Sandy Eggos

Our last tourist stop in California was the San Diego Zoo.  We took our kids there back in 2010 and I got to revisit it while scanning family photos in preparation for our move.  It was definitely one thing we wanted to see in California before we left here.

On the ride there, Aidan says "does anyone want some sandy eggos?"  His humour was lost on us until the penny dropped, first for papa.  Sandy Eggos.  Get it?   San Diego.... Then we all got it and had a good laugh.  This kid I tell ya.

Once we arrived, we started by taking the free bus that circulates the whole zoo.  It gives you an overview of different things to take a closer look at.  They also let you know during the tour that it is a non profit enterprise and that they are working in conservation around the world.  Animals in captivity isn't my favourite thing but I do know they do their best to give them a good life and protect endangered species.  I saw one red fox (relative of the panda bear) who was in a tree with his own mister and fan.  No misters for the people LOL. The panda bears that we saw in 2010 are no longer there.  I remember them being so amusing.  We had a few laughs at the orangutangs who performed very well, especially the junior one.  Hilarious!

They have a hop on hop off bus which we took advantage of.  We spent a long time in the reptile section.  A certain little boy is quite enthralled with lizards and snakes.  It was cool in there so we didn't complain.

This massive lion statue is at the front of the zoo

So funny.  Aidan is all about the maps.  As soon as we arrive at a campsite and are given the map he asks for it.  He studies it and can find the pool.  So naturally when we arrived at the zoo, he wanted to carry the map.  And we let him for a bit but here's a life lesson for all of us:  if you keep your head in the map you might just miss some scenery. Grandma carried the map for the remainder of the visit.

That was just a sampling of the photos from the zoo.  A lot of the animals were napping, likely because of the heat, and weren't visible.  What was visible were the tropical gardens.  Hibiscus are everywhere as well as some other botanical treats.  Liz and I commented that it was like the California version of Butchart Gardens with animals added.  After we had walked all we could handle we took the tram as our last zoo experience which landed us very near the parking lot for the drive back to camp.  

It was another hot day and this visit was at the end of a very strenuous week (Universal, Joshua Tree and now the zoo).  It was a 3 hour drive each way and we weren't exactly rested before arriving here.  All in it was a 12 hour day including travel.  We are looking forward to resting up the next couple of days.

Tomorrow we pack up and head for Arizona.  More desert but a promise of some cooler temperatures.  We shall see!

Mavis

Joshua Tree

We planned our Joshua Tree visit to coincide with the sunset so we took a picnic dinner with us and headed out. I had no idea what to expect. Liz had mentioned it a couple of times as a place where her friend got married and where she wanted to have a photo shoot done of our linen clothing.

It was a long drive and I confess to thinking a couple of times, "this is it?  What's all the fuss about?"  We purchased a download audio tour that you play while driving through and it gives you all the details about landscape, vegetation, history, etc.  It was great and very helpful. 

The vegetation was fun.  Those Joshua trees are something else!  And we learned about the teddy bear cactus (not the kind of bear you can cuddle!) and so much more.  About 2/3 of the way through the park you get to the large rocks and incredible vistas and then you see what the fuss is about.  I took back everything I thought on the first 1/3 of the way through. I was trying to appreciate the nature for what it was but then the finale took my breath away!

I love this boy so much.

The not so cuddly teddy bear cacti

Unmistakable Joshua Tree

Tahorah Designs wrap dress photo shoot

We took the opportunity to photograph our new linen wrap dress here.  We haven't finalized the pricing yet or the availability but we will have it in about 6 colours.  It certainly kept her cool on this hot day.  

Next up...come check out the zoo with us!

Mavis

Palm Springs

Besides the fact that Palm Springs is one place I've never been to and always wanted to visit, we chose the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA as our next site because of its proximity to two things that we wanted to do.  They are:  Joshua Tree National Park and the San Diego Zoo.  

