Early season overnight trip to Anza-Borrego. Camped at my regular Ella Wash site. Found some spent shotgun shells scattered around my site. Some rowdy slobs no doubt. Warm afternoon with high about 105° but fairly comfortable. Light breeze in evening. Spent the evening binocular stargazing. Neat that Venus, Mercury and Mars all fit within one 10x32 field. Slept in the open truck bed. The next morning i biked S22 to the Pegleg monument and back to Calcite canyon overlook. 20 miles total. After my ride drove over to the visitor center but was surprised to find it only open on weekends during the summer. To cool off i spent an hour or so in the Borrego Springs library looking through desert books and using wifi internet. By 3pm or so i decided it was hotter and more humid than the day before so didn't spend a second night and drove home instead.
The young crescent moon plus Venus, Mercury and Mars were all within about 8° low in the west after sunset this evening. Using 10x32 binoculars i spotted Venus first and then a delicate sliver of the moon just as it was about to set. With a bit more scanning i picked up Mercury. Sky was still fairly bright and i'd pretty much given up on finding Mars. However after a while it finally popped into view just before disappearing behind the ridge.
Hot humid day in the valley but up the tram it was bright and clear and cool. Hiked to Wellman's Divide then back via the high trail. Last tramway hike until next summer as my pass expires today. Great hike to end the season.
Neat hike up Araby trail, across to Smoketree mtn, then down the Shannon. Light drizzle on the way up and a buffeting wind. Great fun!
Hiked the Cedar Spring trail from Morris Ranch road today. I haven't hiked the Desert Divide area since probably about 1980 when Larkette and i used to hike here a lot. Was fun but pretty warm. Lots of annoying gnats too which didn't help. Glad to see the cedars at the spring haven't burned in any of our recent brush fires. For some reason i was thinking if i followed the old unmaintained trail north from Cedar Spring i would rejoin the PCT but instead ended up out Garnet Ridge. Nice views but not where i planned to be. Note to self... Bring topo printout next time. Covered 8 or 9 miles total. Flickr photos here.
I can actually still see the Milky Way from my backyard! Even with the new shopping center at 111 and Farrell.
Rode Amtrak's Coast Starlight from LA to Oakland and spent the week vacationing in San Francisco. As much as i love being out all alone in desert wilderness i also love the excitement of big cities.
Hike up the Garstin, over Smoketree mtn, and loop through middle mesa. Hot and humid but felt good to hike on the desert.
Hiked south from the tramway to Willow Creek divide then back across the high trail to Round Valley. Overcast day with a bit of light rain along the high trail. Quiet peaceful day in the mtns.
Between 1:15am and 3:30am counted 32 Perseid meteors from the backyard. A couple of them were very bright and long.
Wen and i camped at Boulder Basin again. Two nights this time. Site #34. Weather and temps were perfect. Low about 60° with highs in the mid-seventies. First night two other sites were occupied but the second night only one other site (a single man with a little dog) and the campground was silent. Had a small campfire both nights. Went for a short hike Wednesday but spent most of our time in camp reading and talking. Bright pass of ISS Wednesday evening low in the SE.
Hiked from the tramway to Round Valley with Wen. Came back via the high trail. Really nasty muggy day in the desert but was lovely on the mtn. Probably should have stayed longer but came down on the noon car.
Found Venus in the evening sky from home for the first time this apparition. Also Saturn and Mars. Tried to find the new crescent moon but was UTL. Tomorrow the moon will be much easier.
Drove up to Joshua Tree on Tuesday afternoon expecting to camp at Cottonwood. However i found the campground closed for maintenance. Ack! I think they are resurfacing the roads. I ended up spending the night a few miles north along the Black Eagle Mine road. This is not an approved camping area. But i just parked along the road and was stargazing all night so technically wasn't camping. (I may have dozed off a few times.) The site is also darker than Cottonwood so that was really a bonus. Spent most of my time wandering around the Milky Way with the 10x42 Nikons and TV76 and enjoying the dark sky. Wednesday morning rode my bike along the main park road getting in 16 miles before driving home.
