Escape to Warmth

Winter finally got to us- colder and snowier than in recent memory. We had to escape. Kathy has a relative with a condo in Palm Springs, California. An invitation to visit was forthcoming and we jumped at the chance to see a part of the country we hadn't been to before. Flights were booked, dog sitter found and we headed out.

Palm Springs lies in the Coachella Valley, sheltered by the San Bernadino, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. It is a desert environment with plentiful California Fan Palms and other interesting desert plants. We were fortunate to have relatives with a nice condo to stay in and to show us the sights.

Palm Springs is a small city of about 45,000 people- but the population soars to 90,000 during the winter. The average age is high (median 51.6 years), reflecting the winter appeal of the warm, dry climate to older, retired folks. The glitterati of Los Angeles discovered the locale in the 1930s, leading to the development of a pleasant downtown shopping district and many fine examples of mid-century modern houses and estates. Notables building houses included Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore and many others. It was fun to wander around the neighborhoods and see the interesting houses, privacy walls and desert landscaping.

(Note: click on photos for a larger version).

We're not in Minnesota anymore.

The entrance to our hosts condo.

Nice landscaping.

One of two pool areas- nirvana for warmth-starved Minnesotans.

A roadrunner makes his morning appearance on the condo patio wall with a view to the mountains beyond.

A surprising neighborhood sculpture garden.

Nice house.

Nice privacy hedge.

Parking in the shade.

Frank Sinatra's house

The patio at the Sinatra house used to be a piano-shaped swimming pool.

The Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra.

Our hosts enjoy geo-caching so we tagged along for some of that activity. Good practice using the GPS.

We discovered some geo-caches.

We visited Indian Canyons near Palm Springs for a couple of hikes. The Andreas Canyon hike follows along side Andreas Creek. The Murray Canyon hike leads through the desert to an oasis and a series of small waterfalls.

Ancient mortar bowls carved in the rock by Cahuilla people, the early residents.

Pleasant oasis.

Where did that red rock come from?

Panorama showing the creek bed marked by palm trees.

Interesting rocks.

A desert waterfall.

Big rocks.

End of the hike hug.

Thursday offered free admission to the Palm Springs Art Museum. We enjoyed a couple of hours of modern art and ancient crafts, an extensive and fine collection for a small city.

Every Thursday night is a street fair in Palm Springs. We had some good tacos, tamales and even some paella. Fun to walk around and watch the people and talk to the vendors. We bought some dates- tasty!

Marilyn is big in Palm Springs.

Another hike was in the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. Located in the Big Morongo Canyon is a rare desert marsh formed by the unique geography of the area which keeps the water near the surface, creating one of the largest willow and cottonwood wetland areas in California in an unlikely spot.

Beautiful views.

More interesting rocks.

A California Fan Palm.

Marsh- home to many birds and other critters.

Another view of the marsh and cottonwoods.

On the weekend, there was a charity bike ride- the Tour de Palm Springs. We decided to borrow our hosts bikes and do 10 miles since our behinds were out of shape after a few months of winter inactivity. It was a beautiful day for bikes and we enjoyed a nice tour around Palm Springs. Some more dedicated riders did 100 miles!

A Bag Pipe sendoff!

Lots of bike riders!

We were first to start.

The route passed through several neighborhoods.

Our hosts showed up at a couple of spots to cheer us on and take some photos.

After the ride we enjoyed a nice lunch downtown on a shady outdoor patio, a joy we won't experience at home for a few more months.

Monday brought another day for exploring. We had planned a one-day visit to Joshua Tree National Park but after a day there, we decided we had to go back for another day. Deserts are totally foreign to us northern lake people and we found them endlessly fascinating. Our first hike was to the 49 Palms Oasis- 4 miles round trip.

Plants were just beginning to bloom. Unfortunately, I have no idea what plants they are. It is strange to walk in a landscape and know nothing about the plants or animals.

The oasis appeared in the distance. Is it real or a mirage?

A real oasis.

Looking back.

Red rocks as far as you can see.

We visited the Cholla Garden on a drive through the park. Cholla are beautiful cacti with spines you do not want to touch- according to the signs. We took their word for it.