The average daily temperature while we were there was about 114 degrees during the day cooling (and I use the term loosely) to 83 so an average of 96 degrees F.  Too hot for this girl who was very thankful for the pool.  We were surprised to see how empty the campsite was when we arrived.  We asked about it and the girls in the office said "most people don't come when it's this hot.  We are really busy in October onwards".  OK!  Good to know.  Rookie mistake by unsuspecting Canadians.  We are thankful for the A/C.  And we will be buying an ice maker because we can't get the water cold enough or fast enough.

One of the best sunsets yet.  Almost had me in tears.

Look at that sky!

Tomorrow is Joshua Tree.  That should be fun!  

Mavis

Last stop before Palm Springs...Universal Studios

On our last day in Barstow we drove a couple of hours to Universal Studios for the day.  We chose to skip Disneyland because we've heard multiple reports of their dark side and didn't want to support them nor expose Aidan to it.  

Universal Studios has it dialed in for keeping patrons cool.  I love their 'misters' throughout the park.  Aidan loved the King Kong and Jaws part of the studio tour.  My favourite was the Jurassic Park ride.  Tony's also I think.  It was a long day but enjoyable.  This is a place where the ice cream melts faster than you can eat it. Our final stop for the day before leaving was Waterworld where we purposely sat in the Splash Zone.  Best decision of the day!  We laughed out loud at the actors during the pre-show who interacted with the audience with their buckets of water.  Hilarious.  What a show.  I glanced at Aidan's face a couple of time and he was taking it all in.  And he was thrilled when they complied with his request 'splash me!'.  When Aidan gets splashed, the whole family gets splashed.  Thanks kid!  I needed that. 

This kid can sleep anywhere

Well that was fun!  

Mavis

Mojave Desert time

Our next journey took us to a refreshing oasis in California's Mojave Desert. Barstow/Calico KOA is conveniently located midway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.  We didn't choose it for any specific reason other than it was a stop on the way to our most southern stop near Palm Springs and it was close enough for a day trip to Universal Studios.  We are mapping out our journey based on a travel time of approx. 5-6 hours.  This keeps the driver happy and alert and the passengers happy too.  And we try and stay at least a couple of days to refresh and rest between travel days.

You would think that travelling through the desert it all begins to look the same.  It does and it doesn't.  The dryness is the same, although that dryness is apparently punctuated by flash floods!!  We avoided Bakersfield because there was a warning.  And there have been several flash flood warnings the last week. We are altering our course to avoid fires and floods and so far so good.  

What I'm noticing about the desert is that you can see subtle variations in the vegetation.  As a passenger in the truck I spend a lot of time looking out the window so I've had time to notice these things while pondering our adventure and where it is leading us both figuratively and physically.

My co-pilot in the back seat has an easier time napping on the road than I do.

This KOA was not far from the main road either so while it did have some traffic noise, the convenience was appreciated.

We ventured to the Calico Ghost Town while we were there which was hot but interesting.  Here are some photo ops from that little side adventure.  Here is a link to their website:  Calico Ghost Town Regional Park

The wide open blue skies always captivate my interest.

Linens from the 1800s.

We took a short 10 minute ride on the little railroad for a tour of the mining areas

Does it look hot and dry?  It was.  I felt very sorry for the employees in long pants and long sleeved shirts and layers.  Their swamp coolers did a decent job of cooling the inside spaces but there ain't nuthin they could do to cool the outside.

There is a famous diner very close to our campsite and on the way home from Calico.  It's called Peggy Sue's 50s diner.  We were hot and hungry so decided to make a stop here before heading back to Harriet.

"Rattler" came home with Aidan from Calico.

That pool was very refreshing after our hot day.

C'mon Grandma, let's go!

Monday we pack up and head to Palm Springs.  It's one place I've always wanted to go.  I seem to be the minority.  It seems that everyone else I know has been there or still goes there. Pinch me!  It's real.

So stay tuned for palm trees!

Mavis