Hiked from tramway to Wellman's Divide then back via the high trail. Beautiful day in the mtns for a hike.
Home from a four day (three night) trip to Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Santa Barbara. Visited Venice beach and Santa Monica on Tuesday. Wednesday morning dropped Kai at UCLA for two day orientation then Wen and i drove up to Santa Barbara for a nice romantic get-away. Great weather and really nice to be out of the desert heat for a few days. All together we ate Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Vietnamese, Argentine beef, fresh seafood and drank micro-brew beers!
Hot steamy hike up the Shannon trail. Trail quite rutted in places from yesterday's heavy rains. Hadn't planned to hike all the way to the top but the breeze sure felt good on the peak!
Awoke about 6am to strong winds and heavy rain. Torrents even! The level of water in my pool rose close to 2"! Drove over to the Palm Canyon wash at Araby road and took this video of the flood waters. When the rain stopped i went for a bike ride, but the rain returned while i was out and i got pretty soaked. No harm done.
Hiked from tramway to Round Valley via the high trail. Then north to Tamarack Valley looking for the old unmaintained trail back toward Long Valley. Took me a little while to find it. I remembered it started near a brown post campsite but didn't remember the name. Finally when i stumbled into the QUARTZ campsite i remember that was the name and quickly found the old trail.
Spent Tuesday night camping at Boulder Basin with Wen. (Kai stayed home and had a LAN party with some friends. Eddie stayed home too.) Camped at the same #25 site as last year. Perfect conditions. Clear and cool, but not too cold, and very quiet campground with only two other sites occupied. BBQed steak for dinner then had a nice evening campfire. Wednesday morning cooked bacon and eggs then walked up to the Black Mountain fire lookout.
Hiked from tramway to Round Valley then back on the high trail, and then since i didn't feel like i'd walked long enough, i walked back to RV again. Tram seemed pretty quiet today. I went up on the 9am car and there were maybe 10 people total on-board. Little bit overcast kept temps nice and cool. I brought my rain parka just in case but didn't need it.
Wen, Kai and i spent two nights camping at Mt. Laguna this week. This is probably our favorite family campground. The meadow is so nice and during the week the campground is very quiet. We got our favorite site #15 right on the meadow. Weather about perfect but with some surprise rain early Thursday morning about 1am! (Just light sprinkles and not enough to be a problem but we sure weren't expecting it.) Wednesday morning i hiked the PCT for a 6 mile loop. Had nice little campfires both nights. Moon approaching first quarter but Tuesday i stayed up late after midnight enjoying the summer Milky Way. Some photos are in my flickr photostream.
Loop hike from tramway, over Wellman's Divide, down to Saddle Junction, then back via Willow Creek. (Link to map.) Nice to see Willow Creek still has a good flow of water. Last time i did this same loop was in 2002. Took me 20 minutes longer this time to hike the 12 miles. I figure as long as i can hike 12 miles and feel good then i'm doing okay. Happy 4th of July!
Spent the night at the Cottonwood Spring campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Site 26B in the upper loop. Lower loop is closed as the park service is removing the wooden campsite bumpers and replacing with large boulders. Nice clear warm night. Temp at sunset was 92°F. Visited with a nice family from Switzerland just starting a 3 week driving/camping vacation of the south-west. They were amazed how hot the desert is! Brought both the TV76 and 16x70 Fujinons but didn't really us them much. It's just sad how bright the skyglow has become in the park.
Hiked from the tramway to Wellman's Divide and back with Kai. This was our annual father/son hike. Kai doesn't really care much for hiking but he will go with me once a summer. Photo of us at Wellman's Divide.
Hiked from the tramway to Mt. San Jacinto peak. First time to the peak this year. Beautiful day and delightful company.
