Tag: friends

02-03-2018 to 02-05 2018 Hanging with Judy

I think most bloggers that read my blog know Judy, either in person, or from her very popular blog, Travels with Emma.  Everyone called her the Bird Lady of Blogland, with good reason.  Judy spent ten yeas of her life traveling from refuge to refuge across the United States, volunteering.  Judy is especially good with the birds, being responsible for doing extensive bird counts on many refuges.

We first met Judy on our southern trip to Florida, stopping at Anahuac NWR for a visit.  The story of my kitty Jeremy and Judy’s dog Emma meeting was a good one.  On that trip, Judy took us on a private tour of some of the hidden places at Anahuac, and I saw my first roseate spoonbills in person.  Gorgeous day.

Since then our paths have crossed a few times, with Judy visiting us at our home in Rocky Point, us visiting Judy when she volunteered at Harris Beach,  and a visit to her home base now in Jojoba Springs.  Judy hung up her blogging hat a couple of years ago, but in spite of her quiet absence, we managed to stay slightly in touch.  I was thoroughly tickled when Judy called me last month asking about when we planned to be at Desert Hot Springs.

We shared dates and plans, and got caught up on Judy’s new life at Jojoba.  The big rig that she never really loved to drive is now gone, and in its place is a nifty new….not park model.  I can’t remember what you call it, but technically it isn’t a park model because at Jojoba you are required to have a holding tank.  Anyway, it sounds lovely, and Judy’s stories of her life and community at Jojoba were good to hear.

But you know how that travel bug gets to us if we are stationary for too long.  Judy found a sweet little Chinook Class B and wanted to try it out with a visit to Desert Hot Springs, and decided to stay at Catalina Spa where we could spend a bit of time together.

She arrived late in the week, and I made supper for us to share  inside the MoHo since we didn’t have an outdoor table big enough for all the fixin’s.  The next morning, Judy invited us over for a Sunday brunch, with the best Bloody Mary’s I have tasted in a long time, and some breads from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

It was Super Bowl Sunday, and without following football this season, we decided it was our last chance to get to the movies in Palm Desert, and Judy joined us.  We sat in those great big comfy recliners with our wine and popcorn to watch Darkest Hour.  An excellent movie, and the wine was cheaper than the popcorn.

On Monday we left Mattie safe in the cool MoHo and took Judy to the Visitor Center and ponds at 1000 Palms Oasis.  It wasn’t too crowded when we were there, and I think Judy enjoyed seeing the visitor center since she has so much experience with different centers at different refuges.  Thousand Palms is a Nature Conservancy site with a great history, and there are some lovely hikes from the main area, but those were for another time.

On Monday evening, Judy treated us to her dinner, “stuff” is what she called it.  She said when her kids were growing up it was either white stuff or red stuff, and the red stuff we had was delicious.  Patio time and conversation time as we both prepared to pull up stakes the next morning and head out in opposite directions.  Judy back to Jojoba and Mo and I to one of our favorite desert boondocks on Ogilby Road.

It was great to have some time to catch up, and to see that Judy is doing well.

July 26 27 28 Crater Lake and Best Friends

Current Location:  Running Y Resort, Klamath Falls Oregon

It is so incredibly smoky this morning, with the Crater Lake fires billowing smoke into the skies and the northwest winds bringing it our way.  The Klamath Basin is exactly that, a basin, and as such it tends to capture everything, including smoke in late summer and fog in winter.  Have to admit I am tired of the smoke. 

This photo was taken by Brian Gailey, who does some amazing work, especially of the night skies

The culprit at the moment are fires from Crater Lake, started by that amazing lightning storm I spoke about in the last post.  Before that it was the Modoc fire, started from another lightning storm, and as almost always in summer, lightning started fires from the Trinity Alps to the southwest of us in California.  Oh yes, can’t forget the Chetco Fire, burning in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the coast range west of us, and a few fires near Warm Springs in Central Oregon, and a few more in Cascades on the Umpqua National Forest.  Yes, it is ongoing, and it is tiresome.

