This is the post excerpt.
We started this blog to keep track of our 6 – 8 month journey to Eastern Canada, Eastern USA, Southern USA & the Western States & Canada. We are hoping to leave on August 20, 2016, so our next post will be at our first stop along the way!
April 5 – 7, 2017
Our original plan had been to go further up the Oregon coast to Seal Rock. It sounded like a really neat place with tidal pools, great beaches, and a quaint town. But the weather forecast sounded really bad, so we decided to go inland.
As we drove north on the scenic route 101 we drove through Coos Bay which is one of the world’s largest ports for forest products.
As we drove over Coos Bay (the actual Bay flowing into the Pacific Ocean)
we were impressed by this ornate bridge.
Then we were amazed as we saw all these sand dunes and realized we were passing through the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
At Reedsport we turned east to go inland towards Silverton, and followed the Umpqua River and its scenic river valley.
We saw an elk herd at one point but didn’t realize it quickly enough to get a good picture. We had to be satisfied with sheep!
It’s always interesting going through a tunnel!
The next day turned out to be a nicer day so we decided to visit The Oregon Garden.
Even so early in the season it was very beautiful
with fruit trees blossoming,
and lots of flowers in bloom
It turned out to be a beautiful day so we enjoyed wandering through the various areas of the Garden –
a couple of lovely fountains,
a pond
and the Signature Oak tree – almost 400 years old
There was a Children’s Garden
a Rose Garden (not really blooming yet), a Lewis & Clark Garden, an Iris Garden – 80 acres of various gardens featuring plants and flowers specific to that “garden”.
There was even a Tram Car that gave a narrated ride around the garden, and a resort you could stay at while enjoying the area.
The next day was a miserable windy rainy day so we decided not to travel. Instead we did laundry and some shopping and just took it easy!
April 2 – 4, 2017
On April 2 we left Klamath, CA and drove about 3 hours north to Gold Beach, OR (our 24th state!)
along the coast
and settled at Turtle Rock Resort, which was just across the road from the ocean.
After we settled in we walked across rocks and under the highway to visit the ocean.
There were gale force winds so we didn’t stay long! We decided to visit the local Visitor’s Centre to find out about places to walk where it wouldn’t be as windy!
Hunter Creek flows through the campground and provides tidal pools where people could fish & swim.
The next day we drove out to the Myrtle Tree Trail close to the Rogue River where summer fog and winter rains provide the perfect climate for the myrtle trees.
To get there we had to cross over this narrow bridge.
Oregon’s largest known myrtle tree is the destination along this trail. It has a beautiful hollow base, a product of several fires, that we were able to crawl into.
The tree is approximately 88 feet tall and 42 feet in circumference, with a canopy nearly 70 feet wide. The base is probably 400 years old, while the upper branches would be about 200 years old.
There were also Douglas fir trees in the area.
When we came back to the main road we decided we would drive to one of the sand bars on the Rogue River and hike along part of the Rogue River Walk.
There were beautiful flowers along the way,
more myrtle trees,
some narrow passages,
glimpses of the Rogue River,
and interesting trees to crawl under.
As if that wasn’t enough activity for one day we decided we wanted to get in one more sightseeing opportunity, so we drove south on Hwy 101 to view Arch Rock.
The Oregon Trail passed by this area so we decided to hike along it for a while.
It was pretty muddy & wet in areas, but we enjoyed the lush forest
a lovely waterfall
and more flowers.
The next day we drove into Port Orford, the oldest town on the Oregon coast, to have lunch and do some exploring. It was very windy on the oceanfront, so we didn’t take time to explore Battle Rock which was right beside the restaurant.
It is interesting to read the story of how in 1851 a group of 9 men, left behind while Captain William Tichenor returned North for supplies, defeated a band of Qua-to-mah Indians from their strategic position on this rock.
While there we hiked in Port Orford Heads State Park, and stopped to see a Lifeboat that was used to rescue men at sea. The Lifeboat Museum was not open the day we were there.
From there we went to the harbour where we were able to see the Dolly Docks, one of only two in the US – and six in the world.
Boats are lifted in and out of the water by huge cranes and parked on large custom trailers. It was very interesting to watch that.
Port Orford was founded in 1856, and its natural deep water harbour makes it an ideal location for commercial fisheries shipping as far away as Japan.
Although it was getting a little late in the day – around 3:45 – we decided to do the hike up Humbug Mountain.
