Different fences~Wildlands Conservacy

At another large apple ranch, Los Rios, lies one of the Wildlands Conservacy areas.  The Whitewater Preserve is also a part of the conservacy.  This one, at Los Rios, is only about a year old.  I remember visiting it last fall with our daughter and then 2 year old granddaughter.  They had just planted the butterfly garden.

When hubby and I arrived there a couple days ago, I wanted to take the hike and explore beyond the gardens, so off I went.  Hubby, unfortunately, was huffing and puffing and soon went back to sit in the car.  He REALLY needs to get off his duff and do some walking!  I could never keep up with his stride (he is 6'...I'm 5'5")...but now I'm always out in front of him!

We did make it past the apple orchard and found ourselves in a grove of sequoias, cedars, and redwoods!  It was amazing!  I had NO IDEA it was even there.  It was so much cooler inside the grove!  I'll be sure and take our daughter and granddaughter there next time.  I need to get the grandson up there, too, although he has been to Yosemite.

Here are some photos from the Wildlands Conservacy at Oak Glen.

 I LOVE these wild sunflowers!

 Yes, dark clouds were overhead!

 LOVE this graceful arch.  The apple orchard was behind it.

 WARNING!  They have a list of animals spotted and a rattlesnake was spotted two days before we arrived on the trail!

 At one point, hubby wandered ahead...

 Entering the sequoia and redwood grove...

There is a nice picnic area here, too.

Return to Oak Glen ~ GOOD FENCES~ October 1, 2016

Hubby wanted to drive to Oak Glen (about a 45 minute drive) yesterday and the clouds were perfect, so off we went.  He wanted to have lunch at Laws Cafe and Restaurant and buy an apple pie to bring home.

There were some real DARK patches of clouds, but that added to the enjoyment of the day.  We could see sprinkles off in the distance and the clouds were gathering over the mountains.

Of course, we stopped back at Riley's Farm.  We were there two weeks ago, but in the late afternoon and their restaurant/bakery was closing.  Yesterday we got there in the morning, about 10 a.m. (before the crowds).  Hubby went one way and I went another.  It was good just to have the time to stop and look and admire.

 Beautifully maintained white fences...

 Lots of old rock fences, too.

 Rock fence and white fence...

Rock fence and roses...

By the time we were ready to leave, we could look across the valley and see RAIN coming down!  I'm glad we had the opportunity to visit Oak Glen again.  I bought a bag of Spartan apples up there and we'll be eating them!

Good Fences for Friday, October 1, 2016.  http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

Enjoy your weekend~
Cheryl Ann

Sierra Nevada

Hubby and I are planning a trip to the eastern Sierra Nevada in a couple of weeks.  We really haven't had a chance to go there and see the fall colors until this year.  We did take a 4 day trip back in 2011, however, and I posted some of those photos below.  I took 2 days off school and backed them up to a weekend, so we had a 4 day trip.  One day to drive up there, 2 days to explore, and 1 day to drive back home and then go to work the next day.

Ugh.

Not this year, however.  This year we are both RETIRED!  And, we have nothing but time to explore and relax and take photos.

I'm watching the reports on Facebook from the Mono County Tourism bureau and the Eastern Sierra site for their color reports.  The higher elevations have a lot of color right now, but the lower ones are just starting to get some color.  It should be PERFECT by the time we get there!

These are some photos from our 2011 trip:

Oak Glen shadows~Shadow Shot Sunday~ 092516

Hubby and I were going to go to Oak Glen today, but I reminded him that today was Sunday and that meant crowds and children running around unattended.  Since we are both retired now, we hardly know what day it is!  We will wait until tomorrow or Tuesday.  He wants to return and buy a couple of apple pies and another bag of apples up there.

We went late in the afternoon our last trip (a couple of weeks ago) and I took these photos near the Los Rios ranch.  It is one of the larger ranches up there.  They have a gift shop, bakery, and a restaurant.  They frequently have a BBQ going.  They also have a nice petting zoo for the kids.  They are right next to the Wildlands Conservacy acreage, too.

If you wish to visit Shadow Shot Sunday, here is the link:   http://shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com/

Enjoy your Sunday!
~Cheryl Ann~

Fence

Fence on the border of the Coachella Valley Preserve, out in Bermuda Dunes.  Hubby and I stopped by after our 2 days of rain.  I love the sand dunes out there.

Pelicans

Rain

Rain yesterday.

Not my photo.
Have a nice day.

Idyllwild fog

Living in the desert, we don't get fog very often.  We get it once in a while, usually when a tropical storm moves in and our mountains and desert are soaked.  I think in the 40 years I've lived here, I can count days with fog on one hand.

I grew up in the San Gabriel valley, near Los Angeles, so I'm used to the "June gloom" and morning fog.  But it is extremely rare in the desert.

We spent 3 nights up in Idyllwild this week~Sunday through Tuesday.  We drove home on Wednesday.  Clouds moved in Monday night and Tuesday morning I went out to run some errands.  Our cabin had tiny coffee cups and The Hubs wanted me to buy some bigger ones, since we both forgot to pack ours.  So, off to Woolsy's I went.  What a fun store!  Their prices are reasonable, too.  In addition to the coffee mugs, I bought a jacket and 2 pair of warm socks.

Anyway, after my shopping was done, I noticed the clouds drifting through town and I took these photos:

Unique fence, Idyllwild ~ Good Fences 091616

Hubby and I returned to Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto mountains, for a few days this week.  He wanted to get away and so off we went!  It was a chilly 44 degrees up there one morning and the fog and clouds were moving through the trees...awesome!  I took a walk one afternoon along this very unique and beautiful mesquite fence. Good Fences for Friday, September 16, 2016.  To visit Good Fences, please go to:     http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

Finishing up Whitewater Preserve photos

It's time to move on.  I wanted to finish posting my photos of the beautiful Whitewater Preserve, so here goes.  The leaves are JUST starting to change color in the cottonwoods and the sycamores are just getting a hint of color.

 Water flowing from one pond to the next...

 I LOVE the huge, old cottonwood trees up there by the picnic area.

 Of course, I couldn't leave without taking a photo of the ranger station windows!

All quiet.

Water, water everywhere!

There are at least 4 ponds of water up at the Whitewater Preserve.  One is a wading pool for kids, which is off to one side and up from the parking lot.  The other 3 pools have trout in them.  We only saw about 6 trout, but the ranger said they will be stocking them with more next week.  So, in addition to it being lonely without any other people, there weren't many trout in the ponds!  It USED to be a trout hatchery, many, many years ago.  But, now it isn't.    It is still pleasant, however, to wander around by the ponds.  There often are ducks on them, but, again, it was pretty quiet this week.

 Deserted...it was SO nice!  This is the biggest pond.

 This is the first pond, next to the ranger station.

 Bubbles.  There are about 4 places where the water flows over rocks.  The water comes from the Whitewater River.

 Another pond

A single leaf in one of the ponds. The rangers had just cleaned out ALL the ponds, so there were very few leaves in them.

Fences-Whitewater Preserve~Good Fences 090916

I love the fences at the Whitewater Preserve, which is near Palm Springs, CA.  You take the Whitewater exit and go past the Whitewater River, which crosses the road and sometimes closes it, to the end of the road and the ranger station and parking lot.  It is now part of the Wildlands Conservacy, but you can visit it for free.  There are lots of picnic tables and hiking trails, but the trails are all closed right now due to fire danger.  Hubby and I went yesterday and wandered the grounds by ourselves!  It was delightful!

Good Fences for Friday, September 9, 2016.

To visit Good Fences, please go to:     http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com