Cholla Garden panorama.

Cholla up close and personal. Don't touch!

Another Cholla panorama.

We finished our day with a drive to the Keys View overlook. The view was spectacular, looking over the Coachella Valley with the San Andreas Fault clearly deliniated in the valley floor. The wind was very strong, almost blowing people over while they enjoyed the view. A sign said the haze was increasingly a problem, compared to years ago.

We returned the next day to see parts of the park we didn't have time for the previous day. Hidden Valley is a site formerly used by cattle rustlers to hide their ill-gotten livestock from view of those looking for it. Very interesting rock formations and more unusual plants.

Natural picture frame.

The hidden valley.

Interesting rocks.

After the hike in Hidden Valley, we had a picnic lunch in the shade, watched over by an attentive jay. I wondered if he would be so bold as to try to steal a sandwich. It was clear he was thinking about it.

After lunch, another hike to see the Barker Dam. Built by the original settlers to provide a source of water for livestock, the dam now creates a haven for wildlife, including many birds and even big horned sheep. The extent of the current drought was clear as there was hardly any water in the reservoir, and little in the way of wildlife. On the way out, we passed some petroglyphs, unfortunately some defaced with garish paint at some point in the past.

The park namesake- Joshua Tree.

Another desert panorama.

On our last day in Palm Springs we rode the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The Tram is a major gateway to the San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness. It is remarkable how the environment changes from the valley floor to the mountains at the top. Desert becomes alpine forest. The tram provides an escape from the heat of the Palm Springs summer and an opportunity for mountain hiking and wilderness camping. Completed in 1963, the Tram was built using helicopters to ferry the workers and building materials for the towers into the canyon. New tram cars were recently added. The floor of the tram car rotates during the trip so everyone gets a good view.

We took a short hike to some scenic overlooks. We found traces of snow in shady spots- confirming we were in a different world from the valley below.

An original tram car.

We left Palm Springs reluctantly, heading back to deep winter in Minnesota. But the warmth of the visit will carry us through to spring.

A Trip to See Wolves and Bears

I was going to a 40th annual college reunion with a group of guys I have stayed connected to for more than 40 years. Wow, time flies. Eleven of us were renting a house boat on Birch Lake in northern Minnesota for a long weekend of cards, fishing, hanging out and reminiscing. Kathy and I decided to head up early to do some camping and site seeing in the north woods.

Our destination was Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely, Minnesota. Ely is a small town known as a gateway to the famed Boundary Waters/ Quetico Canoe Area Wilderness which straddles the U.S./ Canadian border in Minnesota. Ely has a long, contentious history in the story of timber and mineral extraction, the eventual creation of the wilderness and now in a fight over sulfide mining. It is also a charming town with interesting businesses catering to those drawn by the wilderness and north woods.

Along the way we checked out a small forest service campground on Sand Lake near Isabella for future reference. It was on our list because it has only 2 campsites adjacent to the lake which is largely surrounded by forest land. Unfortunately, the campground was overused and looked more like a local party spot than the remote camp we were seeking.

Our rig at the Sand Lake campground (click photos for a larger version).

It turns out that The Great Lakes School of Log Building is also located on Sand Lake.

We checked it out a bit. The enterprise runs courses in log building and stone masonry. Over the years, quite a few log structures have been built by students of the craft and now are used for lodging  and a rustic resort. Looks like an interesting place to visit again and maybe rent a log cabin for a winter weekend retreat. More info here: http://www.schooloflogbuilding.com/

One of the attractions that drew us to this locale was the International Wolf Center. http://wolf.org/wolves/  Located just outside of Ely, the Center houses exhibits on wolves and has a resident wolf pack which can be observed through a glass wall in the museum when the wolves cooperate and make themselves visible (which is not all that frequent). We enjoyed the exhibits, including a recreation of Sigurd Olson's writing studio. Olson lived near Ely and was an influential writer in the movement to create the BWCA and other wilderness preserves. http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/research/sigurd_olson/

A diorama at the Wolf Center showing various wolf behaviors.

