Happy Holidays in San Jose del Cabo

We are spending the holidays at Desert Trails this year so we needed to figure out how to celebrate with the family.    Rather than meeting in the rainy cold northwest, Shannon, Christian, Isabelle, Erik and Jenn flew to San Jose Del Cabo and met us for a week of sun, pool, beach, good food, relaxing, and lots of family time.    It was fabulous!    We stayed at a gorgeous 2400 SQ FT condo with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths.    Plenty of room for everyone and we all did what we enjoyed.    We relaxed over coffee and breakfast until it was warm enough to hit the pool or beach or just explore the area.    Isabelle was the entertainment for the week.   She is 20 months and at a great age where everything is "yes!"   Fortunately, because soon she will likely be moving into the twos when everything is "no!".    She was a little fish with her floaties on at the pool.   At the beach, she was at a run from the minute her feet hit the sand.    She loved to jump the waves with Nana; one, two, three, JUMP!   The weather was a perfect sunny and 80 and the sunsets were beautiful.   Amazingly fun time.

 Our last day, the kids had fun opening their 'stockings' and in the evening we had a Mexican souvenir gift exchange with lots of present stealing going on.   Christian, I still want those pottery chili peppers ;-))    Oh, I wish we were back there.......

  

Last Stop Lost Dutchman, then Back at Desert Trails

We had such a good trip down to Arizona that we decided to spend a couple more days on the road and stopped at Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction.   The camp sites there are terrific and the hiking is pretty and just our speed.    The view from our window was amazing.

 After a leisurely trip down to Tucson we arrived at Desert Trails on October 25th.   This year we have a part time job at the park, hosting the entertainment and opening the public buildings.     It's fun meeting the entertainers, making sure they have the lighting and equipment they need and greeting people as they come in.    We arrived a couple days early to get set up and cleaned up after a month on the road.   And best of all, catching up with friends here at the park.

Tucson has a unique celebration in early November for the Day of the Dead; the latino tradition of remembering and honoring those that have died.   It seems like the entire city turns out for music, dance, and a parade.   John and I went with friends Bev, Pam and Gary to watch. It was so much fun that next year I want to participate.    At the parade we saw Reeve and Susan from DT all dressed for the occasion.

 

The Mogollon Rim, Canyon Point Campgroud

Canyon Point Campground on the Mogollon Rim is a favorite of ours.    It is southeast of Flagstaff at 7700 feet elevation with pine and aspen trees and some spectacular views off the rim.     This time of year the aspens glow gold and when the wind blows they quake.    The sites in the cg are huge and very private.    Just electric for hookups but that's all we need for 3 days.     A short drive away is the rim trail that is several miles of paved path along the rim.   Another path goes back into the pines to Woods Canyon Lake.    The path made for a great bike ride although the area along the rim was a bit scary.    I like walking the rim and looking down several thousand feet when I am on 2 legs not 2 wheels.    There are tons of great hikes in the area and a ranger station with good information.   This is a great place to kick back relax, hike, bike, read, and eat at Casa Ramos (great Mexican food nearby).  

Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River way below

The drive from Kanab into Arizona crosses the Glen Canyon Dam.   We had stopped at the terrific dinosaur museum before but not at the Visitor Center for the Dam.   Nice exhibits and movies plus great views of the dam and the Colorado River way below the top of the dam.   This area is covered with archaeological sites and many dinosaur skeletons have been uncovered.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon with grand weather

The drive from Lee Vining to Kanab takes two long days but we were in a hurry because the weather forecast for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was for sun and mid-60s.   We have tried to see this area in the shoulder season before and either the road was closed or the weather made visibility almost nil.   This time everything was in our favor.    Because it was after October 15th and the weather usually changes, all services at the park and nearby were closed.   We stayed at Kanab in a nice RV park but the drive to the rim was almost 100 miles.    It was worth it!    The weather was perfect for driving, hiking, and viewing with just a small amount of haze from some controlled burns.    We made a quick stop at the Visitor Center and the views from the lodge area, then headed for the 23 mile scenic drive to Cape Royal.   Our book said to drive directly there and sight see on the way back.    The first picture below is the view from our lunch spot at the benches in the wedding area.   A short walk takes you to Angels Window and then another walk to the Overlook.    Gorgeous.

 Several stops along the way had short walks with lovely views.   Theodore Roosevelt point was named for the President that did so much to protect our national treasures.    Our final stop was Point Imperial at 8800 feet where a friendly woman offered to take our picture

Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile

Before we left, I solicited ideas of things to see on Highway 395 through California and received lots of good tips.    One surprise was Mammoth Lakes and the Devils Postpile area.   When we arrived at the Visitor Center by Mono Lake we picked up a Visitor Guide to the area.    The tufa hike at Mono Lake and the June Lake Scenic Loop stops were all successes so we decided to stay another day and check out the sights in the Guide around Mammoth.     The drive to Mammoth mountain is pretty pine forest with mountain views.   The town of Mammoth Lake and the nearby Mammoth Mountain resort are all very 'chic'.   They reminded me of Whistler and it was fun to see.    Our first real stop was the Minarets overlook.    Expansive views with a short trail to different perspectives.

Next stop, Devils Postpile National Monument.   The drive from the Minaret Overlook was one narrow, twisty, steep, scary road.   Fortunately, the one lane stretch had pull outs and we didn't meet any big vehicles.   But it was worth it.   The hike to the monument was through pines and aspens that glowed yellow with the sun and 'quaked' when the wind blew.   The monument was fascinating but not as awe inspiring as the Devils Tower.   Down the trail is Rainbow Falls which still had lots of water in it even though it has been very dry here for months.    We even saw the rainbow and captured some of its color in pictures.

From there, we drove to the Mammoth Lakes recreation area which would be a great place to return in the summer and camp.    There are tons of small lakes, short and long hikes, and miles of paved bike/walk trails.    Along with some fantastic views of the mountains.

Third visit to Yosemite and finally made it to the high country

Yosemite is so big and so diverse that we could never see it all in one visit.   We have been three times and still have areas to explore.   Our first visit was an overview with most of our time spent in the valley.    The second visit we stayed in the south so we spent most of our time between the south entrance and the valley.    This visit we didn't go to the valley at all.   We drove the Tioga Road from Lee Vining down the Big Oak Flat Road and then on to Hetch Hetchy for a hike around part of the shore of the reservoir.    The views were huge, with monstrous granite domes and cliffs.    Lots of high country lakes and streams.   The views from Olmsted Point were the highlight.   You could see Half Dome and down into the Valley.   Long, wonderful day.

Mono Lake and the tufas

Driving down 395 from Carson City to Lee Vining is a pretty drive but you are completely surprised when you hit the over look for Mono Lake and the White Mountains.   Also surprising is how good the Visitor Center is.    The tufas at Mono Lake are limestone formations that were formed under water with calcium and carbonate from natural springs.   Then when the lake dropped they were exposed.   We took a great short hike along the south tufas.

Eagle Lake, Virginia City, Carson City, Tahoe

Next stop Eagle Lake and Merrill Campground.   Another terrific place.   Karen the camp host was friendly and helpful.   She also shared a yummy Eagle Lake trout which is a type of Rainbow.    Soooo good.   The campground is full hook up and right on the lake.   They also have a 6 mile paved bike path that we enjoyed.

Eagle Lake was just outside Susanville so it was a short drive into Carson City.   We are really getting used to these short driving days.    We met a Desert Trails friend, Doug P at Carson City and explored a bit with him.    Lots of fun.   Toured Virginia City, the Capitol building in Carson City and also the historic area where the Governors mansion is.