Needless to say, when our friends Maryruth and Gerald asked to visit us in late July we were delighted.  They have a new to them motorhome, and wanted to take a little trip to a bit cooler climate than the hot Sierra Nevada Foothills and Oroville where they live.  I did warn them about how hot is was going to be in our area as well, but they were game, ensuring me that their air conditioning in the rig was up to the task.  What I had no control over were the fires, and the most amazing thing of all was that we had gorgeous clear skies during their entire visit. The Crater Lake fires were still in their infancy, and the winds took most of the smoke away from the Rogue Valley.  Lucky us!

Thanks to Jimmy and Nickie’s experience the week prior, we knew to warn Maryruth and Gerald that in spite of the posted 1pm check in at the Valley of the Rogue State Park, they should double check.  Sure enough check in was delayed until 4pm.  They took their time driving north from Oroville, planning their arrival late enough that they wouldn’t have to hang out in the parking lot with the air going for any length of time.

For this visit, Mo and I had decided to take the MoHo to the park as well, unhooking the rig from her semi permanent home at the house build, and driving the 12 miles south to the park.  Even with such a short distance, it was fun having a different view.  The park was completely booked due to a huge country music jamboree scheduled for the coming weekend, so we were lucky that Maryruth had arranged reservations for both of us.  Our sites were close, just across the road from each other, with only a short distance needed to move chairs and food back and forth between the two sites.

In spite of the heat and fire weather watches, at the time we were still allowed to have a campfire in the designated firepit at the park.  With an easy supper of burgers and salads, Mo started the fire and we sat around enjoying each other’s company, toasting marshmallows, and catching up on our family stories.  Maryruth and I go back 54 years now, and have lots of stories to share.

Gerald and I took Mattie for a walk along the park pathway, a beautiful greenbelt trail that will hopefully someday fulfill its promise of a 50 mile bike and hiking route between Medford and Grants Pass, following along the beautiful Rogue River and meandering through the hills.   It is a great vision.  The trail is so lovely, I told Mo it was worth the short drive with our bikes to get there for some nice easy biking.  There aren’t a lot of easy, traffic free and non hilly bike trails in Grants Pass proper, so we haven’t been out on the bikes much yet.

We had exciting plans for the next morning.  Mo and I left early to pick up our guests at the park in the car for a day trip to Crater Lake.  Skies were blue, the morning was lovely and not yet unbearably hot even in the valley.  Before we traveled south to connect to the Crater Lake Highway, however, we took a short jaunt north to show them the new house.  We were early enough to miss the contractors, at least most of them, so we were able to wander around the house sharing all the recent developments without getting in anyone’s way.

The route to Crater Lake from Grants Pass isn’t terribly long.  A couple of hours of beautiful valleys and the climb to the 7,000 foot elevation of the park is gorgeous, with beautiful timber along Highway 62. 

We stopped near Union Creek to view the magnificent Rogue River Natural Bridge area.  Hiking wasn’t on the agenda for this day, but this trail along the river is gorgeous.  Mo and I have camped nearby and hiked in this area several times in the past.

Continuing up the mountain, we were shocked as we approached the entrance to the park.  It was the middle of the week, around 10 in the morning, and there were long lines from each direction at the southern entrance.  Such a surprise.  I have never experienced any line ever coming into Crater Lake National Park.

We were a bit apprehensive as to what it would be like being in the park, but it actually wasn’t nearly as bad as the lines portended.  Once past the entry station, and on the main park roads, traffic was decent, I would even say light.  The overlook parking areas were a bit full, but not so much that we weren’t able to park for the views.

Even the Rim Parking Lot was accessible, and the four of us got out and walked around some, enjoying the views and taking photos.  Maryruth is recuperating from pneumonia, and  I am so grateful she didn’t have to cancel the trip, as we thought she might a few days prior.  That high elevation is killer if you aren’t used to it.

