Fires

At baseball practice yesterday, the smoke from the Banning fire was visible from the field. Only lost one home and it was 50% contained this morning. Just came home from a dental appointment to news reports of a fire in Camarillo which about 2 hours north of us and Jurupa Valley which is on the other side of Riverside. Some homes have been lost there. We are grateful that none of these fires are close to us. 

It's fire season. It's been hot and everything is its normal brown. The Santa Ana winds are blowing all through Southern California. Residents who live in or back up to areas that are undeveloped are temping fate. Even those of us who live on the flats are surrounded by hills. In these winds, sparks can fly a long way.

Right now, the wind is really blowing and wind warning are in effect until tonight. This is a fact of life for Southern California residents. In reality, the Southwest portion of the United States is at risk for wildfires.

It may be good that we had so little rain which may have prevented a bonus crop of vegetation. As expected, all our programming is preempted as they cover the three fires. We can only hope that the winds die down and pray for the firefighters who put their lives in danger to protect residents and their homes. They are our hero's. 

A Star for Everyone - a reflection on the A to Z challenge

 In one comment someone wrote that maybe there was more to California than Hollywood. That reminded me that I did not mention Hollywood. Quite frankly, it is overrated and not the same as it used to be in the 1960's when it was a really fun. But I digress...

I am giving everyone a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. Just substitute your name for Godzilla. I took this picture last year for my Squidoo page on "How to escape from Godzilla". For those who finished the challenge, congrats. For those who attempted but did not finish, congrats too. It's much more demanding than I expected and I was prepared.

So here is my take on the challenge. I am a grandmother raising a grandson. When this picture was taken, he had been playing baseball for about a year but he was young and sometimes his focus wasn't where it was supposed to be. He was 7 years old when this was taken. This is me at the start of the challenge. I have blogs but they just sat because I don't quite know what to do with them.

This is All Stars last July when he was 11 years old. We were at Big Bear. Notice that he has a batting stance that works for him. He knows which way to turn his body so the ball goes where he wants. (However, he needs to get his bat up. I will remind him again today at  practice.) Does he always hit the ball? No, he doesn't. Still, he knows the rules, makes a concentrated attempt and is a darn good player. Is he the best? No, he needs more practice. This is me at the end of the challenge. I know the rules, I made a concentrated effort and finished. Am I the best? Certainly not but I just need more practice too.

It was a learning experience. It was fun. I met wonderful people who were encouraging. I learned from everyone and found so many others with interesting lives and experiences. 

My hats off to those who set this up and managed it. What an incredible job! The encouraging posts were helpful, especially in the middle of the month when it sometimes seemed overwhelming.

Thanks to all of you who followed me and to those who left comments. It helped. I am going to take my time and catch up on the posts I missed and finish the list of blogs that I didn't get too.

I have no complaints or suggestions. Now that it is over, I can say that I am ready for next year.   

Z is for ZZYZX

The Urban Dictionary defines it as “The last place on Earth” It goes on to say, “It was originally founded by a crazy old man who named it Zzyzx since it would be the last word in the dictionary. The definition says Zzyzx (pronounced ZYE-ZIX) is an abandoned town somewhere between Las Vegas and LA.




That’s not exactly true. It is closer to Vegas than it is to LA and is our landmark that we are almost to Stateline. By the time I get to Zzyzx, the gambling fever has started to kick in and I know that I can make the fever go away at Buffalo Bill’s or Whiskey Pete’s. I don’t even have to go to Vegas.

Zzyzx is exit 249 on Interstate 15. You may not know that if you actually get off at exit 249, it will take you to the former Soda Springs. Today, Soda Springs is the location of the California State University Desert Studies Center and is managed by the National Park Service. The public is allowed to meander around Lake Tuendae and the shore of Soda Dry Lake. Curtis Howe Springer created Lake Tuendae in the 1940’s. Mr. Springer was an interesting man and was labeled "King of Quacks" by the American Medical Association in 1969. You can learn more about Springer on the Roadside America site. It is really an interesting story.

However, we have enjoyed the sign on I15 for many years. It has come to mean that Vegas is near. It also says that we are near family who live in Searchlight, Nevada and proudly have a picture of the sign on their wall. It is a sign that has been there since I was small and is part of my history too. Zzyzx is not the last place on earth but it is appropriate that it is the last entry for the A to Z challenge.

 Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/grenade/3885645465/

Y is for Yosemite - OK, that's pretty obvious

"Let the fire fall" 

The voice echoed through Yosemite Valley. At Camp Curry, we held our breath.  From the top of Glacier Point, a small stream became a full waterfall of molten embers as it fell to the valley floor. New to the sight or a frequent visitor, it was the highlight of the evening.

Photo credit: http://filforn.blogspot.com/search/label/Yosemite - Be careful on this site. I went to view the picture and an hour later, remembered I was doing a blog post. Meine Wunderkamper labels the blog "objects of curiosity, memory, knowledge and wonder". It is!


