Alex came and went. It was an all too brief week. We tried to tour Palomar Observatory but the road was closed due to ice! Instead we toured Palomar State Park.
What a treat, we will have to return. We took the long dirt back road out, Harrison Grade, after hearing someone driving a passenger car being warned off of it. The best description I can give is a snake with indigestion. The drive home from the airport was a mountain road treat in itself. We did not return that way with the motorhome. We traveled into Temecula and found other places of interest. We also found birds wherever Alex looked. You will need to get the list from him. We left Jojoba Hills a day early and set up camp in Indian Waters Resort in Indio where Yechiel and family joined us. They had a cabin not more than 100 feet from our campsite, that was fortuitous.
On Monday we drove in two cars up the southeastern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. We almost lost control of all three boys when we got to the first pile of boulders, well maybe all five.
We continued through the park with stops at several good bouldering areas and one nice walk into Hidden Valley, eventually exiting the northwest exit to continue around to I 10 and return to the motorhome from the east. We dined separately and then gathered to spend the evening.
In the morning we dropped Alex off at the airport for his return to Virginia and to begin college at Piedmont Virginia Community College. The remaining boys left the women to some peace and quiet and went off to Palm Springs Air Museum. After substantial time in the hangers with the wonderful WW II planes, Azriel and Avi disappeared. We knew where to find them, up by the flight simulators. Each of them had the opportunity to fly a nice takeoff and landing circuit with a simulated P51!!! Azriel neatly put it down on the grass between the runways and Avi stuck the nose into the runway, oops. We waded through the rainwater flooding the parking lot and drove slowly back to the campground through floods at every dip in the road. It had been pouring continuously.
Back at Jojoba Hills I have been getting myself in trouble. Not only can’t I say no, I have been looking for places to say yes. This is the time of year when the governance turns over. Our neighbor across the street is running for president. I thought Corporate Communications was an interesting opportunity and put my name on the list before going to audit a Finance Committee meeting. Okay so I’ll sit on two corporate committees. For community volunteering I have signed up to escort visitors to their site when they arrive. I think that’s all so far.
Looking forward to visits from Azriel, Dean and Jane, and the Armstrongs. There are plenty of other people we hope to link up with over the coming months.