The solstice occurred at 4:59pm PDT this afternoon. Yay! Went for a 12 mile bike ride this morning to celebrate. It was pretty hot. High temp for the day was 117°. Hottest day so far this year. I did spend a couple hours in the library to cool off and use the wifi.
Wanted to get out of the desert heat and do some biking so drove up to Barton Flats on Tuesday. I was originally planning to camp at the main Barton Flats campground but the fee is now $25/night. So went over to the South Fork campground where the fee was just a bit better at $20/night. (Even camping is expensive now.) Camped in nice shady site #8. Went for a short 6 mile bike ride in the afternoon then just relaxed in camp. Was surprised how cool the night was with low temp about 42°F. I was a bit chilly in my tent as i only had my light weight desert bag. Wednesday morning rode the Jenks Lake loop for a ride of 10+ miles. I had planned to spend two nights but decided to save the $20 and drove home Wednesday afternoon. Pictures on my flickr photostream.
Went for a 8 mile bike ride around town this morning. I realize that's not very far but i haven't ridden for over a year. It felt good to ride again!
Hiked from the tramway to both mini cache one (GC272F) and mini cache two (GC29A8). Made a nice loop. Pretty day. I should have stayed longer. High temp at home today was 114°F.
Quick hike up and down the Shannon trail. Just went to the point overlooking Smoketree ranch. Too hot for a very long hike.
Hiked from the tramway to Wellman's Divide and back along the main trail. Nice day in the mtns. Self-portrait at Wellman's. Ran into Eric and Angela. I somehow had a hunch i'd run into them today.
Two night camping trip to the southern Anza-Borrego desert. Drove down through the park to my regular Carrizo Valley campsite arriving about 2:30pm. Clear and warm with temp just under 100°. Would have been almost perfect except for the wind. On the other hand the wind kept me from getting too warm. Set up shade awning for a bit of sun protection. The wind did settle about 7pm for a very nice evening. Relaxed in camp Tuesday morning using space blanket for shade. In the afternoon drove the Mortero Wash road and had lunch near Piedras Grandes. Popped up the Mortero Palms and Dos Cabezas roads and then looped through Ocotillo for ice and sodas. Back at my campsite tried to set up the space blanket again but the wind destroyed it so just sat in the shade of the truck. Tuesday night the wind shifted to the south and increased in strength. Got colder too. Left camp early Wednesday morning and drove home through the park the same way i had arrived on Monday. Conditions in the northern part of the park even worse with blowing dust and sand, very hazy, and high overcast. Nasty. Good time to go home.
Today is my birthday! (Yay!) What better way to celebrate than to go for a desert hike? Went up Cahuilla Canyon to the second (dry) stream crossing. Nice warm sunny morning. Here is the birthday boy(d)!
Had planned a simple loop hike up the Garstin and back down the Theleman trail. But it was such a nice day for hiking i decided to include a little side trip up Hotdog Hill. Great day for the end of May.
Had to have a crown replaced. Here i am waiting for the dentist and looking into the light. My dentist is Dr. Ray Sumabat. I really like him.
My neighbor had a bee hive inside the wall of her garage. I watched Javier from killerbeeremoval.com as he opened the wall and removed the colony. Photos here. Was fascinating. And the bees seemed really calm. I was just wearing shorts and got right up close to take pictures yet the bees never bothered me. I think it would have been really neat to replace the drywall with a sheet of clear glass so we could watch the bees.
Great hike up Murray Hill this morning. Came up the north side from Rimrocks. Here i am at the top. It got a bit overcast and was actually a bit cool when i was on the summit. Round trip took 2 hours 40 minutes.
Didn't last long but it rained pretty hard for a bit this afternoon. Here is what my pool looked like. Today's high temp was only 71°F. That's 42 degrees cooler than Monday's 113° high.
Middle Lykken trail from the end of Mesquite to where the cross used to be. Not nearly as hot today. Only about 78° when i was hiking.
