Adventures in Disneyland

In May, Loyd and Ann went to Disneyland with Tanya, who is lucky enough to work there at the "Pizza Port" in Tomorrowland. Tanya and boyfriend Chris made a foursome for the day. Since Ann and Loyd had not been to Disneyland in forever, and had never seen the California Adventure, this was tons of fun!

Loyd wanted to see Autopia and the "Cars" movie-themed attraction, while Ann wanted to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Anyone who knows Loyd would not be surprised by his choice! We also did wine tasting at California Adventure, which was extra fun since Tanya had been working there for this special event and knew all about the wines.

We had so much fun, we vowed not to let another 20-plus years go by before returning to Disneyland.

A gift for Tanya

In April, Loyd and Ann decided that daughter Tanya needed their extra car far more than they did. Ann's Explorer had been purchased new in spring of 2000, and had provided many years of faithful service. Ann loved the big cargo area, which over the years had transported many a Thanksgiving turkey, plants and bags of bark from Home Depot, and even helped in the move to Borrego Springs.

Here's Ann handing over the keys to Tanya!

Coyote Creek and Desert Gardens

One of Loyd's favorite places to go on his motorcycle soon became Coyote Creek.

This spring, due to the plentiful winter rains, Coyote Creek flowed with water and became lush and green. The desert bighorn sheep, along with many other desert inhabitants, rely on this water source. For this reason, it is closed to off-roaders in the summer months.

Loyd soon persuaded Ann that she must see this beautiful area, and so an excursion in the truck was undertaken. On the way out, we stopped at Desert Gardens, a little picnic area with tables, up on a little hill. It has a beautiful view which overlooks Borrego Valley from the north.

Loyd gets a motorcycle!

Loyd decided that the perfect occupation for him
in his retirement would be to explore the desert
on a motorcycle.


Loyd and his step-brother, John, used to love riding bikes together in the desert and elsewhere when he was in his twenties, having many hair-raising adventures and lots of fun! Loyd thinks it only fitting that he return to bike-riding in his retirement years.

Here's Loyd on his newly purchased Honda motorcycle, which is street-legal, as required in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, but rugged enough to go on dirt roads.

He's going to have way too much fun!

Hummingbirds, mouse, lizard and beetle

When we moved here from La Mesa, I set out my customary hummingbird feeders. I was expecting one or two takers, maybe four birds at a time at the most. I was astonished to see a dozen to twenty birds at one time, all swarming around the feeder, squeaking at each other, and zooming around. What a show! This phenomenon seems to occur when food is scarce, in winter and summer. This spring, with plentiful flowers, I have few takers, and none of the drama enacted previously with multiple birds jostling for access to the food.

Many people who are unfamiliar with the desert consider it a barren and lifeless place. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is an abundance of life to be seen everywhere. Besides the hummingbirds, there are many other birds commonly seen. These include mourning doves, mockingbirds, grackles, starlings, the inevitable sparrows, roadrunners, quail, various types of birds of prey, and seasonal orioles. The Salton sea, a short distance away, is a stopover for migrating birds. Four-hundred different species of birds have been seen there!

The insects are also very interesting. Can you see the beautiful beetle in one picture?

Loyd recently went on a ranger and naturalist-guided outing in Ocotillo Wells State Recreational Vehicle Area. The biologists monitor many species of mammals and reptiles, setting up traps to capture animals, which are of course then released. Pictured is a small mouse which was part of this survey.

On one of our trips to Hawk Canyon, we spotted a well-camouflaged desert iguana under a bush. He posed for a picture, blending into the gravelly surface almost completely.

At night, we listen for the howls of the coyotes. We watch the rabbits scamper around our yard. We frequently see many birds on our morning bicycle rides. After spending any amount of time outdoors here, an appreciation can be gained for the amazing abundance of diverse life forms.

Font's Point

Font's Point can readily be seen from almost any point in the Borrego Valley, rising in the east to a sharp "point." Only four miles off highway S-2, it is well marked and easily accessible, although four-wheel drive is a good idea when the sand has become dry and loose (which is almost always, unless it has recently rained).

A very short walk from the end of the road affords a good view of the Borrego Badlands. The view becomes more interesting as the shadows lengthen, and can be really spectacular under a full moon.

Parts of the wash floor at the base of the hills on the south side appear to be accessible from the nearby Ocototillo Wells campground right off S-2, although we haven't tried this yet. It looks like it would be an interesting place to explore. There is another good viewpoint not too far past the turnoff for the drive to the point, to the right, which overlooks both the primitive offroad campground and the eastern edge of the badlands.

On the north side of S-2, there is another viewpoint with a steep dirt road leading down into another yet portion of the badlands. This is the access used for the excursion to the slot canyon taken by Uncle Gerry and Loyd (see earlier post). Ann is too chicken to go down this road!

We have gone to Font's Point many, many times over the years, and it always looks different, depending on the season and time of day. In February, we went out with my friend Linda to enjoy the view. Later during Uncle Gerry's visit, mom wanted to go, saying she hadn't been there in years. The many visitors using the road had created both some deeper sand and wash-board effects, which mom didn't enjoy at all. However, traversing these areas was no problem with our big, four-wheel-drive truck.

Return to Hawk Canyon

Soon after our first trip to Hawk Canyon, we made two subsequent visits, sharing the exquisite beauty of this area with our visitors. My friend Rebecca loved it, as did my mom and her friend, Lois.

Unfortunately, the invasive, weed-like (and non-native) Saharan mustard plants have completely overtaken the usually-fabulous Henderson Canyon, not far from the Borrego Springs town center. It is usually the first place out-of-town visitors go to find lovely spring flowers. I am not sure whether the plentiful El Nino rains are responsible, or whether this represents a natural progression in an ongoing process. Either way, Hawk Canyon presented a lovely alternative for both us and our visitors to appreciate the beautiful spring flowers of the Anza Borrego desert.

To all those who may be hesitating to come out to the town of Borrego Springs or the Anza Borrego desert, I say -- Come now!!! The flowers have peaked, the scenery is fabulous, the weather is perfect! It doesn't get any better than this. We have even seen the elusive bighorn sheep recently (sorry, no pictures available -- we didn't have a camera with us).

The Anza Borrego desert is the most beautiful place on Earth, and this is the best time to see it.