I first spotted the dust on my way home on Highway 74 from a couple of spots high up over the Palm Springs Indian canyons. I pulled over to take some photos and continued to do so on my way down the highway.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Haboob
I drove to Temecula Friday morning to visit our son and his family. While I was gone, a haboob in Arizona (dust storm) moved into our valley. By the time I returned to the valley on Saturday, dust had settled in the valley and cars were driving with their lights on during daytime hours!
I first spotted the dust on my way home on Highway 74 from a couple of spots high up over the Palm Springs Indian canyons. I pulled over to take some photos and continued to do so on my way down the highway.
My first view of the dust
Ack!
More dust
Phew
Ugh
WHERE are the mountains?
Driving down Highway 74
Almost home...
Bad air quality
I first spotted the dust on my way home on Highway 74 from a couple of spots high up over the Palm Springs Indian canyons. I pulled over to take some photos and continued to do so on my way down the highway.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Bighorn sheep sighted!
I drove over to Temecula Friday morning. Our son wanted some equipment to clean up his yard, so off I went with a rake, shovel, and our weed eater. He ordered a new electric lawnmower and used it and I used to weeder along the edges of his lawn. They have to do their own maintenance in their new rental house.
I drove back to the desert Saturday before noon. A huge dust storm from Arizona was moving up into our valley and I spotted all the dust on my way down. The humidity was HORRIBLE. It was so dark that cars were driving with their lights on! I made it home, drank a TON of iced tea, let the dog out, and sat down and read some Facebook posts. Turns out, somebody posted that it was hailing where Highway 74 splits and 371 goes down to Anza, so back I went, up the mountain.
I didn't run into any rain and my weather app wasn't showing any activity, but I DID see a small herd of 4 bighorns. One male and 3 females...I saw one of them sitting on top of a rock, so I pulled over. Another lady slowed down and I showed her where they were, but everybody else kept on going. Oh, well...
I took a bunch of photos of them (thinking there were only 3) and continued on up to Pinyon. That area had a huge downpour Friday afternoon and I could see where the water had run off. I turned around and spotted the herd again on my way down, so I pulled over to take more photos. This time I saw the male. He was quite possessive of his females and really didn't want me taking photos! There were 2 females and a younger sheep. He kept them moving, but a couple of cars did also stop to take photos.
This is the one I saw driving UP the mountain. Can you see the legs of the other one below?
Papa...
Papa again
Papa didn't like me.
His two females
He chases them away from the highway...good idea!
I drove back to the desert Saturday before noon. A huge dust storm from Arizona was moving up into our valley and I spotted all the dust on my way down. The humidity was HORRIBLE. It was so dark that cars were driving with their lights on! I made it home, drank a TON of iced tea, let the dog out, and sat down and read some Facebook posts. Turns out, somebody posted that it was hailing where Highway 74 splits and 371 goes down to Anza, so back I went, up the mountain.
I didn't run into any rain and my weather app wasn't showing any activity, but I DID see a small herd of 4 bighorns. One male and 3 females...I saw one of them sitting on top of a rock, so I pulled over. Another lady slowed down and I showed her where they were, but everybody else kept on going. Oh, well...
I took a bunch of photos of them (thinking there were only 3) and continued on up to Pinyon. That area had a huge downpour Friday afternoon and I could see where the water had run off. I turned around and spotted the herd again on my way down, so I pulled over to take more photos. This time I saw the male. He was quite possessive of his females and really didn't want me taking photos! There were 2 females and a younger sheep. He kept them moving, but a couple of cars did also stop to take photos.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
For Sandy~front porches!
I went for an afternoon drive one day while we were up in Idyllwild last week and took a couple of photos of front porches. You know, most houses today don't have porches. We do. We've had our for over 20 years and it is still holding up (wood in the desert...oye!) We LOVE our porch. It gives us shade from the southern exposure all summer and, combined with our huge mesquite tree, shades the house all day during summer.
I liked the door and picket fence on this one! Next time we are up there (in August), I'll be sure to take more photos!
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Silver Pines Lodge, Idyllwild
We've stayed at 3 different places while up in Idyllwild...Fireside Inn, Silver Pines Lodge, and the Fern Valley Inn. We really enjoy the Silver Pines Lodge the best. It not only has a wonderful location (it is at the end of a cul de sac, away from traffic), but it also has 3 individual cabins, all with kitchens. Additionally there are different private homes you can rent and we've rented 3 of them at different times. The Foley cabin is the largest (and most expensive), but it sleeps about 14 people. There are 2 bathrooms, and a full kitchen. The Holden cabin is nice, with a HUGE deck, and the Carlson cabin is smaller. They have some other ones that we have NOT stayed in, too.
We have stayed at the Foley cabin twice now over the Memorial Day weekend with either our daughter and her family or our son and daughter and their families together. That is where, one morning, I looked out toward the north, and saw a... BOBCAT! YES!
We really enjoy one of the cabins at the Silver Pines Lodge...cabin 2. It has a nice back deck and I can feed the blue jays and squirrels. Rabbits come from next door to eat the wild grasses, as well as a family of quail which has been there for generations. I've heard coyotes up in the canyon in the early morning and this trip I heard a saw-whet owl. (Not a "whoo, whoo, like other owls...) Apparently there are quite a few of them up in Pine Cove and Idyllwild.
Here are a few pics from our trip last week.
Some of the cabins are in the main lodge of the Silver Pines lodge.