Warm day for the middle of May. High temp was 113°F.
Hiked up the Shannon trail to Smoketree peak, then across the dip and came down the Araby trail. One word: HOT. The high temp for today was 110°F.
Interesting little desert trip today up Little Morongo Canyon to Yucca Valley. I've never driven through this canyon before. Road was in good shape with some fairly steep sections at the north end. From Yucca Valley i drove out the Covington Flats road to Eureka Peak and back before driving home. I was out about four hours. Fun little trip.
Loop hike going up the south Lykken trail and coming down via the Descanso trail and walking back along South Palm Canyon drive. First time hiking with my new Walmart boots. They seem pretty good and can't beat the $21.83 price!
Bought my summer tramway pass today (price is up to $60 but still a bargain) and went for a nice loop hike to Round Valley then across on the High trail to Hidden Lake. Lots of water in Round Valley creek and still some snow in shaded areas. Hidden Lake was not as full as i was expecting.
Drove home from via Trona, Kramer Junction, Barstow, Lucerne Valley and Yucca Valley. Total driving for trip was 740 miles.
Up early to watch sunrise. While i was trying to make morning coffee my campsite was overrun with bees seeking water. Had to pack-up early and move down the road to get away from them. (The next day i found a dozen (dead) bees inside my water jug.) Swung through Furnace Creek for another wifi hit then drove to Beatty to get gas. $3.65 gas in Beatty compared to $4.79 at Furnace Creek made the side trip worthwhile. Drove back across the valley through Stovepipe Wells and stopped at the Emigrant campground to enjoy the view. Just a place i really like somehow even though it's right on the main road. Continued west across Towne Pass and up to the Darwin Falls area and hiked to the lower falls. Camped at Panamint Springs where they sell gas for $5.27! But the campground is only $15 with shade, showers and satellite wifi. Very strong wind came up about 6:30pm and lasted until after 9pm.
Nice comfortable night in tent. Thermarest and green air mattress combo very nice. Decided to not try the difficult Mengel Pass route to the south-west and drove back out the way i'd come. Thought about taking another dip in hot pool at Warm Spring but decide not to bother. Explored a neat little talc mine tunnel a couple miles east. Rejoined the Westside road and headed north. Parts of road are smooth and nice. Other parts are very bad washboard. Stopped at the Furnace Creek store for ice and used wifi at the visitor center. Drove back south on the Westside road to Trail Canyon and camped about 4 miles up the road. Had a lovely warm afternoon with panoramic view of Death Valley.
First day of a 3 night Death Valley camping trip. Drove up via Yucca Valley, 29 Palms, Amboy, Kelso and Baker. Entered the park via the south Harry Wade route then headed up Warm Spring canyon. The road was rougher and slower than i thought it would be. But i did stop at the spring and enjoyed a little dip in the hot pool! Continued into Butte Valley and finally arrived at Stella's cabin about 6:30pm. I was pretty worn out by now. However the beautiful view and the interesting cabin made up for it. The cabin was tidy and in good shape but i decided to sleep outside in my tent to avoid any hantavirus issues. Cool clear night with the sounds of feral burros and coyotes in the valley.
Shannon trail, over Smoketree mtn, and loop middle mesa. Could see helicopters doing water drops on a few of the remaining Apache peak fire hot spots.
Fast hike up the Garstin trail to get a look across at the Apache peak fire. The fire started yesterday afternoon along the Desert Divide. Looks like the fire is staying south of Antsel rock. I had been thinking to hike the PCT along the divide this spring but since Apache spring is probably gone now i doubt i'll do the hike. This image is looking across Palm Canyon wash toward the divide. Antsel rock is to the right where the smoke starts.
Spent Monday night in the Anza-Borrego desert camped along Truckhaven trail. Nice warm afternoon with intermittent light breeze. Not the best conditions for stargazing with haze and a bit of high overcast. I was however able to see comet C/2007 W1 Boattini to the south in Crater as hazy patch through 10x32 Leica. Looked about the same through the TV76 at 30x.
