Drive and Hike

Road up the mountian
A view of the Salton Sea
A stream in the desert
Waterfalls in the desert
Willis Palms

I know, I know, you've seen one palm tree, you've seen 'em all. That's pretty much the case around here. The palms here are from our hike today. We left late--8am. Because of the heat we need to be on the trail at daybreak--about 6:30, but we just can't seem to motivate ourselves that early. However, we are getting better at hiking in the heat. We made this hike in about 2 hours. That's pretty good for a 4 miler. Remember we are walking mostly on loose, deep sand. And did I mention that its hot? The daytime highs of 100+ or - are lower than the usual summertime highs of 115, but its still hot. We're not complaining, though. It beats being cold.

The first picture is our scenic drive up the Santa Rosa mountains on Saturday. We went up there to visit the town of Anza which spreads itself along a mountain valley. The local woodcarvers were demo-ing at a little festival there, so we went to join the ranks. The drive was worth it. Awsome! The second pic is from a roadside viewpoint near the top. We could see all the valley towns and the north end of the Salton Sea. The other two are from our hike today. This stream feeds the pool at our oasis and runs south through the Preserve, under the road, and along the other side before disapearing into the ground. The rule here is, if there is green, there is water. The oases are natural water. The towns are irragated.

Today was our first day of working. It was also the first day the center is open all day for the season. Duane slaved in the center (4 hours) greeting visitors and answering questions--for all 12 of them. Mostly he read magazines. I stayed in the house and kept cool working on my embroidery. Tough jobs, but...

Basta por hoy! Louise and Duane