Sedona Foodie Interlude

Rocky Mountain Chocolate:
I so work for chocolate, a delicious
strawberry dipped in dark chocolate, one way to manage the heat here in Sedona.

Red Rock State Park, Sedona, Arizona

Early morning walk in the Red Rock State Park which is close to our timeshare here in Sedona, appreciating the fresh cool air, the beautiful quiet, acquainting ourselves with Mule Deer, a gray squirrel, the local birds, the huge cottonwood trees, ambling along Oak Creek and in awe of the redness of the wondrous red rock formations here in Sedona.

Photo from Barbara King, birding with John in Red Rock SP.

Our trip in numbers...

Two weeks in the USA:

• travelled 1390 miles
• been in 1 US state - California
• explored 1 National Park - Joshua Tree
• visited 4 State Parks - Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Jacinto Mountain, Hearst Castle
• slept in 7 beds; 2 hotels, 4 motels and 1 timeshare unit (make it 13 with Bahamas)
• ate Ben & Jerry ice-cream, 1, Cherry Garcia
• added 14 birds to my US bird list which is now 178 and my world list is 1461
• popped into 1 museum
• relished organic extra virgin olive oil, 2 farms 
• walked 28 miles; beach, mountain trail, coastal meadow, high altitude lake, golf course
• walking on schedule, for each 50 miles driven we want to walk 1 mile
• watched 6 episodes of Game of Thrones, season 4, video in demand at timeshare
• got cold at the lowest temperature of 51 degrees F (10 degrees C)
• am hot at the highest temperature of 98 degrees F (37 degrees C)
• wine tasting, 1 at Tablas Winery, Paso Robles

Walking Carmel Beach

The Yucca of Joshua Tree National Park

A blog of their own

My specials for the day, finding color in the birds and lizards of the desert.

Fabulously quirky Gambel's Quail, Joshua Tree NP

Love this droll bird with it's quirky feather!

Mohave Collared Lizard, jumping its way across rocks. He rocks!

Moving on, Joshua Tree extraordinary visit.

Foodie interlude

The Coachella Valley has vast tracks of palms and a huge date industry. We happened on the Oasis Date Centre and gorged on fresh dates!

A treat is their date milkshake, a thick luscious cup of deliciousness.

These organic medjools served as well on our hike this morning in the Joshua Tree National Park. I sat on a rock in the shade of a joshua tree with date in hand, ice cold water and took in the sweeping views from the top of Mt Ryan and found a little piece of heaven.

Changing Altitude

We have managed to change altitudes from below sea level while birding along the Salton Sea, the largest lake (and smelliest) here in California, to 8500' on the Palm Springs Tramway a 2.5 mile ride which takes one up 6000' feet above the Coachella Valley.

What looks like a beach at the Salton Sea, is the build up of fish debris, walking on scales and bones, oh my what one does for birding, did enjoy watching a phalarope spin though….

What is remarkable when going up in the revolving Palm Springs tramcar is the temperature change from mid 30's in the valley to 10 degrees up on the mountain, a challenge to lug clothing. Vegetation is another surprise from cactus and palms, to huge pines in the alpine meadow. It is the equivalent of traveling from the southern deserts to Alaska!

Today we hiked in the Joshua Tree National Park, a 3 mile walk that rises 1000' up Ryan Mountain with glorious views across the Park.
The deserts of Joshua Tree are also all about elevation and how altitude shapes the landscape and it fauna and flora.

"Two deserts, two large ecosystems primarily determined by elevation, come together in the park. Few areas more vividly illustrate the contrast between “high” and “low” desert. Below 3,000 feet (910 m), the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran Desert), occupying the eastern half of the park, is dominated by the abundant . Adding interest to this arid land are small stands of spidery ocotillo and cholla cactus, creosote bush

The higher, slightly cooler, and wetter Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the undisciplined Joshua tree, extensive stands of which occur throughout the western half of the park.

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Fascinating Rockpiles

Fantastic rock piles make Joshua Tree National Park a visual fest. Huge granitic rock structures are surreal among the more sombre and ancient gneiss.

I do not claim to understand the geological forces and the evolution of the landscape, but I can look and wonder and be part of it for a fraction of its story.

Tomorrow we walk the trails…..

"I Speak of Trees" - Dr Seuss, The Lorax

The fabulous Yucca brevifolia, the Joshua Tree - surprising, twisted, spiky, prickly, huge, spiny, tough, survivor, resilient, home to moths, birds, desert night lizards, wood-rats.

Like the Lorax we speak for trees, but often the trees speak to us - I love the Joshua Tree.

Joshua Tree National Park

The most distinctive, and perhaps the most impressive, characteristic of American scenery is its wildness.

John Muir

Fred's fabulous encounter with a coyote…

A desert lizard...

A lifer for me, the vocal and confiding Cactus Wren that calls the inhospitable cholla cactus a good place to nest!

Finding color, Joshua Tree National Park

The drought in California is biting hard.

It is as evident in the Joshua Tree National Park where rangers are hand watering key specimens to keep them viable.

Paying attention is part of a desert experience and I was able to find a hint of color as we walked.

Palm Springs Art Museum

Blowing sand!

Weather advisory for Palm Springs:

winds from the North at 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph.

''As one of the oldest tribes to occupy Palms Springs, the Cahuilla Indians say the Santa Anas came howling from a giant cave, the Devil’s Lair in the Mojave Desert." Rhina Ju

Layer of sand on our balcony on our car. Visibility low. Holding on going out to Joshua Tree National Park for another day, sigh, am restless, am wanting to bird and find my Roadrunner.

So art instead….

Sailing the Abaco Sound

I am looking out at the San Jacinto Mountains, breathing in the dry hot desert air, and taking a moment to reflect since boarding our catamaran Caprise in March Harbour with special friends and I am loving looking back at 5 glorious days sailing (or was it camping at sea?) in the Abaco Sound. 

We had big lumpy seas, moody skies, clear crisp evenings, stars, perfectly calm seas, sun, swimming, turtles, snorkeling, raising sails, lowering sails, walking beaches, starfish, journaling, navigating, early morning coffee brewing, pottering in the dingy, washing down the decks, bird watching, finding seashells, fabulous food, cocktails and wine, endless views, quirky small towns, laughter, story-telling, new friendships, old friendships, provisioning, shopping and just sitting and noticing….

….and each day we were in total awe of the cerulean sea, its ever changing hues from dark blue to turquoise to impossible greens. 

…how true is this sign we saw on Man-O-War Cay.

A greasy spoon and James Dean

Moving on from the Big Sur we headed inland from Paso Robles and stopped at Jack's Ranch for a typical greasy spoon American breakfast - or at least Fred did, pancakes, syrup, crispy bacon, eggs sunny side up, mountain of fried potatoes...

What I did not realize that we were driving Hwy 46 and the infamous accident that killed James Dean in 1955 was on the intersection of the Hwy 46 and 41. The spot is just down the road from Jack's.