Quick hike up and down the Araby trail. On my way down i passed a woman going up that said there was a rattlesnake off the side of the trail a few switchbacks down. I tried to find the neck but no luck.
Up the Shannon trail, over Smoketree mtn, across to the top of Araby trail, loop through middle mesa, and back down the Shannon. Felt like i could have walked all day.
Morning hike up the Garstin, over Smoketree mtn, then looped through the middle mesa.
Did a bit of exploring in a local area of the desert i don't often visit east of the Salton Sea. A few of the places visited were Corvina Beach, Fountain of Youth Spa, Niland, Ted Kipf road, Algodones dunes, Chocolate mtns, Salvation pass and Salt Creek. Spent the night camped at the southern end of the Orocopia mtns just outside the wilderness boundary with a beautiful view of the Salton Sea. Friday morning continued north up Salt Creek and the Bradshaw trail. Drove the Amy wash loop stopping at both the metal and wood houses then took the Red Canyon Trail through to Maniobra valley.
Lykken trail from end of Ramon. All the lupine from a month or so ago have gone to seed. But i was pleased to see the city finally allows parking at the trailhead. Parallel parking along La Mirada was a pain.
Climbed up the old Skyline from the trailhead near the end of Alejo. This is the way i always started the trail when i was younger. Now there are a couple of houses where the trail used to go but there is a very steep route around them to the main trail. Hiked up as far as the warning sign then came back down the Museum trail. The Museum trail is horrible. Poorly designed and very steep. It's sad this trail is the first introduction to desert hiking for many people.
Just for fun rode the Metrolink from downtown Riverside to Oceanside and back. Had lunch at Ruby's on the pier. Nice comfortable trip with trains exactly on-time both ways.
Up and down the Shannon trail. Didn't pass anyone else on the trail today. Perfect. Quite different than the 100 or so people i saw on the Bump-n-Grind trail a couple days ago!
This morning i rode the bus to Rancho Mirage and hiked the Bump-n-Grind trail for the first (and probably last) time. Walked up Magnesia Falls road to the old trailhead. A sign said this trailhead was no longer in use but the route was easy to see across the wash. The main trail is actually an old dirt road and gets lots of hikers and dog-walkers. I must have passed 100 people (and dogs) going up and down. Too many people for my taste. I came down via the new trail that ends behind the Desert Crossings shopping center which is a nicer route and less used.
Rode Amtrak's Sunset Limited to Los Angeles and back with my dad. Was my gift for his 80th birthday. Here is the train arriving at the Palm Springs station. Got on the train just in time for last breakfast call. In Los Angeles we walked from Union Station to Chinatown for lunch. Train was an hour late each way but otherwise we had a great time!
Hike up and down south Lykken trail.
Felt like hiking today but couldn't think of where to go. So i just started walking from home. Ended up walking for almost 3 hours and covered a 10 mile loop through town. Was fun but my feet are sore. Walking on sidewalk/pavement is harder on the feet than trail hiking.
Hiked from Rimrocks through to the Shannon trail. Nice warm day. Came across this rattlesnake on the trail. First one i've seen so far this season.
Wen and i drove up to Cottonwood Spring in Joshua Tree National Park on Wednesday afternoon. Arrived a bit after 4pm to find almost all sites occupied! But we did find a site and enjoyed a very nice afternoon and evening. Clear and calm with great stars. And even though the campground was full everyone was well behaved and pretty quiet. The next morning we hiked the Mastodon Peak loop trail before driving home.
Hiked Lykken trail from the end of Mesquite to my Tahquitz Overlook (GC2569) geocache.
