Telegraph Pass

While most of Yuma is flat desert or desert turned farmland, in the distance there are beautiful mountains to the North and East. Visible straight across the desert from where we live are the Fortuna Foothills. Amongst these foothills are some incredible hiking trails. This past Sunday we went to one trail, called Telegraph Pass. The 5 mile hike starts off amongst the rocky cactus-ridden foothills. Then, we walked past a reassuring sign warning us that this area is a high traffic area for illegal border crossers and giving the number for border patrol, around a gate, and began the steep ascent up a mountain. I had no expectation of walking the whole way but Alvin insisted we didn't come all that way to only hike part of the trail. So we struggled onwards and eventually reached the top. The views were spectacular. On one side we could see for miles over Yuma and the desert. The other side of the mountain we could see a patchwork of farmland stretching out below. 

Luca has been asserting his independence lately and insisted on walking much of the way, trying his best to keep up with Big Brother. 

That patchwork in the distance is where all your winter lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower come from. 

That trail stretching out behind us is the trail we just hiked. Now time to hike back down the mountain! My Mom always said I would have bad knees because it runs in the family. I never felt my bad knees more than I did coming off that mountain! Walking on flat ground never felt better after we made it to the bottom.. 

Journey to the Center of the World

Every time we travel West on I8 a lovely little chapel high on a hill has caught my eye. We decided to check it out this past weekend and discovered quite an unusual and unique little place.

Years ago, a man named Jacques-André Istel bought a couple thousand acres of desert wilderness and named the location Felicity. Over the years, he has added a number of intriguing items to this place. The main attraction is a pyramid which has been proclaimed the "center of the world" Beyond the pyramid, a series of granite structures document the history of the world. And beyond these, on a huge man-made hill sits a the chapel overlooking it all. Other attractions include a section of the original Eiffel Tower staircase and a replica of the arm of God from Michelangelo's famous painting in the Sistine Chapel that serves as a sun dial. 

One would need hours of time to read all of the history etched in stone in this place.

A Day in San Diego

This past Saturday we buckled the boys up and clambered into the truck before embarking on the two and a half hour journey to San Diego. I especially enjoyed the trip as the various landscapes we drove through were completely new to me. We passed by the sand dunes and desert wastelands of eastern California before coming across miles of desert turned farmland. Before long we found ourselves driving to higher elevations where we stopped for lunch in Alpine, CA. The huge trees were a sight to behold after seeing nothing but the scrubby desert trees of Yuma for the past several weeks. We then journeyed on, passing acres and acres of solar panels followed by massive windmills lining the road and the ridgetops. We rumbled up mountains lined on either side by hills of boulders before finally descending toward San Diego and the vast, blue Pacific ocean.   

Liam was delighted by the sight of the ocean and exclaimed excitedly that we were going to go "swim in the lake!" He has spent his whole life living close to Lake Cumberland and has certainly missed it since we moved out here. We drove down to La Jolla Cove, eager to explore the tide pools and get our feet wet. I am constantly reading about the draconian lockdowns in California but apparently the residents of San Diego aren't too worried about it because the sidewalks and beaches were packed with people, young and old. We had to park a couple of blocks away and walk down to the cove because there was nary a parking spot to be found anywhere closer. The weather was amazing--75 degrees with a gentle warm sea breeze blowing. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Christmas is less than a month away and I am slapping sunscreen and hats on the boys and walking around in short sleeves and flip flops. 

The Cove housed a delightful treasure trove of tiny sea creatures, snails, shells, and weird deep sea flora. The many tide pools each had their own little fascinating habitat and Liam stayed delightedly occupied with catching snails and chasing tiny fish. 

Luca, as always, was terrified by the water and the waves. His smile in the this photo was only a brief one before he went back to begging to be held safe in Daddy's arms and as far away from the scary water as possible.     

After we had worn ourselves out exploring the tide pools and the Cove, we headed over to the famed Balboa Park. This vast park contains many ornate old buildings, most of which house museums. However, due to Covid, none of the museums are open. However, the streets were lined with vendors and various religious groups proselytizing to the masses. One man in a long white robe sat offering free spiritual literature, another group dressed in robes and turbans sat on the ground playing various instruments while swaying and singing, a Muslim group was set up near a Christian group, both handing out literature. And amongst them all the vendors hawked their goods. 

We stopped to watch the cotton candy being made and Liam got his first taste of cotton candy. I wish I had captured his face when he first tasted it--pure delight! 

Oh wait, it is Christmas time! If it weren't for this tree I wouldn't have known. 

A Painted Desert

This past weekend we visited the Painted Desert North of Yuma. This place is incredibly beautiful. Minerals in the rocks make them a variety of different colors, from reddish to almost purple. 

The weather was perfect. It was in the 80s but a gentle desert breeze blew constantly which made it just the right temperature for hiking.

Liam had all the clambering rocks he could ever wish for.

Liam got a little too close to one of these cactuses and ended up with a vicious spine in his foot. He was very wary of them from then on! 

 This place was stunning and I enjoyed observing and collecting a lot of the desert flora I came across. We were told there is a lot of wildlife out here. We saw a roadrunner and a lizard but our boys constant jabber scared everything else away, I'm afraid.