Palm Canyon

Southern California in February is the place to be. I was in shorts and a T-shirt by 9:00 this morning and it is supposed to get to 80 tomorrow! Maybe we’ll just stay here the rest of the trip…

Palm Canyon was the hike on today’s agenda. The trailhead is about a mile from our campsite, so we hopped on our bikes and rode up. On our way, we were passed by a school bus full of kids. Luckily, they continued to another part of the park. Nothing like sharing your hike with a group of over-excited kids being chased by harassed chaperones.

Once again, the desert surprised us with beautiful flowers and some unexpected wildlife.






Chuparosa, a hummingbird favorite.


Brittlebrush.


We think this is either a zebratail or desert night lizard.

With a little coaching from those on their way down, we were able to see the longhorn sheep we had heard so much about. This picture isn’t great, but if you look carefully, you can see about 5 rams in the middle. Did you know their horns are hollow?



Palm Canyon is what you imagine when you think of the stories you read as a child about someone wandering thirsty in the desert and then the desperate character comes upon a stunning oasis and their lives are spared. Usually I remember, too, a genie appearing and granting wishes. Surprisingly, this didn’t happen to us but we endeavored to enjoy the day anyway. At the top of the mile and a half trail there is a large cluster of California fan palm trees, the only palm trees native to California.


See the cluster of palm trees on the left?

There used to be more of these trees here but there was a large flood a few years ago and several were washed away. You can see evidence of this all down the trail. In some places it is a few palm fronds caught on some rocks. In other places, it is a 20-foot trunk wedged between giant boulders.


Elise tests her balance on one of the palm trees washed downstream.

Elise found several large boulders to scramble up and then slide down so the day, for her, was a success. The bike ride back to the trailer was almost completely downhill, so there was virtually no peddling for anyone.

The afternoon was fairly pedestrian. We all showered, Bobby went to the grocery store, and Elise and I did school. After school, Bobby and Elise got us ready for a campfire. The two of them figured out that we have not had a fire since Louisiana! That’s almost criminal, really.

This picture is from yesterday, but we forgot to include it. This hummingbird is nesting in an elephant tree near the visitor’s center.



Don’t forget to check our Flickr site for other pictures. We take zillions but only put a select few (or ten) on our daily blog.

On a completely separate note, I have decided to try jogging. I am not a person who exercises. I have signed up at gyms before and within a month or two, stopped going. My lack of self-discipline gets in my way. I never diet. I eat what I want, when I want and so far, it hasn’t caught up to me. But 40 is only a few years away, and everyone who has crossed over that line has told me that 40 is when it all catches up to you. So in an effort to help rectify all the things I don’t do for myself, I went jogging today. Just a little over a mile – I figure there is no sense killing myself immediately. I am surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did since I have always told anyone who asks (and even those who don’t) that I hate jogging. But there you have it. I’m a jogger. But check with me in a month or two and then we’ll see what I’m calling myself.