Well, Dorothy and Toto survived the wind. It was absolutely crazy Sunday night. I could have sworn there wouldn't be much left of our RV the next morning and we'd be lying in bed looking at the stars. But it held up! People around here say it's the weirdest winter they've experienced here in terms of cold and wind. Huh.
Monday we went to Borrego Springs. John & Judy raved about it, and it is a pretty special place. The problem for us is that we can't spend a whole lot of time there as it takes about 1-3/4 hrs each way. That's 3-1/2 hrs of driving without doing anything else. We don't feel we should leave Tibby alone too long. So we have some time, but we feel rushed. We can't take him along either because he can't be on the trails, and the sun is too intense to leave him in the truck.
However, we got to the Visitors Center and decided to hike the Palm Canyon Trail. It was about 8-1/2 km up to the palms and back from the Visitors Center. Going up was fairly straight forward and the further you went, the more interesting it became. We decided to do an alternate trail on the way back, and we ended up climbing over oodles of rocks and boulders. But in the end, it was a very interesting trail. Tons of Ocotillo cactus (known by many other names).
Gerard, as we arrive at the palms.
Looking further up the canyon.
Looking back out the canyon. We had to walk all the way back down there, and then some.
We grabbed a late lunch at Carlee's in Borrego Springs before heading back. The place was packed in the middle of the afternoon. Food was good.
Yesterday, we hung out around the RV at Caliente Springs for most of the day. We went looking for a Canadian flag in the afternoon so we could put it on a pole on top of Two Flags, but for $26 U.S. for a flag that will only last about 3 months, we didn't think it was worth it. We'll keep looking.
Today, we did some more geocaching in the area just west of Desert Hot Springs and got 23 caches in about 2 hours of hiking around the desert - about 5-1/2 km worth. The weather is definitely warming up, so it was nice to be done shortly after noon.
I must tell you, the hummingbird babies did hatch the other day...at least Saturday. I've been able to watch the mother feeding them. She regurgitates either insects or nectar and sticks her beak down their throats. I can't see them, even with the binoculars, but I think I saw a flapping of a wing yesterday. They are so small in that tiny nest. I think there are 2 of them. She still sits on the nest to keep them warm, although now that the weather is warming up, it's less and less.
Here's a photo of the nest up close and the babies are supposedly down in there. We pulled the branch down a bit to get a look when the mother wasn't there. They supposedly are only about an inch long, if that. But in about 2-3 weeks, they should be flying, assume they make it that long.
Keep in mind, this nest is about 2 inches wide, at the most, measuring outside edge to outside edge (5 cm).
Monday we went to Borrego Springs. John & Judy raved about it, and it is a pretty special place. The problem for us is that we can't spend a whole lot of time there as it takes about 1-3/4 hrs each way. That's 3-1/2 hrs of driving without doing anything else. We don't feel we should leave Tibby alone too long. So we have some time, but we feel rushed. We can't take him along either because he can't be on the trails, and the sun is too intense to leave him in the truck.
However, we got to the Visitors Center and decided to hike the Palm Canyon Trail. It was about 8-1/2 km up to the palms and back from the Visitors Center. Going up was fairly straight forward and the further you went, the more interesting it became. We decided to do an alternate trail on the way back, and we ended up climbing over oodles of rocks and boulders. But in the end, it was a very interesting trail. Tons of Ocotillo cactus (known by many other names).
Gerard, as we arrive at the palms.
Looking further up the canyon.
Looking back out the canyon. We had to walk all the way back down there, and then some.
We grabbed a late lunch at Carlee's in Borrego Springs before heading back. The place was packed in the middle of the afternoon. Food was good.
Yesterday, we hung out around the RV at Caliente Springs for most of the day. We went looking for a Canadian flag in the afternoon so we could put it on a pole on top of Two Flags, but for $26 U.S. for a flag that will only last about 3 months, we didn't think it was worth it. We'll keep looking.
Today, we did some more geocaching in the area just west of Desert Hot Springs and got 23 caches in about 2 hours of hiking around the desert - about 5-1/2 km worth. The weather is definitely warming up, so it was nice to be done shortly after noon.
I must tell you, the hummingbird babies did hatch the other day...at least Saturday. I've been able to watch the mother feeding them. She regurgitates either insects or nectar and sticks her beak down their throats. I can't see them, even with the binoculars, but I think I saw a flapping of a wing yesterday. They are so small in that tiny nest. I think there are 2 of them. She still sits on the nest to keep them warm, although now that the weather is warming up, it's less and less.
Here's a photo of the nest up close and the babies are supposedly down in there. We pulled the branch down a bit to get a look when the mother wasn't there. They supposedly are only about an inch long, if that. But in about 2-3 weeks, they should be flying, assume they make it that long.
Keep in mind, this nest is about 2 inches wide, at the most, measuring outside edge to outside edge (5 cm).
I'll keep you posted on their progress.
Glad you made it to Borrego Springs! So much to do there and so little time unfortunately. That's a good pic of the nest! Hopefully the little heads will start coming up soon! Hope you have perfect weather from here on out and not too hot!
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