Volunteer at Heritage Park

I recently had the opportunity do do some volunteer gardening with my workmates at the Dublin Heritage Park and Museums in Dublin, California. We worked with Master Gardeners Jim and Sue, who keep the Park in great shape and know a lot about the dairy farming history of the Tri-Valley area.

Spring spruce-up around the Museum at Heritage Park in Dublin, California.
The planters are old wooden watering troughs from the farm.

Our mission was to spruce up the area around the Murray Schoolhouse Museum (a former one-room schoolhouse) for spring, and plant some flowers. I manned a rake for most of my time, gathering up dead leaves and dead branches from winter storms. We had a great team of workers, and had fun while we worked. After our labor, we got a personal tour around the grounds, and of the old Kolb farmhouse, a craftsman style bungalow built in the early 1900s. I'll share more about Heritage Park in later posts!

Cousin Chris and the Glam Camper

A couple of weeks after flower viewing with my folks in Southern California, they came to visit us in the San Francisco Bay Area, prompting gatherings with my husband, aunt, and I. We always have fun together, whether exploring the Bay Area (see Filoli in Spring), eating ice cream at Fentons Creamery & Restaurant in Oakland or waffles at Fatapple's Restaurant & Bakery in El Cerrito, or just sitting around the kitchen table sharing family stories. This year we had the extra pleasure of Cousin Chris joining us.

Cousin Chris and the pop-up camper

For the last three years, Chris has been building a pop-up camper in his garage. By day he works in the fast-pace tech industry for a major corporation in Arizona. By night he is a family man with a wife and two college-age kids, active in his church and community, and a hands-on craftsman of wood and metal.

Hardwood door and entry to the camper

Chris drove the camper on its inaugural run from Arizona to the Bay Area, stopping at a rest stop for a few hours of sleep. The camper held up like a trooper, and proved itself strong and travel worthy. We all met at my aunt's house on a rainy afternoon, and finally got to see the fruit of Chris's labor.

Side view of the popped-up camper

We saw the sturdy trailer that is its base, a demo of how the camper pops-up and is leveled, its refrigeration and electrical capabilities, and the outside storage possibilities. We learned about all the research and new skills required to weld and rivet and seal the camper, and the variety of materials used.

Adding the removable windows

Then we saw the cozy hardwood interior with its amenities for water and cooking and the future fan. The captain's chair has a swing out desk for working on the road, and the space is configurable with comfortable benches by day, and either two single beds or a double by night. Cabinets provide space to stow gear and provisions.

Cozy hardwood interior (framework for the future fan on the ceiling) 

Our host for a cozy afternoon

We spent the afternoon in the camper probing Chris for details, and admiring the craftsmanship. Most of the building material was either purchased very cheaply (like the hardwood, acquired from a lumber yard going out of business), or re-purposed (like the windows).

Entertaining in style (everyone got to try the captain's chair)

Room for all

This is not just a camper, this is a Glam Camper full of beauty and craftsmanship, stories and  passion. It made me think about how satisfying it is to step away from the virtual world of our computers and devices (fun though they are) and create something in the real world. (Plus, I couldn't help but think, wouldn't this be the perfect accommodations for flower viewing)!

Selfie (or groupie) shot back in the house

Desert Plant Wrapup – 2018

My folks and I didn't see a lot of flowers on our desert excursions, but we had a lot of fun trying. The desert was beautiful, and seemed to be thriving with recent rains, but our timing was not quite right. Still, we enjoyed what we did find. Here is this year's virtual album (see albums for 2016 and 2017 to compare).

Cholla (Joshua Tree National Park)	Ocotillo (Joshua Tree National Park)
Purple Mat (Joshua Tree National Park)	Manzanita (Bautista Canyon)
Creosote Bush (Bautista Canyon)	Brittle Bush (Whitewater Preserve)
Bladder Pod (Whitewater Preserve)	Yerba Santa (Skinner Lake)

Every year is a new adventure, and another chance to see all the beautiful blossoms that nature produces!

Lake Skinner and the Old Schoolhouse

On our final day together, my folks and I spent a lazy morning at home, and then drove to Lake Skinner (also known as Skinner Reservoir) near Temecula for the afternoon. We visited the lake during the drought (see Thirsty Lakes in the Chaparral), and revisit periodically to check on the water level.

Lake Skinner (a.k.a., Skinner Reservoir)

The reservoir was constructed on Tucalota Creek in 1973, and is fed by Colorado River Aqueduct and the State Water Project, and feeds the Robert A. Skinner filtration plant. It is also a recreational area for camping, hiking, bird watching, and fishing.

The Alamos Schoolhouse and Nature Center

We stopped at The Alamos Schoolhouse and Nature Center to see the exhibits. The historic school house was moved from another location about 20 years ago, and was sometimes left vacant and other times used for offices or storage. Now it has has been restored and includes some wonderful interactive, hands-on nature exhibits for kids (my folks and I had a lot of fun with them as well).

Sphinx Moths - we saw the caterpillar form last year (see Borrego Springs to Palm Springs)

Desks from the early 1900s (note the ink well), and science and nature exhibits

Teacher and student desks from the early 1900s form part of the exhibit (my dad recalled sitting in the same kind of desks as a young boy, and the fun of dipping the tip of a girl's pigtail in the ink well).  Many young women served as school teachers for rural communities. One of the most interesting things in the exhibit was a school contract from 1923 for female teachers. It includes many restrictions to ensure high moral conduct (no hanging out at ice cream parlors), and termination of the contract upon marriage. We got to ring the school bell, which was very satisfying.