Another trip to the AB with Eddie. This time met up with Kevin and Angie whom i know from their flickr photos. Spent Saturday night camped here along Rockhouse canyon road. Kevin got stuck trying to turn his trailer around so we just spent the night in situ. Fortunately was a very nice spot and a lovely calm evening. Stayed up late eating BBQ ribs (thanks for sharing!), watching the moon rise, and talking around the campfire until midnight. Kevin did eventually get extricated the next day. Eddie and i spent a second night camping along Ella wash by ourselves. Camping with friends is nice but being alone is also very good.
Hiked Shannon trail, across to Wildhorse junction, back to top of Araby trail, through the dip, over Smoketree mtn, and back down Shannon. Starting to get a bit warm but was really great to be outside hiking in the sun today.
Araby trail to my Araby Hope (GC9FD) geocache. Bit breezy but nice and clear. Removed a 2x4 cross someone had set up nearby.
Eddie and i drove down to the Anza-Borrego desert on Tuesday morning via Hwy 86 and S-2 entering the park through the south Ocotillo entrance. Drove through Bow Willow campground to find 5 tent sites occupied and 3 large motorhomes in the north loop. Met up with Jim Doss and camped in my regular site along the road to Indian Gorge. I've know Jim online since 2001 from geocaching and flickr but this is the first time we've actually met in person. Nice guy and we have similar casual camping styles so we got along well. Did a bit of stargazing after dark and just enjoyed a very comfortable still quiet evening. Jim departed the next morning and Eddie and i hiked over to Mtn Palm Spring campground and back. Spent the rest of the day just relaxing around camp in the shade of an ocotillo. Breezy evening with a bit of high overcast so didn't do any stargazing. Thursday morning we drove up through the gorge to the "Y" and then headed for the north part of the park. Drove up Glorieta canyon and had a nice, albeit windy, mid-morning break. Looped through Borrego Palm Canyon campground and the visitor center. Lots of people out enjoying wildflowers. Stopped in Galleta Meadows then headed east on S-22 to have lunch along Font's Wash. I was hoping to spend a third night camping but with the pretty much constant wind decided to drive home. Besides, Eddie was tired.
Cahuilla canyon with Wen and Eddie. Something is making me sneeze today.
Parked at the foot of Gastin trail then walked through Andreas Hills and went up the Theleman trail. Crossed the middle mesa then came down the Garstin. Really nice loop. I usually do this hike going the other direction so was a nice change today. The encelia is rampant!
Palm Canyon through hike from Pinyon Flats walking north toward Hermit's Bench. Started hiking from the locked gate south of Asbestos Spring at 7:50am. Had planned to follow Dutch Charlie canyon down to the main trail but instead took a route about a mile south which worked out fine. Joined the main Palm Canyon trail at 9am and headed north. Beautiful day. As my elevation decreased the wildflowers increased. Arrived at Dry Wash for a noon lunch break. Didn't see anyone on the trails until i was about a mile from Hermit's Bench. Took the Victor trail over to Fern Canyon then just walked out on the Alexander trail. Arrived at the Bogart Trail bridge at 2:36pm and took a little break in the shade. Out of water and out of sunblock. Walked along the dike to Barona Road and then home. Arrived home 3:36pm. GPS says i walked 18.5 miles and took me 7 hours 46 minutes.
Quick hike up and down the south Lykken trail with Eddie. The Encelia is really looking nice.
Amtrak station, trains at Tipton Road, Whitewater Canyon, Dillon Road, Fan Hill, 1000 Palms Canyon Road, Varner Road. Hurray for leap year!
Nice hike up the Araby trail with loop across the middle mesa.
Desert day trip with Eddie. First stop was Corn Spring. The palms are looking a bit ragged. But the campground is maintained and there was even one site occupied. Drove west a couple miles to Aztec Well before turning around. Back on the old highway continued east then followed the trail through Government Pass. I've never been through this route before and the road was a bit rough. Banged my read bumper going through a couple of wash-outs but made it through to the Bradshaw Trail okay. Followed the Bradshaw back west to Salt Creek then north to I-10 and home. Great day on the desert with lots of wildflowers. (See photo link.) Wore out poor Eddie on some of the bumpy roads. I was a bit tired of the bumpy roads myself by the end of the day.
