Hawthorne to Las Vegas

My route to Las Vegas was mostly along US 95, a stark but stunning drive through western Nevada. The travel gods must have been watching over me, because I avoided all of the storms hitting the area. The first town I drove through was Tonopah, at an elevation of over 6000 feet and clearly a town that gets lots of snow. There were numerous signs leading up to Tonopah announcing that chains were required during certain weather. These signs were followed by the Chain Installation Areas. Made me a little nervous, especially as I kept watch on the thick, gray clouds moving over the mountains.

Just outside Tonopah

Notice the orange top on the road marker....clearly they get snow!

The area around Tonopah includes lots of old mining towns and is definitely worth a return trip. After Tonopah, the road descends into the desert and the snow/chains signs were replaced with Open Range signs and warnings about flash flooding. I had lunch in Beatty in a great little place called KC's Outpost, Eatery and Saloon. The perfect place for a respite including homemade food and friendly service.

It might be the desert, but there were flowers everywhere.

It rained all the way into Las Vegas

Next stop, the Mohave Desert and then Death Valley, the hottest place on earth, according to my son.
More pictures to come.

New Friends and Old Friends

Okay, just a short, last post of the evening. I am so grateful for all my friends--new and old (or should I say long-time)! The new group includes the Chico book club, which overlaps with the bike group. We biked up to Paradise at the end of January....36 miles total, much of which was up...up...up! Here are the pictures that document this feat:

Start of the ride....all smiles

Coffee stop in Paradise....still smiling!

36 Miles Later....

Even bigger smiles!

And long-time friends--The Bagel Moms. Jan Shaw-Flamm, Barb King, and Pat Haswell made the trek to Chico in the middle of February. We have been getting together (originally at Brueggers Bagels) since our kids were in junior high....the "kids" are now planning their 10th high school reunions. We had a great time touring wine country, strolling around Chico, hiking Upper Bidwell Park, and just generally relaxing/chatting/eating/drinking.  The icing on the cake was the visit from Ben and Jamie from Napa! Thanks everyone for coming to Chico!

First stop: Tour of Benziger Winery

In the caves

Strolling through the plaza....in short sleeves!

Hiking near Green Gate with Ben and Jamie

Monterey for Mark's Birthday!

Mark turned 60 on February 3, although he tried to keep it a secret. But the day couldn't go unrecognized, so we took a weekend trip to Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur to celebrate. We stayed at the Zen Suite in the Redwoods, a part of the  Wellstone Retreat Center. Although we ran into foggy weather as soon as we hit the coast, we didn't let the gray dampen our moods. As with so many of our trips, it was at least in part a reconnaissance trip. So many places to explore!

Sea Food and wine, of course!

Note the camera....ever-present in his hands

We watched this sea lion crawl into this fishing boat!

Steinbeck Country! 

Detail shot.....

Need to return and go to the Steinbeck Museum

We took a drive down Big Sur and into Camel. We decided that on a return trip, we need to hike along the shore. Anyone want to join us??

We ended the weekend with a sunset stroll along the beach at Santa Cruz. Happy 60th, Mark!

Spring comes to Chico

Since I am holed up in a motel in Nevada, seems like a good time to get caught up on blog posts. It is hard to believe that just five days ago, I was in Cancun, Mexico, making one last visit there with my brother Buddy's family. Buddy died three years ago and Marie (my sister-in-law) has decided that this will be the last year of the time share. Forty five of us gathered for a week of fun in the sun, which included lots of stories about Buddy and family. Cancun didn't disappoint again this year--the ocean is just spectacular! Highlights included Rick's fish---as big as his son---repelling and zip lining down into the cenotes, bike riding at the treetops, and, of course, some wicked games of 500. Not that I am bragging, but Darlene and I were the champs!

More fishing....

On our way to the pre-cards meal!

The view from our balcony

I got back to Chico on last Saturday, March 2 and spring had arrived! Here are some pictures:

Fruitless Plum Trees just a short walk from our house

On my ride to the grocery store

Our neighbors' Tulip Tree (from the Magnolia family)

Our across the street neighbor has killer flowers!

Camellias are everywhere!

Almond orchards surround Chico and they are in full bloom! The air
is heavy with their fragrance.....sniff sniff sneeze!

The Sierras in the distance....my shadow in the foreground!

The Eastern Sierras!

Norman, Norman!! Are you here? It feels a little bit like I am at the Bates Motel, when I am actually at the Monach Motel in Hawthorne, Nevada. I am on my way to Las Vegas to meet Lisa and Dave Peters and then we are going on a geology tour of the Mohave Desert and Death Valley. I have wanted to explore the eastern Sierras and so this seemed like the best time to do this. I am beginning to see that perhaps this isn't really the best time, but live and learn. It is clear that Mark and I need to come back here and explore more later in the spring.