The Firefall is just history now. I think that in today's world it would be considered dangerous and those who track those sort of things would be out protesting. For us, in a less confrontational world, it was magical. The Firefall ended in 1968 after a somewhat tenious start in 1872. The Firefall history is well documented on this site and if you are interested in the history, it's all there.

Everyone writes about Yosemite. Today the park is more restrictive than it used to be. The freedom we had to roam is gone. Most of that is due to the park's popularity. Still, we make the trip frequently. No matter how many times you stop at the viewpoint overlooking the valley, it never gets old.

Yosemite is not just about the valley. We generally come in on the Fresno side. From the entrance, a right turn takes you to the Mariposa Grove of Sequioa's. This is my son and grandson starting the tour.

 

My favorite memory is staying at the Wawona hotel. On this trip, we ate at the hotel but did not stay there.

Instead, we pitched a tent in the Wawona campground and made it our base camp. From there, we toured the valley. The road to the valley, all 28 miles, was gravel only. It was being repaved.

 

We left Yosemite from the Tuolumne side. This pictures was taken from Tuolumne Road looking back at the valley from the other side of the park.

 

Two more pictures to share. The kids were small when this was taken next to the Merced River that runs through the valley. We were wearing long sleeve so it must have been spring when the air was still chilly.   

The kids were a little older here. This was taken at the Viewpoint.

Every time we go to Yosemite, it is a new adventure. The fact that it never gets old allows us to enjoy it all over again.

X is for Xenagogue and Xanthocarpous

This is a stretch but I have enjoyed being your California Xenagogue, which just happens to be a noun and means guide. 
 
I thought I might write about Xanthocarpous which means to have yellow fruit. One of the best places to find yellow fruit is at the California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside, California.  It will someday be the last orange grove in Southern California. The citrus industry that made Riverside the highest per capita industry in the early 1900's is dwindling with the cost of water and the extreme building of homes and businesses.

The State of California has mandated that California Citrus be a working grove. There are many acres of citrus trees and a varietal grove with specialties. One of them is the fingered citron, a yellow fruit and the origin of all citrus species. There is no juice in the fingered citron (or Buddha's Hand). It is where the spice Citron comes from.

I know a lot about this state park as my husband and I were docents there for three years.This is the visitor's center. There are some fun interactive displays.

 This is the corner of Dufferin and Van Buren in Riverside, California where the park is located. The orange stand used to be a familiar sight when traveling. People would stop to get refreshing drinks. They disappeared when air-conditioning was added to car and people were just not as parched.

 A lot of people get married in this gazebo. The setting is perfect and romantic.

Other views of the park. It is made to look like it would have in 1900 so while there are no play structures for the kids, they have hills to climb and lots of space to run and play. We have had Easter Egg hunts here and there are concerts in the park. Visitors can walk through the varietal grove and see examples of different kinds of citrus. School tours are many and the kids love the tasting session.

We love this park and spend as much time there as we can.

W is for What I learned on the A to Z Blogging Challenge

This is a departure from California destinations and attractions but it is important to note that I had no idea what I was doing when I started this challenge. I am not really a blogger. I came in not knowing the rules or the etiquette so it has been a learning experience.

C – Continue to blog even when you think that it’s too much.

A – Always know your material and write from the heart.

L – Leave meaningful comments.  

I – Invite other bloggers to follow you.

F – Follow those blogs that capture your attention. They can teach you a lot.

O – Organize your posts ahead of time so there is no need to stress.

R – Realize you can’t read all the blogs and then try to do it anyway.

N – Never forget who your audience is.

I – Invest time by participating fully in the challenge.

A – Always thank those who have taken the time to leave comments.

Thank you everyone for the comments and encouragement. Now back to our regular scheduled programming and don't miss "Z". It's my favorite.   

V is for Vacation

We vacation but California is not our only destination. As you can see from the map, we have been to many states and try to add more each year. Next month I am going to add Tennessee and hopefully, Kentucky although my itinerary has me landing in South Carolina so I might claim that too. 

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visited 31 states (62%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Free android travel guide


The United States is full of the most incredible places to visit and each state has its own beauty. I can honestly say in each state we have visited, there are places where I would up and move if I had the chance. In 2007, we packed the truck and camper and drove 3000 miles to Maine. This is Gary with one of the lobsters we pulled out of the Camden Harbor.

 

Our friend has a lobster boat and does tours but he took us out by ourselves. What an incredible trip that was!

While I write about California, I have so many other places to share. For example, Salem, Massachusetts is not my favorite place. We stayed at the Winterhaven campground. However, most of my time was spent at the hospital. I developed some sort of a nasty bug that sidelined us for two days. I also got a parking ticket. They are not kidding with their posted parking time limits.

This picture was taken somewhere between Bois d Arc, Missouri and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Route 66. It is spots like this that make travel interesting. This is a 1912 gas station that the forest is reclaiming.

 

So while I write about California, I want to pay homage to the other states. I could easily write a A to Z on all the states we've visited. California just happens to be where I was born and have lived for 60 years. Ours is a beautiful country with surprises at every turn. I can't wait to find new adventures as we continue our travels.