There were times I wondered if I could make it all the way! It was quite steep and really taxed my cardio strength!
But glimpses like this and the desire to achieve the goal kept us going!
About 2 hours later we made it to the top!
We knew the hike down wouldn’t take as long but we didn’t realize how tough it would be on all of our joints!! But it was worth it to say we did it!
March 31 – April 1, 2017
March 31 we left the Napa Valley and drove through Sonoma & Mendicino Counties on our way to Northern California.
Again we passed by some wineries
more winding roads
and beautiful pasturelands,
– and then we came into the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
We had heard of the Avenue of the Giants which is a world famous drive running parallel to Freeway 101 in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
We weren’t planning to drive along it because we were pulling the RV, but as we were looking for a place to eat lunch we saw the sign for the Visitor’s Centre which we thought would have a picnic place.
It just happened to be along the Avenue of the Giants and we ended up across from a beautiful stand of Redwoods which we could explore after lunch!
Those Redwoods are truly amazing!
From there we drove up to Klamath, CA, glimpsing some ocean views as we drove along Freeway 101.
We parked our RV at Kamp Klamath RV Park
where they let the chickens range freely (we could have bought free range eggs for $6/doz!)
and which was only about 1 1/2 miles from the ocean.
The next day we walked to the ocean, enjoying the scenery along the way.
The ocean was amazing!
We were amazed to see seals hunting for fish!
This part of the ocean is near an Indian Reservation so we saw a number of natives harpoon fishing.
We also met another couple on the beach and got into a lengthy conversation with them. It was neat to find out that they were Christ followers!
Then we even saw an osprey diving to get a fish! That was amazing!
More lush plant life!
After lunch we decided to drive into Crescent City – can’t remember why! – but on the way we saw the sign for the Tour-Thru Tree!
Of course we had to do it!! This is a healthy, living Redwood tree that is approximately 785 years old.
The tree is 17′ (5.1 m) in diameter.
As you can see, Bob had no problem driving through!
Years ago when we attended New Trubes Mission Boot Camp in Durham, Ontario we studied the Yurok Tribe as an introduction to working in another culture.
Imagine our surprise when we realized we were camped in the vicinity of this very tribe! We wished we had realized it sooner so we could have visited some of their public buildings.
In the evening we took some wine down to the ocean to watch the sunset.
The skies were a bit overcast so we didn’t see the actual sunset, but it was still beautiful.
March 26 – 28, 2017
From Gleanings for the Hungry we headed north to visit another “must see” on our journey – Yosemite National Park.
Orchards were replaced with rolling meadows,
and pasturelands,
then tree-covered hills & mountains.
Others had recommended we stay at Oakhurst for easy access to the park from the SW. However, as we looked at the RV Park options, we decided on Yosemite Westlake Campground to enter more from the NW.
Two things we didn’t realize: 1) The road entering Yosemite from the NW was closed 2) The road leading to the campsite was full of hairpin curves on the side of a mountain! (Which we would have to traverse twice more to Yosemite and back – at least without the trailer!)
It was a beautiful drive which Bob couldn’t enjoy because his attention had to be on driving!
At one point we had to take a break from the tension of driving!
When we got to our campsite we were somewhat disappointed! There had been a lot of rain so there was mud everywhere and the ground was soft. Also we had no cell coverage and their WiFi barely worked (which you can live without for a couple of days!!)
These beautiful flowering shrubs were everywhere!We reminded ourselves that it was fun to “rough it”. (I know – a 5th wheel isn’t really roughing it!!)
We were thankful we could walk to “town” (more like a village) to pick up some groceries. We were thankful it was a beautiful evening so we could build a campfire and have a wiener roast. And we were very thankful for the generosity of another camper who brought us some fresh trout from his days’ fishing!
The next morning we headed to Yosemite, and even just the drive into Yosemite gave us some beautiful sights!
At one point there was a detour because there had been a rock slide that destroyed the road.
A natural archway along the road!
More beautiful sights!
Our first stop was at the amazing Bridalveil Falls!
We were able to walk right up to the falls so needed to wear our attractive rain gear!
Plus it was also quite chilly in the morning – 7C!
Everywhere we looked there was so much beauty, it was hard to take it all in!
El Capitan is the signature rock face of Yosemite, and is a favourite challenge for rock climbers and base jumpers.