We took our time meandering around the rim, noticing plumes of smoke rising toward the west, a fire that later became the Blanket Fire, and another one, the Spruce Fire, both creating all our smoke that I mentioned earlier.  In spite of this, the air at the rim was crystal clear, the skies incredibly blue, the water as gorgeous as ever.  The color is legendary, photos aren’t enhanced, and actually need to be toned down a bit to look real.  We especially enjoyed the high altitude cooler temperatures, at least 20 degrees less than what they were that day in the Rogue Valley.

There were a couple of delays for road construction, but that kept the line of cars driving the west rim road at a reasonable speed, and we still managed to see all we wanted to see.  The Watchman trail was closed, and I was glad that we hadn’t made a special effort to get to Crater Lake with Nickie and Jimmy last week.  The Watchman was a trail I had planned to do!

Circling back around the east side of the lake, we took photos of the Phantom Ship from the iconic spot, and only a week later the Phantom was almost completely invisible due to smoke.  What a lucky break for us to be able to enjoy this gorgeous place before the smoke took over.  My heart breaks for people traveling from all over the world to see this beautiful place and finding thick smoke and no views.  The park is still open, but I just can’t imagine what a disappointment it would be for distant travelers.

Traveling back west down the mountain, we stopped at the historic Becky’s Cafe.  Any time you mention going to Crater Lake, locals will say, “Are you stopping at Becky’s?”  The place is most famous for its berry pies, but we had a delicious late lunch as well, with crowding not unbearable due to the mid afternoon timing.

I stole this one from the web since I forgot to take photos

Back to the Valley of the Rogue state park in late afternoon, with triple digit weather, we retreated to our motorhomes for a refreshing air cooled nap before emerging once again for campfires and marshmallows.  What a gorgeous day it was to share with good friends.

The next morning, per Maryruth’s request, Mo made a campfire breakfast.  In the past, when we have camped with Maryruth and Gerald, these big and bacon fragrant outdoor breakfasts have been a highlight.  Morning sunlight, good coffee, great bacon, good friends, who could ask for more!

At checkout time, Maryruth and Gerald continued their journey northward in Oregon to visit more family and Mo and I returned the MoHo to her spot in front of the new house.  Time to settle in, catch our breath, and enjoy some down time after a whirlwind July.


July 23 24 25 Jeanne comes to Visit

Current Location:  Running Y Resort Klamath Falls Oregon Partly cloudy and pleasant

Once again, if you have read my blog in the past, you might recognize the name “Jeanne”.  Jeanne is a friend I made during my soil survey years in the Klamath Basin.  She was a botanist who at the time worked for the Forest Service and we worked together identifying specific soils and the plants that were connected to them.  Our friendship began 15 years ago and in spite of Jeanne leaving Klamath Falls for her native Vermont, it still flourishes.

This is where Jeanne lives now, in a timber frame home that was only a dream when I last visited.

I attended her beautiful wedding with the love of her life in Vermont 3 years ago, and Jeanne manages to get out to Oregon nearly every year for crazy times with her wild bunch of extreme friends, then comes to my house to catch up on some down time.  As you may have noticed over the years, I am a bit in awe of Jeanne.  Her physical prowess is legendary, and she plays like a teenager.  A Jeanne day often includes yoga, a trip to the gym, some laps in the pool, a run, a hike, and maybe a bike ride.  I could never keep up with her or her friends, so I am lucky that Jeanne also likes to go a bit slower, enjoys hanging out and talking and laughing, eating good food, and doing some slow sports.

We had three really great days here at what Jeanne referred to as “La La Land”, the Running Y.  We swam in the pool, walked the path, ate, talked and ate some more.  I cooked a few meals, including some ribs on the BBQ, one of Jeanne’s favorite things that I cook. However, one of the highlights of the week was our second dinner in a week at the Ruddy Duck restaurant.

We planned for dinner a bit later in the evening, hoping the sunny deck would have cooled some by then.  What we didn’t count on was the magnificent thunderstorm that moved in as we were waiting to be served.  The skies got darker and darker and as the huge drops started falling and the thunder boomed all around us with huge bolts of lightning, we decided to at least retreat a bit under the deck overhang.

