Bird Class Field Trip

My second class during the spring semester at College of the Desert was enjoyable.  We studied migratory birds and took a field trip to Morongo Preserve, which is a lovely oasis in the high desert.

Indian Canyon Hike with Carolyn

Carolyn took me to Indian Canyon, which is located close by her home in Palm Springs.  The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians own and operate the park.  http://www.indian-canyons.com/Ancestors.html

Climbing at Mesa Rim with Little William

My good friend Cate has tried a few times to get her young son William to try some climbing at Mesa Rim.  During this last visit, he actually made some progress and let go of some of his fear.

I am a "rock hugger"

During a recent hike in the Desert Queen Mine area of Joshua Tree National Park, I was seen hugging a very large round boulder.  I might need to take up some new hobbies.  ;-)  Photo courtesy of my good friend Shauna.

First Attempt at Gardening

I am trying my hand at being a farmer!  That is funny in and of itself since I have no experience whatsoever except to say that I like to "eat" vegetables.  Needless to say, I've planted some seeds for spinach, tomatoes and bell peppers.  Here is one of the tiny plants that has sprouted.

Wildflower Field Trip - College of the Desert

I enjoyed a successful field trip for my native plant class a few weeks ago.  We explored the areas near the Cottonwood entrance of JTNP and also Box Canyon.  We found many specimens and were actually able to find 23 of the 24 target species on our list.

Idyllwild With Karen

Karen and I have been best-of-friends since 2003 and living 150 miles away from her has been a challenge for me.  We have emailed each other just about every day for nearly 9 years now.  We have had loads of fun outdoor adventures together and I can honestly say that some of my best times have been spent with Karen.  In fact, I have certainly laughed my hardest in her company during times when we were being ultra-goofy together.  When I left San Diego to move to Joshua Tree in 2010, I knew I would be giving up something very special.  Luckily when you move away from a close friend, the distance doesn't really separate you. 

Recently we made plans to meet in Idyllwild to hike together since it's kind of "in the middle" in terms of driving distance.  Besides, we knew we could end our day of hiking with a late lunch at Arriba's!  They have THE best grilled fish tacos on the planet.

Idyllwild had plenty of snow, but we ended up not needing our snowshoes since the trail to Saddle Junction had been blazed.  I used my Yaktraks and Karen put on her step-in crampons for the trip back down the trail.  Otherwise on the way up the trail we hiked only in our hiking boots.