Our boss, Ginny and Louise
Louise exiting Hidden Palms
The road to Horseshoe Palms
Near the top of the ridge
Horsehoe Palms from the ridgetop
Lizard molting



Hidden Palms (other end)
Hidden Palms
Hidden Palms
Hidden Palms

Ok, Ok so we posted more palms. The reason is to show how diverse the palm oasis can be. The palms usually grow along a sandy/stony wash, as this one does, but other bushes grow here too. There was a fire in Hidden Palms, so it is more open. In the pic of me walking down the road, look at the hill running from the base of the palms to the top. The pic of me near the top was taken on a footpath there, as was the view of the palms from the top. We visited these two oases today, on a 2 1/2 hr. hike. There was a cool west wind that kept us from overheating. Unfortunately that wind also brought in a lot of haze so the views weren't clear. The pic of Ginny and me was taken Wed. We were the lizard hunting crew for Tues and Wed. We were all sighters, Ginny was catcher, Duane photographer, and I was recorder and trash picker. The trash usually consists of cans and bottles (mostly beer) that people are too lazy to pack out with them. The rest of today will be business as usual. Duane will man the visitors' center while I work on embroidery and keep an eye on the parking lot for a couple of reasons. I make sure people don't get confused and wander into our living area (the trail to the center goes right past us), and I head for the center to help out if we get a lot of visitors at one time.

Basta por hoy (enough for now)! Louise and Duane