Half Dome is another famous rock with an interesting Ahwahneechee tale – “Long ago, two travelers, Tissiak and her husband, Tokoyee, fought with each other. He became so angry that he began to beat her; enraged, she hurled her basket of acorns at him. As they stood facing each other, they were turned to stone for their wickedness The acorn basket (Basket Dome) lies upturned beside Tokoyee (North Dome) and the rock face of Tissiak (Half Dome) is stained with her tears.”
We stopped at a number of sightseeing spots. Above is at Tunnel View. The Wawona Road from Oakhurst passed through this tunnel, where there is also a vantage point to look over the valley.
There are a lot of hikes to choose from, from very easy (Bridalveil Fall & Lower Yosemite Fall – which we did) to easy/moderate (Mirror Lake – which we did) to very strenuous ones.
By the time we did the Mirror Lake Trail the day was much warmer.
The moisture in the area this past month as well as spring runoff made for some messy area, and there were places we had to scramble over rocks, but it was a nice walk,
with a lovely lake at the end. It took us about 1 1/2 hours there and back.
Our next stop was at Yosemite Falls. The hike to the Lower Falls is quite easy – only 1 mile return – even some snow on the way!
But the one to the Upper Falls would be Very Strenuous – not one we would attempt!
Apparently during the dry years there isn’t much to see so we were very fortunate because of all the rain this year!
On the way to the Falls we passed through this awesome grove of trees.
All in all we accumulated over 11,000 steps so we were ready for a coffee which we found in Yosemite Village. By then the wind was coming up and it was cooling down so we decided to head home.
On the way out we caught a glimpse of the Horseshoe Falls,
more pictures of the Merced River (which meandered beside the road all the way from Merced into Yosemite) with the beautiful flowering shrubs,
and more waterfalls!
What an awesome park to visit!
March 19 – 26, 2017
Gleanings for the Hungry is associated with an organization called Youth With a Mission (YWAM). Youth With A Mission began as an organization to help young people get involved in the global purposes of God, and that is still their main focus, but many people now join as a second career or help out as retirees.
Gleanings for the Hungry began in 1982 when the founder, Wally Wenge, saw the opportunity to gather cull fruit that was being thrown away in California, dry it and send it to needy areas of the world.
In 2000 they saw the opportunity of making dried soup packages with dried vegetables donated from farmers in the area – and even some lentils from Saskatchewan!
In 2015, with the help of thousands of volunteers, over 53 million servings of soup was produced and shipped product to more than 30 different nations.
The facility is in a lovely area with mountains in the distance
and orchards all around.
We had a lovely spot for our RV.
Every day we had breakfast at 7:00 am, then a worship & sharing time at 8:00 am, then coffee break at 9:30 am!
There’s a very laid back attitude in the sense that they allow you to go at your own pace. They would say, “If you’re used to napping at home, feel free to nap here!” And some people did. But everyone gave their best and we got a lot accomplished.
I spent my time in the quilting room. These quilts will be sent to Israel.
I was even able to design a quilt myself! Someone had already cut out the squares, so it was a matter of picking my own colours and combinations which I first put on the wall,
then I sewed the squares together. After that we laid a sheet on the table for the backing, put the batting on top, then the finished squares. We then tied it together, and another lady sewed it up for the final product.
Someone else took the picture and didn’t get the whole quilt in!!
We were also privileged to be part of the “send off” of some barrels.
It was neat to all gather around and pray that God would bless the donation as it is distributed to people in need.
Another truck waiting for a load.
There is a full scale kitchen there and the meals we were served were amazing! If I was serving there longer I would really have to watch what I eat!
One of the other women that came to work here did some hair cutting as part of her service, so I was thankful to get in on that.
Friday night we enjoyed supper out with Ron & Shirley Wagner, from Saskatoon who were instrumental in our coming to Gleanings, and two other couples we met here.
The meal servings were HUGE! Everyone shared meals with their spouse.
Bob & I shared this meal!
Saturday afternoon we went to see the sequoias at King Canyon National Park with Stan & Nancy, a couple we got to know this week at Gleanings. These trees are every bit as amazing as the redwoods.
An interesting difference is that the sequoia wood is not good for lumber because it is very brittle, whereas the redwood is valued because it is durable, non-warping, resistant to rot and termites and relatively soft.
Bob & Stan went into this log which has been here for over a hundred years!
Nancy & I didn’t realize they could get to the trail the other way, so we waited a while for them to come out.
Since they didn’t we kept going. It is just so amazing how big these trees are and how long they’ve been around!