Here are some pictures taken from Hawthorne--wish I could have taken some from along C70 across the pass, but of course my hands were gripping the wheel. The scenery was stunning!

Next to my motel....maybe a visit later!

A place for Karen and Jan to shop....

I am hoping that threatening weather is going west!

Chico Itineraries

Now that the temps in MN are hovering around the negative teens, plans are being made for winter visits. Here are some ideas and proposals for things to do when you are here. Sorry, Jamie....just had to lift some of this stuff from an email to you!

The weather has been cool but sunny lately (lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s). It is generally cold in the morning and warms up pretty well by the afternoon. The highs this week have been in the mid to upper 60s! Even with the cool mornings, I get on my bike every day. We are members of a fitness center that is a five minute bike ride from our house and if it is rainy, might be a great option for activities. I checked and we can get daily passes for unlimited use (classes too!) for 10.00 a day. I go to yoga about 3 times a week and I am also now doing a crossfit class. The pools are also great and I have used them even when the temp was in the 50s and rainy. You might want to check out their website:

http://www.inmotionfitness.net

Do you like to bike? We can rent bikes (includes helmet and lock) for about 20.00 a day.  

One thing that many of you might want to do is a Sierra Nevada brewery tour. They are free and frequent. We have been to the brew pub a few times, but have not yet done the tour, but it looks great.

http://www.sierranevada.com/brewery/california/brewery-tour

We also joined a wine club this fall, called Benziger Winery. It is a sustainable, biodynamic vineyard in Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco. It is about a 3 hour drive from Chico, so is more of a commitment in terms of time. But, if you want to do some wine tasting, it is a great area. Here is the winery website:

http://www.benziger.com

If the weather cooperates, there is good hiking within a couple hours drive. Lassen National Volcanic Park is about an hour and a half away, but it has lots of snow now. Mount Shasta is about the same distance, also with lots of snow.  The Feather River is closer (half an hour away) and it also has lots of hiking, including a nine mile loop to Feather Falls. Feather Falls National Scenic Trail has an incredible view of Bald Rock Dome, Bald Rock Canyon, and the 640-foot waterfall, Feather Falls!

Of course, as my previous post indicated, visiting the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuges is also spectacular. It is about an hours drive from Chico, but the bird watching is unbelievable.

Some links:

http://plumas.virtualsierra.com/pluHike3.htm

http://www.stateparks.com/sacramento.html

Also, Mark's pictures of the Wildlife Refuge were MUCH better than mine....here is a link to his pictures:

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Here are some pictures from Big Bald Rock trail....an easy .5 mile hike near Feather Falls. 

So, think about how you want to spend your time. Of course, we'd love to give you a little tour of Chico too. It really is a college town, and it is easy to get around. The downtown is cute, with lots of little eating and drinking places.  And Bidwell Park runs right through town and is a great place for biking, hiking, or just stolling and enjoying the weather!

Winter in Chico

Looking out at the Coastal Mountains

 Overall, I would  have to say that winter in Chico is really not like winter at all. Most of the time, it feels more like a nice April day. It is cold in the morning (low 30s), but by mid afternoon the temperatures hit high 50s or low 60s. We have had two weeks of sunshine and have been able to continue exploring this diverse and surprising area.

The beginning of the MLK holiday weekend began on a disappointing note. Jamie and Greg Crandall were planning to come and visit, but they were flying stand-by. Late Friday afternoon, Jamie called and told us that all flights west were booked and they couldn't get out of the Twin Cities. I was quite disappointed and so immediately put on my running shoes and went out for a four mile run/walk....always a good way for me to readjust my attitude. When I got back, Mark had found a new area for us to visit and so we made plans to visit the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex the next day. What a spectacular find!

The Wildlife Refuges are actually five different areas on the Pacific Flyways and over a million geese and three million ducks migrate through during the winter months. Our timing was perfect and so was the weather.  I am sure we saw and heard hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese! We also saw hawks, egrets, pelicans, heron, coyote, rabbits, and even peacocks....although I think they were escapees from a farm of some sort.  Here are some of my pictures:

This is the main refuge with the headquarters, a walking path and an auto tour.

Mark without a camera in his hand...unusual!

Sutter Butte--Privately owned, but hikes available

Yup....actually got to 67 degrees...and sunny!

Something is rotten in Denmark.....ah, I mean, in Sutter Butte!

I actually took more videos than pictures of the water fowl in order to capture the sound. Hope these movies attach here: