Tried and True

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE

There are days when I don't need to try some place new, do something challenging or travel very far. Today was one of those days. The day after Thanksgiving should be one of those lazy days with nothing planned but sitting around and watching sports on TV (or getting up at 2 a.m. to get a deal on that TV to watch sports on). Unfortunately, some of us have to work but that didn't mean I didn't have time to take Kahlua out for a little walk.

Kahlua and I went up to the top of the Cove here in La Quinta for a little two mile loop and saw we weren't alone. Other people decided it would be a good day to walk off yesterday's gluttony.

It seems Kahlua didn't get enough bird yesterday. She tries to catch a raven to no avail.

We're soon on the trail and it's more relaxing than all the Tryptophan we took in yesterday.

It's so relaxing, in fact, that we bypass the place I'd planned to turn and just kept on going. That's not a problem out here because there isn't a wrong way out here.

You always seem to come across something interesting.

This Ocotillo has absolutely no leaves or sign of life but this one blossom.

It seems that some people have worked off their Thanksgiving surplus by hiking up this sandy hill that Nikolas and I broke in a while ago but I don't have energy for that today.

Plenty of families are out today, which is nice to see, but I'll be seeing plenty more families coming in at work so a two mile loop is just what I need today to stretch out the muscles and unfurl the mind. Now it's back to reality.

Family Hiking and Rafting at Lake Tahoe

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE

Today the wife booked us on a rafting trip on the Truckee River and so the family had to go hiking with me on the way to our adventure. After yesterday's run up Mount Tallac I am happy for an easy family type hike.

We go back to the Eagle Falls and Lake trailhead and this time I'm actually going to hike to Eagle Lake. The family will be coming along to the falls but probably not beyond that.

The trail is well maintained and very popular. Since the falls are only a 1 mile round trip a lot of people hike this trail. It is very popular with families.

We get to this heavy duty bridge where the falls are and ALL the family members decide to stay here. That's OK; I'm glad they made the effort.

I think they looked ahead and saw the steps going uphill. This was the toughest part, though. Once you're past this it's pretty much a breeze.

I enter the wilderness and notice there are lots of dogs on the all the trails in the Tahoe area. Kahlua would love it here.

I love the cool temperatures, the lush vegetation and the shade.

Of course, there are enough rocks around the remind me of some of the hikes at home.

But the abundance of water brings me back. There's NOTHING like this back home in the desert. While Eagle Lake is just a little lake it is a worthy hike and I wish the family would have come all the way up to see it. I'll make sure they do on our next visit.

I get to the bridge and find them still there. They'd explored around a little and decided to wait for me. How sweet of them! We head down the rest of the trail and are off to our rafting adventure.

There are some pictures of our rafting trip posted at: Truckee River Photos.

You have to enter the company we went with: Tributary Whitewater Tours

Then enter the date we went 19 August 2009. We were group 7.

Group ten wiped out going down this rapid and there pictures are pretty good.

Happy Returns

January 5, 2009

Day Five

A few weeks ago, I took a group of boys for a hike to the McCallum Grove at the 1000 Palms Oasis.  We hiked out to a little pond and oasis and then looped up over a hill and back to our trailhead.  We were enjoying the moment at the pond so much that I forgot to take any pictures.  I went back today to make up for it.

Here's a sign you probably won't see on any other hike in the desert.

A view of the pond at the McCallum Grove.  Some of the boys referred to this as a "Great big lake".

A palm reflecting in the pond.  Since the temperature was in the 50's I really was not too tempted to disobey the "No Swimming" sign.  On a hot summer day, that might not have been the case.

A family of palms overlooks the pond.

Light reflecting through palm fronds.

The 1000 Palms Oasis is a fascinating place with numerous hikes, none of which are very difficult.  It is a great place to take the whole family.  The area is part of the Coachella Valley Preserve, a 17,000 acre site permanently set aside to remain in its natural state.  

The oases are made possible by the San Andreas Fault which runs through the northern portion of the Coachella Valley.  Faulting allows groundwater to percolate to the surface and provide the constant water source that palms require.  Plant and animal life are abundant in the area and it's a wonderful stop for bird watchers.  I will be back again soon to do some of the other hikes the area offers.