A sculpture depicting wolves on the chase.

The wolves, however, were not in evidence. One of the staff members told us to return around 4 pm when they would be calling the wolves in for some medications that one of them needed so we decided to make a quick trip into Ely and then return. When we did return, the wolves were hanging around as promised and we enjoyed seeing them up close and watching them interact. Although they are captive, they are still obviously quite wild.

  

We reached the campground in late afternoon and made a quick camp. On the way there, a young black bear crossed the highway in front of our truck, foreshadowing our field trip of the next day. Dinner was wild rice/ wild salmon croquettes with a salad and toasted baguette slices. Very tasty.

Wild salmon and wild rice croquetts- yum.

We enjoyed a nice sunset and a campfire and went to bed.

The next morning we had a lazy breakfast and then set off for our next field trip, this time to the North American Bear Center located on the other end of Ely from the wolf center.  http://www.bear.org/website/ Very similar in concept to the wolf center, the bear center features exhibits and some resident bears which can be observed from the exhibit area. It became famous for its webcam inside a bear den which showed a bear giving birth to a cub. The webcam became a worldwide sensation.

Taking a morning walk in the woods by the pond.

While less polished than the wolf center in its execution, the material presented was very interesting. Lynn Rogers, the principal researcher behind the Bear Center, has been been in a public spat with the DNR over his research methods. His approach is similar to that of Jane Goodall with the chimps- go out in the woods and hang out with bears. He has become controversial due to his approach of feeding the bears in the wild by hand to build trust and gain familiarity with them. Some people fear he is habituating bears to human food and interaction, thereby potentially creating problem bears. There really isn't any research to support the fears, but the DNR at one point cancelled his research permit in response. It has since been reinstated after some negotiations.

Because the researchers spend so much time with bears in the wild, the center is able to show many videos of bears doing their thing. We found the bear center to be much more engaging and interesting than the wolf center as a result, although the resident bears seemed more tame than their canine counterparts. Maybe it's just the difference between black bears and wolves. Wolves remain a bit of a mystery, since people don't get to hang out with them in the wild for extended periods. I admit to being influenced by the bear center to think more about the possibility of having deeper relationships with wild animals, rather than seeing them as somehow separated from humans in all aspects.

After the bear center visit, we returned to our campsite for an afternoon of exploring the park on foot and some relaxation.

 

Large Leafed Aster

Red Pine seedling

White Pine seedling

For dinner we made a wild rice and vegetable stir-fry. We cooked the rice at home before the trip and took a big container with us. It made a great meal. The skies were threatening rain so we cleaned up our camp in the nick of time and spent time in the camper reading and listening to the rain and distant thunder. When the rain had passed, we emerged to have our typical evening campfire.

Wild Rice and Vegetable stir fry- and the best wine you can get in box.

The morning dawned clear and chilly with temps in the low forties. We made breakfast and decided to explore the lake by canoe. Bear Head Lake is entirely within the state park and provides a canoeing experience very similar to the boundary waters wilderness where we have spent countless days over many years.




















We came upon a large beaver lodge with evidence of active beavers present.

Large beaver dam and lodge

A full larder

This stick was stripped clean of bark- a tasty beaver meal.

We saw fish swimming but didn't catch any (didn't try very hard). We returned to camp for another hike to stretch our legs and let Rocky have some exercise. Evening brought a pasta dinner, a walk and a final campfire for this trip. Skies were clear and it would be a chilly night.

Tried and true pasta with baguette croutons.

Is that a red wolf?

In the morning, we packed up and drove to Ely for a good breakfast at the Taste of Ely- good food, pleasant service and a great soundtrack, a fine ending to our visit in the north. We had had an enjoyable time and learned a lot about some of our north woods wild neighbors.

After breakfast, we drove to Birch Lake where I was to meet my college friends for the houseboat adventure. Kathy dropped me off and headed home. The boat trip was a fun time capped by a memorable group golf game (a reunion tradition) on the way home.

Home for eleven guys for 3 nights- an RV on water!

Incredible sunrise in fog.

Another sunrise shot.

Sunrise panorama.