We have stayed at the Foley cabin twice now over the Memorial Day weekend with either our daughter and her family or our son and daughter and their families together. That is where, one morning, I looked out toward the north, and saw a... BOBCAT! YES!
We really enjoy one of the cabins at the Silver Pines Lodge...cabin 2. It has a nice back deck and I can feed the blue jays and squirrels. Rabbits come from next door to eat the wild grasses, as well as a family of quail which has been there for generations. I've heard coyotes up in the canyon in the early morning and this trip I heard a saw-whet owl. (Not a "whoo, whoo, like other owls...) Apparently there are quite a few of them up in Pine Cove and Idyllwild.
Here are a few pics from our trip last week.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Idyllwild getaway
I was able to book a 3 night stay at our FAVORITE cabin up in Idyllwild (San Jacinto mountains) this week, so off we went. I needed a break from the desert and I REALLY wanted to spend some time up in the tall pines. Our cabin had a nice porch with a railing and I could easily feed the blue jays there. We took our dog, Ripley, with us and she enjoyed the cool air! She would squiggle all over her blanket, enjoying the cool mornings!
Unfortunately, a heat wave has developed over the southwest and it will be HOT up there, too, this weekend. It is 116 here today (ugh!), so we are staying indoors.
I was able to observe rabbits, chipmunks, gray squirrels, a family of quail, and see a male and female woodpecker. I heard the calls of the red tailed hawks who patrol the canyon near the cabin and early one morning I heard the call of an owl (saw-whet owl, I believe)...So, I got my wildlife fix for a while!
Ripley enjoyed walks early in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. She was well behaved in the car and she even stayed on the porch. We DID barricade it so she wouldn't get off it and I was able to tie her on the porch and she stayed on it. We were visited by the owner's English bulldog puppy, "Hank" who showed up during dinner a couple of times!
We drove up Monday at noon and drove home Thursday morning. It was painful returning to the desert, but we are staying indoors.
Here are a few photos from Idyllwild. I'll be posting more tomorrow.
"Hank"
He REALLY wanted to join us for dinner!
Our black lab, Ripley, enjoying the porch!
Unfortunately, a heat wave has developed over the southwest and it will be HOT up there, too, this weekend. It is 116 here today (ugh!), so we are staying indoors.
I was able to observe rabbits, chipmunks, gray squirrels, a family of quail, and see a male and female woodpecker. I heard the calls of the red tailed hawks who patrol the canyon near the cabin and early one morning I heard the call of an owl (saw-whet owl, I believe)...So, I got my wildlife fix for a while!
Ripley enjoyed walks early in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. She was well behaved in the car and she even stayed on the porch. We DID barricade it so she wouldn't get off it and I was able to tie her on the porch and she stayed on it. We were visited by the owner's English bulldog puppy, "Hank" who showed up during dinner a couple of times!
We drove up Monday at noon and drove home Thursday morning. It was painful returning to the desert, but we are staying indoors.
Here are a few photos from Idyllwild. I'll be posting more tomorrow.
Monday, July 18, 2016
Temecula visit
We like to go down and see our son and his family whenever we can, so off we went Saturday. It was getting hot in the desert anyway and I was hoping to see some fog in Temecula. Temecula did not disappoint me.
We fixed a yummy dinner Saturday night of chicken with BBQ sauce, baked potatoes, and a salad. Once the late afternoon breeze hits, the temperature starts to drop there. So, after dinner, we donned our sweaters and went for a walk down to their neighborhood park. The kids got to play for a while and I took some photos.
I didn't sleep well that night. Both hubby and I are extremely spoiled and we really like our own bed! I'm a light sleeper anyway, so I heard some sirens at 3:30 a.m. and then couldn't go back to sleep.
I woke up Sunday morning and went for a stroll around their complex. We drove home, stopped by the horse ranch to feed the horses, then home to the hot, hot desert. It will be 115/116 by next weekend, although some models show monsoon moisture creeping up into the valley. We'll see...
From our after dinner walk...
Another one...
early morning fog
more fog
There were lots of hummingbirds Sunday morning! They were all over the place!
This big fella scared me. I didn't see him, but he saw me and took off running!
We fixed a yummy dinner Saturday night of chicken with BBQ sauce, baked potatoes, and a salad. Once the late afternoon breeze hits, the temperature starts to drop there. So, after dinner, we donned our sweaters and went for a walk down to their neighborhood park. The kids got to play for a while and I took some photos.
I didn't sleep well that night. Both hubby and I are extremely spoiled and we really like our own bed! I'm a light sleeper anyway, so I heard some sirens at 3:30 a.m. and then couldn't go back to sleep.
I woke up Sunday morning and went for a stroll around their complex. We drove home, stopped by the horse ranch to feed the horses, then home to the hot, hot desert. It will be 115/116 by next weekend, although some models show monsoon moisture creeping up into the valley. We'll see...
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Beyond Lake Cuyamaca
After we left Lake Cuyamaca, there were a lot of burned trees. There was a fire in this area in 2003 and I remember reading about a fire beyond Lake Cuyamaca this year. We actually drove all the way down to Pine Valley, which was a beautiful pine oasis in the middle of all this dry vegetation. I neglected to take photos there, however, because at that point, I'd been driving 3 hours and I was getting anxious to get on the road and go home. I managed to drive all the way home, but I was out of it the next day! 6 hours of driving really took it out of me. I rested for 2 days and then babysat the grandson all day yesterday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)