What a dinner it was!  What a great view, and so incredibly dramatic.  Later, as we retreated to the villa to watch the storm, the sky started turning blood red, with more bolts of lightning streaking across the sky in all directions.  I have never seen a sunset storm quite like this one.  It was Jeanne’s last night in Klamath Falls, and was quite a dramatic sendoff!

Earlier that day, Jeanne’s friend Margo came out to go on a hike on the Skillet Handle, a peninsula that extends northward from the Running Y into Klamath Lake.  Mo and I had kayaked the lake adjacent to the peninsula last month and I was looking forward to seeing the beautiful white oak habitat up close.

It was hot.  Really hot.  The trail was a choice between a gravelly old road and a dusty path through high weeds.  Jeanne and Margo moved quickly, covering a lot of ground once we finally decided to get back on the “real” trail. 

It was way too hot for me, and I bid them farewell about a mile and a half in and walked back slowly trying to keep from getting heat stroke.  Geez, it was hot.  The huge thunderheads above were dramatic, but gave no clue of the show that was waiting in store for us that evening.

On Tuesday, Jeanne and I left early for a morning kayak.  We now have only two boats, and Mo offered to stay home with Mattie while we kayaked.  A week earlier, Mo and I had kayaked the beautiful Spring Creek Run with the Klamath Basin Land Trust.  We have driven to the site in the past, but never actually kayaked the creek.  It was so incredibly gorgeous that I knew it was the place I wanted to take Jeanne for our morning outing.  Jeanne has kayaked Recreation Creek with us many times in the past, so this was a nice change for both of us. 

The morning was just cool enough to be perfect and the skies had just enough clouds to be interesting but not threatening.  It only takes about 2 hours to kayak to the spring and back to the launch.  I think this is the most delightful boat launch I have ever experienced, even if the water was cold enough to put an ache in your feet in just seconds.

We had the entire run completely to ourselves, without another soul on the water the entire time.  On the way back down, a mysterious mist rose from the water, backlit by sunlight, and the coolness was like a river of chill air as we paddled back downstream. 

We took photos of the bubbling springs, of the Mares Eggs, a globular translucent algae that is indigenous to the Basin, of the skies, and of the water which is as clear as any spring run in Florida. 

Such a beautiful morning, such a wonderful experience to share with such a good friend.

Later that day, we took Jeanne to Medford where she checked into a hotel to be ready for her early morning flight.  Mo and I drove back to the MoHo at the new house, checked all the changes that had been accomplished in our absence, and crashed for a nap in the cool dimness of the MoHo for the rest of the evening. 

It was time to pack up the MoHo and head back down with our rig to Valley of the Rogue State Park, where we would meet more friendsfor another few days of fun times in beautiful Oregon, everyone’s favorite summer destination. Next story, Crater Lake with Maryruth and Gerald!


July 17 through 19 Fabulous Fun with Friends

Current Location:  Running Y Resort Klamath Falls Oregon: sunny, pleasant, and a bit smoky from the fires burning in Oregon and California including Crater Lake

If you have read the blog for any length of time, you know we have made some great friends through RV traveling and blogging.  I think most RV people know about this surprising benefit.  We count Jimmy and Nicky, the Intrepid Decrepit Travelers, among our very best friends, and we never would have known them without the blog.  Needless to say, we were delighted when Nickie let us know they would be traveling our way to Oregon during mid-July.

They wanted to see our new house in progress, maybe do some hiking (if you know the two of them, hiking is something they do a lot). However, living in the Rogue Valley in summer can be pretty darn hot, and we thought it might be fun to spend a day on the fabulous Rogue River.  That left a couple more days to spend doing fun stuff.

I sent Nickie an itinerary for a round trip route to Crater Lake, returning via a night with us at the Running Y.  Nickie saw the google map and said, Yikes!  (one of her favorite words), that is much too long to be in the car in one day.  I think the route was something like 185 miles, with planned hikes as well?  Maybe not.  We nixed that plan for a simpler one.

