Cruisin ' in Santa Cruz

Shelly & John rented this beautiful vacation home near La Selva Beach -actually on Manresa State Beach- for a week and we were their guests for a couple of nights. We had a great time walking on the beach with their two Aussies Gabe & Ruby, browsing shops, etc. Only a few miles South of Santa Cruz, we were able to spend time there, visiting art stores, etc. Also, Capitola was one of our highlight visits.

Concert Night

Tonight we combined dinner with friends with another lovely concert by the Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra. Today was sunny and warm, so Pat & George, Sondra & Jim, and I enjoyed our Italian dinner on the patio. Then it was off to the Dietrich Theatre at Sierra College for the concert. This is such a happy, fun-loving group of musicians that always are able to spread their warmth and joy throughout their audiences. The music again was great and intermission is always fun when the folks get to mingle with the musicians. Bravo!

Condor #27 Spotted!

Looking over the lower ledge of “The Lookout” at the Grand Canyon, we spotted a large, black bird on a ledge below. After further viewing using binoculars, it was noted that this creature had an orangish-red head and sported a large number 27 on a tag on its side. Wow! Condor Number Twenty Seven! That’s 27 of a total 172 living in the wild! (see excerpts from Wikipedia, below).

The California Condor is a a North American Species of bird in the vulture family and the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and western coastal mountains of California and northern Baja California.

It is a large, black vulture with patches of white on the underside of the wings and a largely bald head with skin color ranging from yellowish to a bright red, depending on the bird's mood. It has the largest wingspan of any bird found in North America and is one of the heaviest. It is one of the world's longest living birds, with a lifespan of up to 50 years.

Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 19th century due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction.

Eventually, a conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors in 1987. These 22 birds were bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors have been reintroduced into the wild. The project is the most expensive species conservation project ever undertaken in the United States. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird species. As of February 2009, there are 321 condors known to be living, including 172 in the wild.

:) ~!~
Be sure to click on the photo to see a large view. You will be able to see the "27" on the condor's tag.

Some Grand Canyon Photos

I've only been at this for 2 years now, so I haven’t yet figured out how to post multiple photos in an efficient way. Also, I've not figured out why, when I post these photos, it orders them by last-first...


So, starting at the bottom and working up: 1. Ready to go...leaving the CLFH* in Penryn. 2. At Hoover Dam. 3. Our hotel in Williams. 4. From our domed car looking forward. 5. Just one shot of the beautiful Grand Canyon.
;-)
*CLFH: Cute Little Farm House (private joke).

Napoleon Found In Grand Canyon!

Could this be the dead, fossilized Napoleon* last seen smoking a cigar, drinking whiskey and cavorting with humans? He has been missing since 1946 and now Joss and I may have uncovered his fate!

There we were walking along the South Rim about 1/2 mile East of the railroad station and the El Tovar hotel when he suddenly appeared.

Stay tuned for more pictures and wonders from our Grand Canyon trip.

*Napoleon, from Animal Farm (George Orwell, 1946). If you haven't read it, read it!

It's a GRAND CANYON!

Please read the following warning before attempting to read the Grand Canyon Journal.

Thank You.

CAUTION. MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS. DO NOT READ WHILE DRIVING OR OPERATING HEAVY MACHINERY.

Grand Canyon Journal

Introduction
A 6-day, 5-night Grand Canyon trip was originally planned for September 2008 but, for a couple of reasons, was postponed until April 2009. Two days were spent traveling each way and 2 days were spent at the Grand Canyon South Rim.

Sunday, April 5, 2009
Alternate routes were planned to travel the first day to Beatty, NV. Our 1st choice would have been to travel Rt 50 to Markleeville and over Monitor Pass to Rt 395. As suspected, the pass was still closed due to snow, so we took our alternate route: I-80 to Lake Tahoe, down the Nevada side and over Rt 50 to 395. We proceeded south past Mono Lake, over to Benton, NV, then on to Tonopah and finally to Beatty via Rt 95.
After reaching Beatty, we saw our reserved hotel –the El Portal. After one look at this dump, we cancelled and, instead, secured a room at the Death Valley Motel 6 in town. A very nice, clean motel! ‘very happy with the accommodations –right next door to the Death Valley Candy Store.