We were hoping to see the General Grant tree which is the second largest tree in the world. It is 267.4 feet tall and and 107.6 feet in circumference at the base.
Since we got separated from the guys and worried they were looking for us, we went back to the parking lot and found out they had been to the tree and back!
These tall trees are amazing, and we feel blessed to have been able to see them and witness another marvel of God’s creation.
March 17 & 18, 2017
We figured we couldn’t be in California and not go to Hollywood! So we found a campground not too far from Hollywood and booked a couple of nights near there so we could spend a day there,
We got to the campsite early in the afternoon so once we decided to go see Devil’s Punchbowl.
The Punchbowl Canyon is 300 feet deep and was created by water runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains. The mountain peaks above the canyon are 8,000 feet in elevation and the Visitor Centre is at 4,740 feet.
It was quite the hike down – lots of switchbacks! But the path was well laid out and it wasn’t too tough!
There were some amazing rock formations
and interesting rocks,
and a stream at the bottom. (If you look closely you might see it!!)
On the way home we saw one of the aqueducts used to fertilize the area.
That night we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset from our RV.
On Saturday we headed to Hollywood
and Beverley Hills.
After parking in a safe parking lot (we think about this all the time!!), we went strolling down Hollywood Boulevard,
where we took pictures of some of our favourite “stars”,
and explored the Oscars site
After lunch we took a tour of Hollywood and Beverley Hills
– mainly seeing homes of the rich and famous!
Although there were beautiful vistas as well – like the smog over Los Angeles.
A few more interesting pictures!
This was the gate of Michael Jackson’s last home in Beverley Hills.
Our tour included entrance to the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, and that was very worth going to.
Bob tried to charm Angelina Jolie
and I tried the same with a Pearce Brosnan.
I felt a little gauche beside these classy women,
while Bob hammed it up with these dudes!
This church was featured in the movie Sister Act.
Lovely sight at the end of another busy day!
March 14 – 16, 2017
With the heat wave continuing in the Palm Desert area, we didn’t want to be outside a lot, but we couldn’t just sit around.
On Tuesday we visited Cabot Yerxa’s Hopi inspired Homestead Museum.
Cabot Yerxa bought 160 acres in 1913, and spent 24 years building this pueblo using repurposed materials he collected from the desert – railway ties, wood, doors, windows – he let nothing go to waste, even putting together windows using broken glass!
The pueblo covers 5,000 square feet, and has 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors!
He had no machinery, so everything was done by hand, even digging two separate aquifers. One provided hot water and the other provided cold water!
The hot water aquifer was a natural hot spring which gave rise to the area’s spa and hot spring resorts. The cold water aquifer still provides Desert Hot Springs with amazing drinking water.
Wednesday morning we drove to the Coachella Valley Preserve which lies along the San Andreas Fault.
Springs arising along the fault provide water for California fan palms which grow in the Thousand Palms Oasis, McCallum Grove and Pushawalla.
There are many trails throughout the reserve, so we took the time to walk from the Thousand Palms Oasis to the McCallum Grove, where there is a lovely pond.
The walk is only a mile long, but was a killer in the heat!!
We enjoyed the cool shade of the palm trees once we got to McCallum Grove!
After a nice lunch in Palm Desert we drove out to see the Salton Sea.
This is a shallow saline lake on the Andeas Fault that has alternated between being a “freshwater lake, an increasingly saline lake, and a dry desert basin, depending on river flows and the balance between inflow and evaporative loss… The most recent inflow of water from the now heavily controlled Colorado River was accidentally created by the engineers of the California Development Company in 1905. In an effort to increase water flow into the area for farming, irrigation canals were dug from the Colorado River into the valley. Due to fears of silt buildup, a cut was made in the bank of the Colorado River to further increase the water flow. The resulting outflow overwhelmed the engineered canal, and the river flowed into the Salton Basin for two years, filling the historic dry lake bed and creating the modern sea, before repairs were completed.” Wikipedia
We could see the fertility of this area by the various crops being grown there.
From there we drove to Niland where Leonard Knight created Salvation Mountain out of adobe clay and paint to proclaim the message that God is Love.
The “mountain” is 50 feet high and 150 feet wide. Various Scripture verses and messages are painted on the mountain, as well as scenes depicting Bible stories such as Noah’s Ark and the Sea of Galilee.
It is amazing to see the number of people that come out to visit. A lot of “boondockers” were camped in the desert near there!
This just caught my eye! Not sure if it was a reference to all the boondockers?!!
