View from the passenger's seat

This church looks striking in contrast to the rocks in the background

Went to the visitor's center, got our passport stamped and I bought a nice hiking (breathable) t-shirt at the store.  After a quick lunch, we took the Watchman Trail which we we were able to walk to from our site.  It was a moderate 2-hour hike with moderate drop-offs.  At the end of the trail we saw the Towers of the Virgin, lower Zion Canyon and Springdale.  Zion is just the opposite of Grand Canyon.  At Grand Canyon you're at the top looking down and here at Zion, your at the bottom looking up.

Stop at the visitor's center for passport stamp

High Five = Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Arches and Mesa Verde National Parks

I was actually hoping for cooler temperatures but it was easily in the high 80's in the sun.

This lizard was about 8" long, maybe longer

I love this shot - looks like he's doing a push up with attitude

This emerald green beetle moves quickly

This is our picture window view from our camp site

Um, let me think, why do we love doing this?  Thanks for stopping in.

Happy Easter with Amanda

After Easter Sunday mass and lunch we took Amanda to Superstition Mountain to see the petroglyphs.  It was really hot but the breeze made the hike tolerable and we got some nice photos.  I'm happy to report no rattlesnakes were seen.  I'm unable to identify this lizard.  Do you know?

Back coloration

Tail - weird

I've Googled lizards in Arizona and can't match this guy with any of them.  Are there any lizard people out there?

Joshua Tree National Park

Ehrenberg, Arizona - HOT!

Tuesday we hung around the park, visited with our neighbors and put all our stuff away for tomorrow's move.  Wednesday morning our first stop was Pilot/Flying J. We went to the Flying J in Thousand Palms on Varner Road.  If you plan on going there, be prepared for tight quarters and confusion.  We were there for almost an hour filling the propane and the fuel tanks on both the coach and car.

Even with the debacle at the gas station we arrived at Cottonwood Spring Campground early and found a nice pull-through site next to the hiking trail.  It's a piece of cake setting up at most National Parks because there are no hookups and in this case no room to open your slides (although we managed to squeeze in far enough to open our bedroom slide).

First stop is always the Visitor's Center

We paid our $7 fee at the Visitors Center, bought a t-shirt and took a copy of the trail map.  We opted for the loop to Mastodon Peak which offered a varied terrain and a beautiful view of the Eagle Mountains and Salton Sea with a summit elevation of 3,371 feet.

It is so quiet here that we could hear our ears ringing.  What a change from the highway noise, trains and planes we heard at the TT in Palm Springs.

Peaceful Meditation

Zebratail Lizard

Mojave Yucca - fibers were used to make nets to catch rabbits

Teddy Bear Cholla - sometimes referred to as Jumping Cholla

The trails were well marked

This morning was just beautiful but warming up fast (expecting temps in the 90's) so we took a stroll around the loop, had breakfast and headed out.  Twenty-four hours without phone or Internet service is our limit.  As soon as we had 4G we pulled over and got our emails and voice messages.

One of the messages was from Ken about a problem at the Soldier's Home.  Dad is like a juvenile delinquent at the Soldier's Home and they had to write a report on his behavior.  He had a screaming/swearing fit with the guy he plays pool with, he threw a pool ball and he shoved a nurse.  Shoving the nurse was the last straw so they had an ambulance take him to the hospital for a full evaluation.  Of course, they found nothing.  He's been like this all his life and the only hope is to adjust his anxiety medication.  The doctor believes dad is incompetent to make any decisions (especially regarding his medical care) and may begin incompetency proceedings.  And the drama continues.

Arrived in Ehrenberg early this afternoon and the first thing we did was plug in and turn on the AC.

Life is a journey not a destination.  So true!

Coachella Valley Preserve

Thousand Palms, CA

The beginning of the trail was interesting

Hidden Palms Loop was calling our name today so Denis put on his new hiking shorts and hat and we tackled the 5-mile hiking trail.  They told us it was a moderate to difficult trail but forgot to mention boring.  We found the hidden palms which were lovely but after that it was all flat and varied between rocky, soft sand, dusty wash or access road.  The trail was difficult to follow and we were off-trail quite a bit.  Every once in a while we'd see a trail marker and make a mid-course correction.
Our handheld GPS helped keep us heading in the right direction.  We were very happy to see the parking lot.  

Heading toward those palms meant we were heading in the right direction

Went by a place that provides covered wagon tours

Flat Tailed Horn Lizard

FIVE GUYS BURGERS VS. IN-N-OUT BURGERS

We were tired, hungry and very dust and didn't relish the idea of making dinner.  Called Tony and Mieke and they met us at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  None of us have eaten there before and we wanted to compare it to In-N-Out Burgers.  We all liked In-N-Out better.  We agreed that the burger was better, they use fresher ingredients, better presentation, had real milk shakes, better fries and burger.