View of the marina

Lakeside path (backside of the dam in the distance)

At the marina, Mom and I walked along Lake Skinner for a ways. We passed quite a few folks casting their fishing lines into the lake, and saw several fishing parties out on the water. The water level looked higher than in previous years. We saw Yerba Santa in bloom and that's about it for flowers. The dodder that was so prevalent during the drought seemed to be gone except for in a few locations.

Day Use 2 with a view to the lake

Erosion reveals underground passages and burrows

We drove over to the Day Use 2 area, and walked down to the lake near the recreational area. We saw a couple of very active rabbits, and quite a few birds in the trees and lakeside. The day was pretty hot, compared to earlier in the week, but a nice breeze off the lake kept us cool. We drove around the campground, which was jammed with campers enjoying time off for Easter break. The Lake Skinner Splash Pad was in use by quite a few kids.

Solitary reflection

Lakeside woods

We stopped at Applebee's for an early supper and conversation about the day's adventures (Dad reported 4,682 steps for the day), and bought a boysenberry pie and ice cream for later. We ended the day with a quick visit with a neighbor, delicious pie, and episode 30 of the Danish political drama, Borgen. Another great day!

Lake Hemet on the Palms-to-Pines Highway

We made a detour on our way to Palm Springs to visit Lake Hemet, check the water level, and stretch our legs. We have visited the lake in the past (see Drive through the Chaparral), and it's become a frequent stop on our annual excursions. 

Lake Hemet

Lake Hemet was developed as a water supply for Hemet and San Jacinto, CA. The stone masonry dam was built between 1891 and 1895 to the height of 122.5 feet (37.3 m), and then raised to a height of 135 feet (41 m) in 1923. So far we have only seen the lakeside of the dam, not the dam itself. This year the water level seemed pretty high.

Hiking down to the lake

View of the lake through the trees

The lake also provides recreation with picnic and camping areas nearby, and opportunities for boating and fishing (the lake is stocked with rainbow trout, bluegill, channel catfish, and largemouth bass). We visited mid-week and saw only a handful of of folks enjoying a lazy "gone fishing" afternoon (no doubt it is much busier on the weekend).  

Rafters on the lake

Wonderful pine-scented forest

We didn't see see many flowers, but my folks and I enjoyed walking on the road and along the lake, inhaling the fragrant pine scented air. Trees grow among the big granite rocks, and squirrels and birds are abundant. Shrubs of the chaparral are dense. We saw an interesting "thing" in one tree, which may have been some kind of nest. 

Tenacious pine tree with a foothold in the rocks

"Thing" that seemed to be composed of pine needles

If you're ever in the area, I recommend stopping at Lake Hemet to eat your lunch, stretch your legs, enjoy the view, and maybe cast your line.

Lake Hemet waterline

Bautista Canyon to Palm Springs

After coffee, chocolates, news, and breakfast we headed for our next destination – Palm Springs via Bautista Canyon Road and the Palms-to-Pines highway. We made a similar trip a couple of years ago (see Palms-to-Pines via Bautista Canyon). The weather was still in our favor for desert treks – getting warmer, but still with cool breezes in the shade and in the mountains.

Orange groves trimmed for easy harvest

Dense vegetation of the chaparral

We passed through the thriving orange groves in East Hemet, and then launched out on the graded dirt road up Bautista Canyon. We stopped along the way to see some of the plants that grow in the chaparral, and to see the view over the hilltops. 

Hilltop view

When confronted with the dense, dry, prickly growth, it is hard to imagine Juan Bautista de Anza and his party of families and children navigating through the terrain in 1775-1776. We saw few flowers, but did enjoy seeing the manzanita with its pink blossoms and leaves backlit by the sun, and the ironwood trees with its shreddy bark. 

Manzanita	Ironwood tree
Prickly cactus	Yucca

At the junction with Palms-to-Pines highway (State Route 74), we made a short detour to visit Hemet Lake, and then backtracked to head for Palm Springs. We didn't see see many flowers, but enjoyed the sweeping views and beautiful blue skies. We stopped at the Pinyon Flat Campground to walk around and enjoy the cool clear air. 

Exit for the Pinyon Flat Campground

Vegetation in Pinyon Flat Campground

Next we stopped at the Cahuilla Tewanet Scenic Overlook for views of the nearby hills, and interesting signage about the region and the ten Cahuilla Indian tribes that live in the area. I especially enjoyed the ethnobotanical descriptions of native plants and their uses. 

The Cahuilla tribes lived and traded in nearby hills

Great signage describing Pinyon seeds

Path near the scenic overlook

Then we headed into Palm Springs for an early dinner at Las Marachas, and great conversation about our day. 

View of Palm Springs area and the valley below

Dinner at Maracas Cantina

After dinner we strolled along Palm Canyon Drive enjoying the sights and sounds of Villagefest, the Thursday night street fair held weekly in Palm Springs. The streets were jammed with folks on spring break or a long weekend, and lined with interesting craft and food booths and music.

Musical performer at Villagefest

Street scene in Palm Springs

We drove home in the dark. According to my Dad's calendar app, we walked 7,383 steps (although I wonder if the trip on the bumpy dirt road skewed our results)!