I can't believe that we have been here for 2 1/2 weeks. We leave for LasVegas on Thursday. We did 3 hikes the past couple of weeks each one completely different. The first was at the south eastern end of Joshua Tree National Park which lies in the Colorado Desert. There we hiked 8 miles including some boulder scrambling until we reached a canyon oasis with the largest stands of fan palms in the park. Later that week we went to the western half of the park which is in the Mojave Desert and 3,000 feet above sea level. This is where we saw the famous wild-armed Joshua trees. We hiked to 5461 feet which was about a 1,000 foot climb on Ryan's Mountain and at the top we had a panoramic view of the valley covered with Joshua trees. Our pictures just don't do justice to the beautiful landscape. Yesterday we had a completely dfferent hike on the Santa Rosa Mountains. There the desert is very rocky and covered with sagebrush. The washes were full of a rocky sand that made the walking a real workout and we came out covered in dirt. We earned our beer that night. Now we are headed to Las Vegas to try our luck!

We are finally starting to feel like we are retired. For the next 3 weeks we will be lounging on the patio and looking at this beautiful pool. This lovely house is in a gated golf community called Trilogy in LaQuinta CA. It has been between 75 and 83F. so we have been walking every day and Darcy has played some golf at this course. The other picture is a view from the 6th hole toward the community centre/spa with the Santa Rosa Mountains in the background. There are lots of Canadians here and the opinion is divided about having us here. Some like that we are here spending money and helping the economy and other Californians are annoyed because now the temperatures are pleasant enough for them to travel, the roads are clogged with Canadian travelers. We are glad to be here so that we can be well rested before we head for LasVegas.

From Fresno Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks are each about a 2 hour drive from the San Joachin Valley up into the Sierra Nevada mountains. The drive takes you from 1,000 feet to 7,000 feet on steep winding mountain roads. The views are spectacular. In Yosemite we saw the beautiful granite mountains that Ansel Adams made famous, Half Dome and El Capitan. We passed painting and photography classes happening on the side of the road and ,of course, visited the Ansel Adams Gallery. The next day we made a similar trip to Sequoia. Also steep roads with 130 switchbacks but not busy with tourists like Yosemite. Their mandate is to preserve the giant Sequoias so there are not as many tourist attractions as Yosemite. It is hard to describe a Sequoia. You have to see one to truly appreciate how big and old they are. Can you see the guy standing at the foot of that Sequoia? It is not even the biggest or the oldest. The General Sherman is supposedly the biggest tree by volume in the world. And it is comparatvely young at 2,200 years old. I hope all of you get a chance to see these National Parks.

November 4, 2009

Yesterday we started with a hike in the lush Redwoods. The trail was 5 miles of giant Redwoods surrounded by ferns and moss and not a sound. Not a bird or a squirrel or even a leaf rustling. It was awe inspiring. The day ended with a sunset at the beach while the whales entertained us. Today we had an 8 hour drive to Fresno. The temperature went from 42F in Crescent City to 82F in Fresno. Tomorrow we will hiking in Yosemite National Park and looking for Ansel Adams' tripod marks.

November 1, 2009

Hi guys, this is our first post to this blog. We are currently in Crescent City California, just spent 6 great days in Manzanita Oregon. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Redwood Forests. The trip today from Manzanita was beautiful with the ocean, waves, sand dunes, huge trees, mist, cliffs and 200 foot high sea stacks protruding out of the ocean.