Monday, April 6, 2009
On to Williams, AZ! …but first a stop at Hoover Dam and the amazing new Grand Canyon Bridge.
Passing Las Vegas with ease, we stopped for lunch at a nice little eatery in Boulder City, AZ. Then we joined the stop ‘n’ go traffic down the hill to the dam. It wasn’t the famous, fabulous Hoover Dam that caught our eye, it was the new, nearly completed Grand Canyon Bridge (neither one of us were aware that this amazing project was even going on). After catching our breath, we settled down to a nice walking tour of the dam. The day was warm with wall-to-wall sunshine.
The remaining trip to Williams, AZ was scenic and pleasant. We arrived in Williams around 5PM and checked into the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel.


Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The National Weather Forecast called for a cloudy, windy, rainy (possible isolated thunder storms) day. But, today was mild with light breezes, and wall-to-wall sunshine. Go figure.
It was an incredibly beautiful day to view the Grand Canyon.
We started the day off with a little walking tour of Williams. We had to take pictures under the famed Route 66 signs, of course.
The 60-mile train ride in a domed car was fun and set the mood for the tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The bus tour, led by driver and tour guide Bob, was fun and took us to exceptional vista points. This bus tour set the base for the rest of the rim walking tour.
This has been said over and over, but let’s say it one more time: All of the descriptions, all of the photos, all of the artists’ paintings of the Grand Canyon just don’t cut it. You must see it in person to appreciate its awesome beauty. Some people weep. Some just stand and gaze in silent awe. Most say something like “Oh my god!”
The Grand Canyon doesn’t just sit there…it “moves” constantly. If you are fortunate –like us- to see it on a crisp sunny day, you will notice that it appears differently from hour to hour as the deep shadows move from left to right. A totally different image is presented when the sky contains broken clouds. I can only imagine how different and magnificent the vista must be during snow or lightning storms…

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Wall-to-wall sunshine again, but considerably breezier. It was definitely a jacket and hat (or hood) day. A hot-soup-for-lunch day. An ice cream cone for energy day.
A good part of the day was spent walking about 1-1/2 miles East along the rim to a point where we could look back and see the El Tovar Hotel and the area near the railroad station. In this case, “walking” is a collective term meaning “walking, stopping, viewing, and continuing on.” Most of the rim –especially in the area adjacent to the El Tovar and Bright Angel Lodges- has guard rails. Many areas do not. Caution must be taken constantly. It is possible to meet your Maker with just a little carelessness. People have been blown over the side by a sudden gust of wind. Some have fallen to their demise by backing too close to the edge for that photo “to prove that you were there.” Bob told us the story of a young man who tried to get a photo over the canyon by holding onto a tree limb with one hand and snapping the shutter with the other. Unfortunately, the limb snapped first and he fell to his death. Bob told us that about a dozen people die and about 350 rescues have to be made each year. Darwin’s Theory in action. If you take little, rambunctious children to the Grand Canyon, you might want to consider using a leash.
There is a walking trail to the bottom of the canyon starting near the Bright Angel Lodge. It is a minimum 2-day hike round trip. Most people walk a few hundred yards down the trail then return –like we did. There is a guided tour to the river using pack-mules. So, as you head down the trail, be sure to watch out for the mule poop. If you have a decent sense of smell, you already know it’s there.
We walked an estimated ½ mile down the trail and back –not bad for a 143 year-old couple, one of whom has CHF!

Thursday, April 9, 2009
Today was a “free” day in that’s all we had to do was eat and drive. No photos. Just take in the scenery. To avoid the traffic congestion near the Hoover Dam, we decided to skirt the area by going by Bullhead City and Laughlin, AZ, then up AZ95 past Las Vegas and on to Tonopah, NV. We made a quick stop at the Death Valley Candy Store to once again look over the souvenirs and enjoy some coffee and ice cream. If you are ever passing through Beatty, be sure to visit this fascinating store.

Friday, April 10, 2009
This was get-back-home day. The weather looked (and was predicted to be) a bit “iffy.” Our concern was getting over the Sierras in the snow. I do not own tire chains. I probably will soon. After checking with relatives in Reno and the CA Road Conditions Hot Line, we decided to make a go for it. ‘earliest I’ve been “on the road” in years – O Six Fifteen Hundred Hours AM in the morning. “Light thirty.” We experienced another visual overload with the rising sun’s light on the rocky and snow-covered mountains.
If you ever pass through Hawthorne, NV –as we did– and are looking for a great lunch place, be sure to stop at Maggie’s Diner.
Our trip over Donner Pass was smooth and uneventful. We were presented with various forms of weather: rain, sleet, hail, light fog, some sun, and snow –fine and large flakes- but, no impediments.
Tired but happy, we arrived home around 1 PM.

-end- (WHEW!)