Birthday Boy

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY ONE

Today is my son Nikolas' birthday. He is eleven years old. What an exciting time in life. At eleven years old you can still be anything in life, a movie star, a doctor, an astronaut, the President. You may even grow up to be a bellman. If you're lucky, that is. None of those other jobs allow you to hike every day. OK, maybe a movie star could but only some old has been, who's not really working much anymore, like Robert Redford. Of course, Nikolas wants to be a marine biologist so I guess if he wants to swim every day he could do that. When you're eleven anything is possible.

I had so many great plans on where to go today but since we had a big party for Nikolas planned I had to stay close to home and do the wife's bidding. That only gave me a little time for hiking so I went on my monthly sojourn to the Coachella Valley Nature Preserve.

There's this really cool palm totem pole.

And today I noticed, for the first time, that the poles on the cabin are all carved. I have no idea how I missed it before. I guess I just bombed right past it without even looking. Attention to detail is not one of my better traits; I'm more into the big picture.

I wanted to go in and ask if the carving were original but the Center was closed. Next time.

I want to see if the work is finished at the McCallum Grove. September 30 was their target date. This walkway isn't finished yet and this project started earlier. At least the original guardrails are in place to keep you from tromping through the vegetation--as if you would.

The work at the pond is done and it looks good. I don't spot any crawfish in the water and most of the reeds have been cleared out.

They still won't let you go swimming, though.

This is one place where the palms are incredibly healthy and expanding.

With all this water, it is easy to see why.

This is where the water actually bubbles out of the ground. This is the first time I have ever noticed this, as well. I guess you don't have to be eleven to see a world full of possibilities and new experiences. You just have to slow down and look through the eyes of a child.

Happy Birthday to Me

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE

I've done some great hikes on my birthday. Once I hiked the PCT from Hwy 74 to the Tram, well over thirty miles. I've done a traverse of San Gorgonio from Fish Creek to Angeles Oaks, about 28 miles. Today's hike was nothing like that. That doesn't mean I didn't have a great day; I just didn't do a marathon hike.

I went with my son up to the Mount Palomar Observatory. There's not a lot up there except the telescope and a little gift shop. It is still very cool and there's a trail there. That'll be my hike today.

The trail heads down through the Sage and Oak and I guess it goes up to the back side of the Observatory. There's not really a map at the trailhead.

Some people may use this bench but we don't need it; the trail is easy.

The trail crosses this little bridge and there is actually still some water in this little creek.

The landscape is pretty in sections and the weather up here is beautiful. There are a far amount of bugs, though, and I'm a little skittish around bees for some reason.

The trail just keeps going and while I'd like to get to the end of it, Nikolas is anxious to get on to the Wild Animal Park which is our next stop so we turn around before the end.

Although the trail doesn't actually go to the Observatory we do get a view of it through the trees. Sort of.

Here's a better view of it just because.

We headed on to the Wild Animal Park and probably did more walking there than we did on the trail but I won't count that. Mount Palomar is a very cool area and I hope to get back again and finish this hike and try some of the other hikes on the mountain. The Wild Animal Park was fun and that's another place we have to go back to. But now I'm just gonna enjoy some cake.