April 2015 Annual Birdwatching Trip

Steve and I go to the upper gulf coast of Texas every spring for birdwatching.  I don't have many pictures from this trip as I went to the woods exactly once.  I have never seen the woods so wet and muddy and miserable and overrun with mosquitos.  I freely admit that I am a fair weather birder.

All that water meant pretty flowers though.

Here are my boots before I entered the woods.

And here is what they looked like the next day:

Wrapping up Palm Springs, March 2015

What else did I do in Palm Springs?  I lounged in the spa or poolside, read books, went hiking, and went out to eat.

Indian Canyons

This is such an incredible place in the desert, and tons of hiking available for all levels.  A friend joined me on Thursday morning for a short hike down into Palm Canyons.  I was happy with the trekking poles I bought prior to the trip as they helped me keep my balance going downill as well as over some rocky bits.

http://www.indian-canyons.com

Thai Smile

I went to Thai Smile for a lunch and another day for a dinner.  The meals and the cocktails were delicious.

It was a nice winter interlude, and then I had to say good-bye.

Joshua Tree National Park - March 2015

Since I had rented a car in Palm Springs this time, I decided to take one day to go see Joshua Tree National Park.  It was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies, not too hot, when I headed out that morning.

http://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm

I had decided to essentially make a big loop, driving to one of the northern entrances to the park, go through the park, and exit the southern exit.  That way if I decided to go down to the Salton Sea I would already be on that edge.

As I drove out of town I got to get up close and personal with some of the wind farms that you see all over this area.  Lots of wind, therefore wind farms!  Seeing them afar is much differnt than seeing them up close.  Those things are huge!

As I got close to the entrance to the National Park I decided to stop to get gas, water, and some food. There are no facilities in the park.  They aren't kidding about the wind up there, it nearly blew me over!

The drive through the park was beautiful.  I had not realized that the Joshua Trees only grow in the northern part of the park, so thank goodness I decided to make a loop rather than enter and exit from the south.

Lots of pullouts to take pictures, and I did.

This doesn't really capture the  forests of Joshua Trees.  Eerie and beautiful in their own right.

And then you come across these sweeps of what looks completely barren, with hills and mountains in the misty distance, and you can't help but think of what it must have been like to cross something like this on horseback or on horseback.  How unforgiving it would be to the unprepared.

Some of the rocky, rugged hillsides have the remains of old silver mining operations.  See those little buildings?

Naturally I need to stop at the cholla garden.  These cacti are so beautiful, and look so soft and fuzzy, but I am very wary and cautious to keep my distance!

In the southern part of the park there are no Joshua Trees, and the terrain is different. I take a short walk to some springs.

I had somehow missed the Ocotillo patch, so when I spotted a patch I stopped to take a picture of it and some other blooming flowers.

But the most exciting thing of all is that buzzing around the ocotillo was this beautiful Costa's hummingbird.

More Adventures in Palm Springs - Village Fest

I certainly have a lot of catching up to do!  I never finished this visit, and since then have had a few other adventures.  First, let's finish up Palm Springs.

Village Fest

You might know about Village Fest.  Every Thursday night in old Palm Springs there is a big street fair.  A street fair on steroids.

http://villagefest.org

There's a small Farmers Market side street where an old retired couple elbowed me out of way to get to the free tapanade samples.  I think it was their dinner.  Eventually it was fun to talk to the farmer, the daughter in the Farmers Daughter Olive Oil.  All organic.  The oils were really good and it was fun to taste them.  Visit her in Palm Springs or a the San Diego farmers market, or order from her here:

http://www.farmersdaughteroliveoil.com

I was pleased to see that the Ask a Rabbi booth was still there, but couldn't think of anything to ask!  

All I  could think of was the Lucy booth in the Charlie Brown comics.

And there was a Carriage Horse rescue operation.  We fed carrots, stroked noses, and dropped $20 in the bucket.

After selecting from the food booth options (paella and more!) we found a concrete wall to sit on,ate dinner, and headed for home.