They arrived on Monday afternoon, in time for the 1 pm check in at Valley of the Rogue State Park, a lovely place just ten miles or so south of our place in Grants Pass.  Instead, they were given a new check in time of 4pm, due to “site maintenance”, and had to park their motorhome “Tergel” out in the hot sun until check in time.  We had already arrived at the house, but it was hot there as well, and everyone decided that our original meet up time at 5 pm at the house was still the best plan.

It was hot.  Did I already mention that? With the air going full speed in the MoHo and the Weber Q outside on the picnic table, I managed to put together a meal for the four of us to share in the new house.

After showing them around, talking about all the fun things to come with our house, we set up a table in the “dining room” where the breeze kept us reasonably cool.  Nickie and Jimmy were our second dinner guests in our new home, although they were the first to enjoy walls as well as the subfloor which was all we had when I cooked dinner for Grandson Matthew.

As is always the case when we get together, there was lots of laughter and silliness all around, playing with photos and trying to get selfies of the four of us.  Nickie worked very hard at getting her camera to actually take a time release photo, triggering even more laughter.  Sunset from the porch was lovely, the company was fabulous, and we all looked forward to the next morning’s adventure.

If you live in Grants Pass, the most exciting thing to share with friends and family is a trip down the Rogue in a jetboat with Hellgate Excursions.  We were lucky this year.  Lots of winter rains allowed the boats to run through Hellgate Canyon much later in the season than usual.  Sometimes by mid-July, the boats can no longer make the long day trip and will only travel as far as the canyon.

The Caveman Bridge with the arches and flowers is an iconic Grants Pass landmark

Our trip went through the famous canyon, beyond Graves Creek, and to the beginning of the permit required area of the Wild and Scenic Rogue.  The day gorgeous, a perfect day for enjoying the river. 

Approaching the first real rapids and Hellgate Canyon

We stopped for lunch at the famous Morrison Lodge, along the banks of the Rogue, and well known for a fishing destination since the 40’s

Nickie explores the grounds at Morrison Lodge where we had a great lunch

The Rogue is a magnificent river, emerging from Crater Lake and winding through some of the most pristine wilderness in Oregon on it’s way to the Pacific Ocean emerging at Gold Beach.  From Gold Beach, there are mail boat runs you can take for a day trip up river to Agness, something Mo did a few years ago, but I haven’t yet experienced.

I did take my phone along, deciding that getting the camera wet wasn’t worth it.  Hellgate Excursions promises that you WILL get wet.  I put the phone in a zip lock and only brought it out at safe moments.  Or so I thought.  The boat captains love to do that big spin thing that jet boats do, and we were traveling in tandem with another boat.  A few times we got a bit of spray here and there when they spun, but toward the very end of the trip, at the last place where spinning was allowed, the other captain decided a full on drench was in order. 

The wave that came into the boat wasn’t just spray, but like standing under a big wave in the ocean.  The phone got wet.  Thank goodness I managed to get it under my body upside down, and when it was all over, the phone was OK.  Whew!  I don’t have insurance on that ridiculously expensive Galaxy Note 5.  I did manage to get a few photos at least.

After a long day on the river, hot sun, and all the excitement, the four of us were perfectly happy to retire to our own places for the rest of the evening.

Early the next morning, we drove to the park to pick up our two guests for another day of adventuring, this time driving over the mountains from the Rogue Valley to the Klamath Basin.  We wanted to share the delightful luxuries of our Running Y villa with them. 

 Nickie on the beach near the lodge at Lake of the Woods

On the way, I mentioned I knew of a few nice places to check out along our route, and since this was a “water trip” for The Intrepid Travelers, they like the idea of visiting lakes and another beautiful headwater stream.  Lake of the Woods is right along the High Lakes Pass on Highway 140, the route we have traveled more times than I care to count.  Somehow with friends along, on a gorgeously clear sunny day, it looks all fresh and beautiful again. 

We then traveled north through the Wood River Valley to the beautiful headwaters of the Wood River, and yes, that turquoise is absolutely real.  I love the colors of a pure spring.

