Temporarily Discontinued

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are temporarily stationary in Seattle, Washington. In late May, I received a diagnosis that requires some months of treatment. Hopefully, all will go as planned and the Bighorn will be on the road again soon.

On rare occasions of clear sky, we have a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier from the window. It looks close enough to reach out and touch.

Anne-Marie

Shaking Off the Desert Dust

We have shaken, swept and washed the ever-present dust from ourselves and the Bighorn in preparation for leaving the desert behind right after the busy Easter weekend. We have had a wonderful experience, made some great new friends, and, hopefully, helped lots of visitors enjoy their stay in the Park! Joshua Tree Nat'l Park will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Al had the use of a government vehicle while we were in the Park, and he become quite impressed with it. We're downsizing! If the Federal Government can do it, so can we. The GEM comes with a nice glove compartment for storage, its own recharging cord and a compact truck bed. It will mean some sacrifice, but the savings on diesel fuel will make up for any inconvenience! We are proud to do our part for America! Watch out for us on the road!!!

Springtime in the Desert

Oh joy! The long, cold winter promises to come to an end. As Park Ranger Pat Pilcher professes each day on the radio, "Love is in the air at Joshua Tree Nat'l Park."

The Joshua Trees and wildflowers are blooming, and cactus are sporting colorful flowers--even the Teddy Bear Cholla. The Desert Tortoise are waking up, along with the rattlesnakes, and birds are returning to the Park--the Scrub and Pinon Jays, the Scott's Oriole, the Devil Bird, finches, warblers etc., etc.

Everything is relative, of course, but springtime in the desert is a glorious event!

Joshua Tree facts

Foresters might be slightly offended by the Dr. Seuss-like Joshua Tree's inclusion in the general category of "tree" when it seems so inferior to mighty monarchs of the forest. Except for the bark, the weak-rooted, spiny-leafed, slow-growing Joshua Tree shares no characteristics with a tree. Squirrels don't even climb them! Of course, it does enjoy the status of a protected species.

Worry no longer!! The Joshua Tree, yucca bevifolia, is NOT a tree at all. It is a Yucca in the Agavaceae family. The main trunk, for lack of a better term, has a soft, loosely-fibrous, spongy center where moisture is held. It has no growth rings to determine age. It is quite tempermental and has very specific needs for healthy growth and sustainability. Elevation, precise amounts of rain at strategic times, sunshine and just the right number of winter frosts determine whether there will be blossoms. Not all will blossom every year.

Not being a Forester myself, I'll just leave it at that...lest my ignorance come shining through.

Snow in the Desert!

We are feeling housebound as it is cold and windy much of the time. There was more fun to come; two weekends in a row a little blizzard blew in and we awoke to snow on the cactus. Yippee. There is nothing more to say.

Joshua Tree Nat'l Park

What an adventure we had Down Under, but it feels great to be home just in time for Christmas! A month is a long time to be away. That said, here we go again...but just up the road 25 miles. I brought back a bit of Koala Bear Flu from Australia that tried to kill me. Imagine, Americans have no immunity to that sort of virus.

We've settled ourselves into the Camp Host site at Black Rock Canyon Campground. Al will spend his volunteer time in and around the campground and adjoining Ranger Station. I will volunteer at the busy west entrance Visitors Center in the little town of Joshua Tree. We've spent time hiking, biking and getting familiar with the Park...so we can tell people where to go and how to get there.

We do not tire of waking up every day in a National Park. The Joshua Trees are unique...in a Dr. Seuss kind of way. The weather at 4000 ft. elev. is not very warm and the wind howls down the canyon at unbelievable speeds. Palm Springs is 25 miles...downhill. One can leave Joshua Tree dressed in winter clothes and arrive in Palm Springs where everyone is dressed in shorts and sundresses. What were we thinking??

Our uniforms are so cute, we've decided we'll stay until the end of March!

Crossing the Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is very rough. Every day the ship's Captain suggested those "susceptible" to rough seas (that would be me!)should take the appropriate precautions. Thank goodness for drugs!

Our itinerary will take us into Milford Sound in Fjordland Nat'l Park in New Zealand's deep south rainforest, up the eastern coast of both the South and North Islands, around the volcano--White Island, into the Bay of Islands, around the North Cape and back to Sydney--nine ports in 14-days.

New Zealand is breathtakingly beautiful, the people are incredibly hospitable, there are more sheep than people, and NO snakes live there! The economy, I would describe as conservative. Wood is exported to Japan, but one must search to buy something imported. Outside of the few large cities, it feels like one has stepped back in time to the 70's. Not necessarily a bad thing.

We traveled via train west across the countryside from Christchurch to see stunning scenery in Arthur's Pass Nat'l Park in the Southern Alps, we biked through the vineyards of Napier--dodging the sheep and tasting the wine along the way, we climbed a mountain (albeit small) on the coast of Tauranga, and we saw the Christmas Trees in glorious bloom. We watched Albatross soar through the sky. We saw penguins, Kaka birds (bush parrots), Tui and a rare baby Tuatara (dinosaur lizard). The elusive kiwi bird, we found out at the end of our visit...is nocturnal.

NZ is overrun with non-native oppossum which are industriously harvested and turned into sweaters, hats, gloves... They pose a great threat to the numerous non-flying birds--like the kiwi. Sheep sacrifice their wool to make all manner of wonderfully luxurious and expensive rugs, slippers, pillows etc.

Christchurch, on the South Island, was my favorite. The beautiful Cathedral in the center of town with the huge angels suspended from the high ceilings, destroyed by a recent earthquake, is now tragically gone. Al,I suspect, would choose to return to Arthur's Pass, also on the South Island, where many tramping trails meander through the beautiful mountains.

After the long sea voyage back to Sydney, I think we are all feeling a bit tired and dazed. The sensory overload, the unfamiliar and vast quantity of food, and the unnatural lifestyle of awakening to a daily shore excursion, all unique to a cruise vacation, is exciting and exotic but overwhelming as well.

We miss the kitties! It is time to go home--such as it is. Bev and Jim have a very long trip ahead of them.

What an incredible adventure we all had!!! So many places to see, so little time...