On Thursday we had an oil change done on the truck, then headed to Indio to visit my Aunt Florence and Uncle Harold. (I slacked off that day and didn’t have my camera ready!!) They have a beautiful home on the golf course and we enjoyed a lovely lunch on their deck overlooking the course.
From their we went to Richard and Darlene Diehl’s where we cooled off in their pool, were served a delicious dinner, and enjoyed a game of Kaiser (at least Bob & Darlene enjoyed it!!)
Tomorrow we move onto our next place.
March 28 – 31, 2017
It is always exciting as we anticipate all the sites we will see on a new leg of our journey.
We are heading back out of the mountains into the valley
with rivers
and orchards.
Along the way we saw a bridge that opened up to allow ships to pass through on the Sacramento River which is the largest river in California and is part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
We also watched an airforce plane come down at the Travis Airforce Base.
As we got closer to our destination at Calistoga in the Napa Valley we saw some spring flowers blooming
and more vineyards.
The next day we stopped at a couple of wineries.
Our first stop was at Castello du Amorosa with the main attraction being the castle itself, in our minds!
This is a 121,000 square foot 13th century Tuscan-style castle that includes a chapel
great hall
and open-air terrace.
We didn’t care for the wine that much, but maybe because the sommelier was a bit of a snob!!
We were able to do a self-tour of the castle, which was very unique.
It took 14 years to build and was modeled after an authentic Tuscan castle.
We decided not to spend that much on wine!! Although this wasn’t the most expensive by far!!
After a lovely lunch at a St. Helena icon, now called Gott’s Roadside,
we walked around this town and observed this old church
And stopped for a coffee before heading to another vineyard. As we drove along we saw the sign for the Robert Mondavi Vineyard.
This statue of Saint Francis of Assisi is in recognition that the Franciscan Friars, founded by Saint Francis, first brought wine grapes to California over 200 years ago.
We decided to go for a full tour, which included tasting 3 wines, and it was an excellent tour, with a great tour guide.
Looking out over the vineyards we learned that they have fans out there to keep the vines from freezing in cold nights.
We learned everything from the care of the vines, to the picking of the grapes (90% picked by hand) which they often do at night or early morning instead of in the heat of the day because it is better for the grapes.
then into the fermenting barrels
then into the aging barrels. It was interesting to learn about the temperature needed to get the various wines to ferment properly, how the oak barrels are used to bring out various flavours, and how long various wines are aged.
Our tour ended with a sit-down wine tasting, learning the proper method of really experiencing the flavour of the wine.
And then the climax of our tour!! A marriage proposal! Not only was the fiancée in tears, but all the women there were in tears!
For supper we went to a quaint Italian restaurant for pizza. The wisteria flowers were blooming, and reminded us of our lilac bushes, both in fragrance and flower.
We even had enough pizza left over for another meal and enjoyed walking through these wisteria vines on the way back to our truck.
The weather was so beautiful and we enjoyed the area so much, that we decided to stay another day to do more sightseeing.
The next day we decided to drive across the hills over to the ocean. The road was a crazy winding road – but beautiful!
When we got to the other side we realized we had the opportunity to visit Jack London’s farm and learn more about his life and efforts to farm ecologically.
This was one of those jewels we hadn’t planned on visiting, but when we happened on it we were thankful we had that opportunity.
It was nice that there were picnic tables set up for lunch, and we enjoyed the beauty and warmth as we ate our lunch.
Beauty Ranch shows the passion Jack London had for the land, as he worked to use better method of farming to enrich the land rather than deplete the land.
He planted vineyards and eucalyptus tress, raised pigs and experimented growing spineless cactus as cattle feed ( which failed).
As part of his experiment he preferred using horses instead of mechanical power.
The Cottage was London’s principal home at the ranch and it was here he wrote many of his later books.
Jack London wrote so many books about wolves and dogs that his friend George Sterling gave him the nickname ‘The Wolf’. So when Jack started to build his dream house in 1911, it was only fitting that people would call it the ‘Wolf House’.
Unfortunately he and his wife were never able to live there because of a fire that destroyed most of it in 1913.
Even the ruins showed what an amazing place it would have been. London always planned to rebuild but he died in 1916 before being able to realize that dream.
We were able to visit Jack London’s gravesite.
Jack’s ashes were laid to rest under a large rock on a small knoll overlooking the Valley of the Moon,
which is the grave site of the pioneer Greenlaw children, David, who died in 1876 and Lillie, who died in 1877.