Mattie had a great time leaping about in the grass, and while it was hot, the mosquitos weren’t near as bad as they can be.  We had a makeshift lunch of cheese and crackers and veggies that just happened to be in the ice chest I was taking back from the MoHo to the Villa, so that was a lucky break.

Returning to the Running Y, there was time for a lovely cool swim before we took advantage of the lovely Ruddy Duck restaurant located in the main lodge of the resort.  Dinner on the deck overlooking the golf course and the surrounding mountains was amazing.  Mo and I have had drinks on that deck now and then, but until this evening hadn’t had dinner there.  Definitely worth repeating, and thank you Jimmy and Nickie for the great treat!

The next morning the 4 of us took Mattie for a walk on the 3.5 mile path around the golf course before we had breakfast.  I like cooking a big breakfast for company.  Don’t often do that for ourselves, so it is nice to have an excuse for all the trimmings.

In spite of the 4 pm check-in time, there was still a 1 pm check-out at the Valley of the Rogue.  We packed up and loaded into the car for the trip over the mountain by 11 to get our guests back to Tergel sitting at the park waiting patiently for the next leg of their Oregon adventure. 

What a special time to share with good friends. Lucky Us!

12-31-2016 An End and a Beginning

Current Location: Catalina Spa and RV Resort, Desert Hot Springs, California

We have settled into a familiar space here in the desert on Eleventh Street in the older 30 amp area of Catalina Spa and RV.  Mt. San Jacinto is shrouded in heavy dark clouds and the wind is blowing, but here we are bathed in sunshine.  A far cry from the heavy snows that are pummeling southern Oregon at the moment.  Daughter Melody keeps sending pictures and updates, and it does the trick.  I don’t complain a bit about the drippy days or the cool weather here in Southern California.

At last I have a day with no busses to catch, no events to go to, no shared gatherings to attend, except for the dog park perhaps.  Nothing on a schedule at least, and I do hope to get completely caught up on the last few days since the New Year began.

I do love a marching band.  All parades should have marching bands in my opinion, and sometimes small town parades can’t manage to include local bands, and without them a parade is much too quiet.  I knew that one of the highlights of this rally would be visiting BandFest, a three day event that included many of the prize winning marching bands from around the world that would be marching in the Rose Parade 2017.

Even the cloudy morning and threat of rain wouldn’t have kept me from joining our group at the grandstands of Pasadena City College to see the performance.  To say it was breathtaking would be an understatement.  Each performance was better than the last, with the final show by the Pride of Broken Arrow band from Oklahoma so far over the top that we watched in utter disbelief at what we were seeing.  Marching bands are NOT what they used to be.  I marched in the Azusa High School Band as a member of the drill team, competed at state wide events, but never saw anything like this.

The beginning of the show seemed almost normal, but as each band appeared, with more and more instruments, and more and more choreography, it was obvious we were seeing performances that would never make it to the street for the official Rose Parade.  I took a lot of videos with my phone, a Samsung Note 5, which replaced the old iPhone last summer.  Little did I know that every single one of those videos would be recorded vertically and require video software and lots of time to convert to a horizontal view.  Very frustrating.  I also did do a couple of facebook Live videos, which were great, but with gazillions of people attempting to access the internet at the same time, by the time Broken Arrow took  the field, the internet was completely unavailable.

All I can say is that if you like marching bands, check out this video of the Broken Arrow High School Marching Band to get a taste of what I am trying valiantly to describe that is really beyond words. Just watching the long line of marimbas, xylophones, pianos and other instruments rolling onto the fields was a bit of a surprise.  I have never seen a marimba in a marching band.  Of course, the marimbas were not part of the official parade, since they probably wouldn’t roll down the pavement very easily.

These guys not only played perfectly, they did it while marching backwards, doing crazy gymnastic moves, and balancing on low rider bikes while playing.  It was just beyond crazy, and incredible to watch.  No video or description can even come close to what it was like to experience in person.  I would say that if you plan to go to the Rose Parade, make sure you spend the time and $15.00 to attend at least one of the performances, each of which highlights different bands.