Hiked the north Lykken from Ramon with Eddie. Tons of wildflowers. Need to bring camera next time.
Pretty rainbow this morning from home.
Wen and i visited the Cottonwood Canyon area of Joshua Tree National Park this morning to check out the wildflowers. They are going great guns! See photo link above. Drove home via Painted Canyon and had lunch at Teresa's in Indio.
Nice nearly overhead pass of the space station and shuttle this evening from southern Calif. The two craft passed from NW to SE passing zenith about 5:52pm local time. The shuttle preceded the station by about 10° with the station being maybe twice as bright as the shuttle. Pretty neato!
To commemorate my first day of temporary* retirement/unemployment Eddie and i hiked up Cahuilla canyon to the second stream crossing. No water at the crossings but there was a bit of flowing water through the middle rock pools. Lots of wildflowers too. [*Wen says i need to go back to work next year.]
Nice nearly overhead pass of USA 193 tonight. Picked it up in the SW at about 6:32pm local time. Went into shadow just past zenith.
Day trip with Wen and Kai to San Gabriel to visit Wen's mom. Great dim sum lunch at 888 Seafood then shopping at Mitsuwa and Ranch 99 markets. Fun day. See link above from some pictures.
I started working at The Desert Sun on March 18, 1974. And today was my last day. Just shy of 34 years. It was fun but it's time to leave.
Warm sunny mid-winter day. Perfect for a desert hike. Went up Shannon trail, over Smoketree mtn, then looked through the middle mesa before coming back down Shannon.
Hiked Lykken trail from the end of Mesquite to my Tahquitz Overlook (GC2569) geocache with Eddie. Verified the coordinates and left some stickers. Some high overcast and a little bit chilly. Picture of Eddie at cache and a pic of Eddie stuck in rocks waiting for me to come back and help him out. I was sorry to see the Sahara mustard is coming up again this year after the rains. Some info about why this is bad is here.
Shannon trail to peak and back. Ran much of the way down.
Quick little hike up Cahuilla canyon with Eddie. Lots of green going on!
Nice day for a hike up the Garstin, loop through middle mesa, over Smoketree mtn and back down the way i came. I was full of energy and did a bit of trail running as well. Ran into Maggie from the newspaper on my way down. They were headed for my Flag Over PS (GC2165) geocache.
Two binocular comets still visible in the evening sky even with the nearly first-quarter moon. Comet 8P/Tuttle now in Cetus found with a bit of star hopping. Like a small nebula in the 10x42 binoculars. Overhead comet 17P/Holmes very near to Algol. Almost didn't see it at all but once i remembered reports of its large current size and knew what to look for it came into view as a very large diffuse patch.
Spectacular day! Clear and warm. Hiked up the Shannon with Wen, over Smoketree peak, then looped through the middle mesa. Encelia are all leafing out and grasses are coming up. The lone ocotillo along the trail also has fresh leaves. Absolutely gorgeous day to be outside on the trails.
Had a mid-week day off so went up and down the Araby trail with Eddie. Haven't done much hiking yet this year. Been cool and rainy for the most part.
Went for a little mini-vacation to the Queen Mary in Long beach with Wen and Kai spending Wednesday night on-board. Was quite fun. The ship is interesting to explore and weather was okay even though rain was forecast. At night tried to do a bit of stargazing from the aft deck. Could see Mars, Orion, Canopus and not a whole lot else. No chance of either of the two brighter comets. But i was pleased to see as much as i did. I had my Leica 10x32 with me and used them a lot for terrestrial viewing. Photos here.
Quick New Year's Day hike up and down the south Lykken trail. Took this smiling self-portrait. Happy New Year everyone!
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