The Museum was built by Charmian London and Eliza Shepard, Jack London’s step sister, after London’s death in 1916.
The “House of Happy Walls” was designed to be a museum as well as Charmian’s home. She lived in the house from 1934 until 1955.
Today the House of Happy Walls includes displays in many rooms, with a complete set of first-edition books by Jack London, Charmian’s 1901 Steinway piano, and many unique crafts and mementos Jack and Charmian collected in their travels.
The woods surrounding all of the buildings were beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day so we enjoyed the walk as much as the history.
From there we drove down to Santa Rosa where we stopped for drinks and snacks at a local brewery.
Our initial goal was to make it to the ocean, which we eventually did, though it was very windy there and not conducive to sightseeing!
March 13, 2017
We had heard a lot about Joshua Tree, so we were excited for the opportunity to visit the park – especially since it was about 10 degrees C cooler there than in the valley! We were not disappointed in our experience in the park!
The Joshua Tree comes in many shapes and sizes.
There were amazing rock formations
beautiful flowers in nooks and crannies,
even places to hide!!
We took a hike along the Hidden Valley Trail. Legends say that rustlers hid their illicit herds of cattle here.
It was interesting to see the wide variety of vegetation,
a cave,
and some climbers honing their skills.
During our walk we met a couple from Avignon, France and we enjoyed some conversations with them. We had been to their area when we visited Stuart & Keri there.
We saw trees like this that looked as if they had been burned,
and trees growing up out of the rocks.
After enjoying lunch in a shady nook we continued our drive through the park.
It was interesting to stop at Skull Rock, and see how much it looks like a skull!
We also stopped at Cap Rock
where we did another short hike.
Our next stop was Key Views. There we were able to look over the whole valley as far as the Salton Sea!
As we continued our drive through the park we transitioned from the Mohave Desert to the Colorado Desert.
Joshua Trees were replaced by Cholla cacti
some of which were flowering,
And Cholla cacti were replaced by the Ocotillo.
As we came to the Bajada Nature Trail where we were treated to the amazing colors of flowering desert plants.
We learned that the Chuparosa blooms with red flowers just in time for the hummingbirds as they are migrating from Mexico! Isn’t God amazing!
March 8 – 11, 2017
It seems we just get settled in, and then we are on the road again! I guess we were so long in San Antonio that we forgot what it was like to move more often!
Our entering California meant we were entering our 24th state in our travels.
We weren’t sure what this was about, but we had no problems going through.
California is a state of many “faces”!
Even the deserts are many faceted, as you will see later!
Our site at Catalina Spa & RV isn’t the greatest, but once we got set up we decided we didn’t want to move, even though there are some nicer sites in the park. We do have some beautiful views!
We basically just had time to set up and then get ready to go over to Richard & Darlene Diehl’s for supper, along with John & Lorraine and Marvin & Erna.
Richard & Darlene have a lovely place,
with a lovely pool,
and lovely flowers! And of course a delicious meal! It was a great evening!
The weather in California is VERY hot – mid 30s!! So Thursday we decided to go up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. This is the world’s largest rotating tram car.
It is nice and cool up there with all the snow! It reminded of bring in Canmore in the spring with the warm sun and melting snow!
We hadn’t realized how much snow there would be do we didn’t wear our hiking shoes! I had my sketchers so I could walk a bit further, but Bob had sandals on!
It was very beautiful up there!
The ride is a 10 minute, 2 1/2 mile trip, and since I am afraid of heights I wasn’t sure I could do it. But I’m so glad we did!
Once we had walked around a bit, we bought ONE cup of coffee to share ($3.00 was a bit ridiculous!) and enjoyed sitting on the deck in the sun overlooking the beauty of God’s creation.
At the top we were able to look over the Coachella Valley.
Friday we were able to book a round of golf at the Pebble course at Cimarron. It is a beautiful par 3 course, and was just the right length in the heat! Brian and Evelyn from Red Deer joined us for the round.
Even caught a picture of a rabbit in the bushes!
Saturday we were privileged to stop in at John & Lorraine’s for drinks and appetizers before heading over to the Augustine Casino for their amazing buffet featuring an amazing selection of seafood!
John & Lorraine have a lovely home – very spacious and well laid out, with lots of areas to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful outdoors! (Unfortunately I didn’t bring in my camera so didn’t take any pictures!)
suttonjourneys 