The predicted rain never appeared, although by the time our bus returned to the fairgrounds I did have a fairly deep bone chill going on.  Time to get back in jammies for a bit while waiting for the afternoon snacks that would hold us until our evening festivities.

It was a bit of a distance to Fontana, and the Center Stage Theater, where we were treated to dinner and a live show.  The theater is a wonderful historic venue, first built in 1937 as a one screen movie theater, closed down after many years, limping along as the location of various organizations, including the Elks, before reopening in 2008 in its current form.  Since then, Center Stage has produced over 20 Broadway musicals, and 16 original productions.

(Just for fun, I didn’t try to get the red out of the photo.  We had red lights, red tables, lots of red and everything looked red.  Thought you might get a kick out of it.)

It was a dinner show, and as we were seated at the big round tables, we didn’t really know what to expect.  Our waitress came by asking for drink requests, informing us that she would be serving us throughout the evening, in between singing in the performance.  What? 

As the evening progressed, with excellent food, and the great company of our friends Nickie and Jimmy at our table, in addition to another couple, we laughed and regaled each other with stories.  Sitting next to Mo was Dot Bolton and her husband Mel, who were from Pacifica, California.  We had not met them previously during the tour. In the course of the conversation it came up that Mo taught PE, Science, and Health at Terra Nova High School for almost 30 years.  Dot Bolton’s kids and grandkids were students of Mo’s and remembered her well.  What a crazy small world we share.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures inside the theater or of the show.  Somehow my training with kids in theater had me thinking it wasn’t ok to do that, even though no one actually said photos were not allowed.  Thanks goodness Nickie was there with her trusty camera clicking away.  Once again I will have to send you over to Nickie’s blog to get all the inside scoop about this great dinner and show. 

Afterward, I shook hands with the actors, telling them that I had kids in theater and knew what it took to do a performance like the one we had just experienced.  It was amazing to have 8 people who never had a mis step or a  missed note, made us laugh and had truly fabulous voices, in addition to serving our dinner and laughing with us at the table.  So much fun.  We celebrated the New Year at 9pm, right along with the big ball in New York, much like we do at home. 

Back at the MoHo, we heard a few fireworks go off during the night, both before and after midnight, but no guns, and we wished each other a happy new year to come.

The next morning dawned gorgeous and sunny, and with predictions for no rain, it seemed like a great day to skip the long bus ride to LA, Hollywood, and all that tourist stuff, and go for a nice hike instead.  Jimmy and Nickie thought that was a great idea as well, and we jumped into our tow cars (2 cars required since theirs is a 2 seater and ours was full of stuff).

I knew of several different trails into the nearby San Gabriel mountains, not really thinking that the sunny New Years Day would make almost every trail completely inaccessible.  As a Girl Scout I hiked Monrovia Canyon to the waterfall over and over, and loved the idea of returning. What I didn’t expect was cars lined up miles before the locked gate into the trail head, and literally hundreds of people coming and going.

Thinking that maybe the Chantry Flats trails would be a bit less popular, we traveled farther west, up Santa Anita Boulevard to the winding road that leads to Chantry, another childhood favorite where I rode horses, and later took my kids for day picnics with friend Maryruth when we were young mom’s living in Arcadia.  Once again, cars were parked a mile or more from the main parking area, and we simply gave up on what seemed like a good idea at the time. 

The drive into the canyon was curvy and dramatic, with spectacular views across the San Gabriel basin and toward downtown Los Angeles.  It was worth it to see the views and then amble back to Pomona on the old Huntington Drive Historic Route 66.  I lived just a couple of blocks from Santa Anita Boulevard as a very young kid, and then later just two blocks from Huntington Drive, although in the 50’s it was not “historic” but simply route 66. 

We shared an early evening meal of chicken enchiladas with Jimmy and Nickie in their rig and spent the rest of the afternoon resting and trying to catch up a bit on all the activities.  It was a sweet end to the first day of the New Year to come.

The next morning we would get up at 3 to have a couple of hours to walk Mattie, eat a little breakfast, and be ready to board the bus by 5am for the big event of the rally, the Tournament of Roses Parade, 2017.