Joshua Tree National Park

January 10, 12014

Joshua Tree National Park...wow!  Driving in, I figured that we would only spend one night here.  It didn’t seem like much and as we soon discovered, the desert holds much more than is apparent to the casual observer. 

I really had a different picture in my head of what a Joshua Tree actually was.  It is actually a Yucca Brevifolia  and a member of the Agave family.  They are twisty spiky trees right out of a Dr Seuss book.  

It is an important part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem, providing habitat for numerous birds, mammals, insects and lizards.  Joshua Tree forests tell a story of survival, resilience and beauty through perseverance.  Like the Lorax, we speak for the trees, but often the tree speaks to us.    

We are at Jumbo Rocks Campground…and the name does not lie! These rocks are jumbo.  It is a beautiful spot and and we are all enjoying exploring all the rocks and cave formations.  

We love it here so much we had to spend another full day exploring.  We came across a really cool meditation garden, lots of totems and different rock formations left behind by others.  We left our mark too. 

The entrance to a labyrinth can be a place to stop, reflect, make prayer or intention for the spiritual walk you are about to take. The walk around the design to the center can be a "letting go" - a quieting of the thoughts, worries, lists of tasks to do, a letting go unto the experience of being present in the body. Arrival at the center rosette - a place of prayer/meditation - "letting in" Gods guidance, the divine into our lives. When ready, the walk out "letting out" takes us back into our lives, empowered by spirit to transform our lives and actions.

The rocks are quite unlike anything we have seen. Many huge round balls and also many cut into diagonals and diamond shapes.  The kids have a new word they named podacle: noun, a shallow cave like cut out in a rock, usually round in nature. 

The boys are off on another hike (I will wait for the sunset hike) while I am back at camp with Scout baking a loaf of banana bread for the morning.  I still need my baking fixes!

We have had no internet since we arrived, so sorry if anyone was worried about our whereabouts that last couple of days.  We weren’t expecting to have no service, but it has been nice to disconnect.  I can still upload and work on my photos, so I am happy.  

We met some nice girls that are camping next to us.  They remind me of Laney…one has really awesome bright red hair, so young and nice.  Scott had heard them chatting outside as the temps started to drop and he thought they might be cold.  My mother instincts kicked in and I dug out my 2 extra blankets from storage, all nice and clean and brought them over.  They were most grateful in the morning…that and a cup of hot coffee delivered to their doorstep!  They are already returning he favor by picking us up some firewood for tonight so we don't have to drive this thing into town.  Scott is so funny telling the boys stories.  They are stories about us and our trip but with a different ending...sometimes funny, sometimes scary! I made the kids a grilled treat of bananas sliced open with marshmallows and chocolate chips wrapped in foil....not bad.  The only thing missing was the ice-cream!

I played around with some night photography.  We bought the kids some helicopter glow sticks that they fling in the air like a slingshot. These are the rocks at our site...you can see the constellation Orion.

I got up for the sunrise and grabbed the sunsets too!

Next stop, Lake Havasu, AZ.  We were in California from December 8- Jan 10th!

~Linda

Huntington Beach

January 5-8th

Classic sight of of a VW bug with surfboard driving into Huntington Beach!

We really enjoyed some premium waterfront parking at Huntington Beach.  Apparently, you can only camp out there during the low season which we are in.  The kids had fun creating their little cities in the sand, playing frisbee and skim boarding taking full advantage of the nice weather.  

I even got to sneak away to a local salon for a pedicure and later met the boys for lunch at Ruby’s Diner.  It’s the only restaurant at the end of the 1800 ft pier serving burgers and shakes.  There was a Balloon Guy that came to our table and just when I think they are too young for that kind of thing, Jack asked for a Palm Tree hat with a monkey.  Tyler got a fire breathing dragon! He let us know about a street festival going on that night.

It was fun watching the surfers every night and the last sunset there was an amazing one.  I decided to shoot it from the pier where I was looking down on the surfers and the sun kept hitting the top of the waves.  It was like liquid lava.

After the sunset, we walked down Main Street that they had closed off for the street fair.  I was kind of surprised that they had one, being a Tuesday night, in the off season.  Surprisingly, it was pretty well attended.  Along with a petting zoo, bouncy house, jewelry, clothing, and lots of baked goods they had a Farmer’s Market.  Of course, the kids and I sampled cakes and breads the whole way down the street.  The Farmer’s Market was a welcomed sight and we bought a ton of strawberries, asparagus, eggs and oranges fairly cheap….it helps actually being close to where they actually grow.

A few days at the beach was enough for me.  I get kind of bored and I don't particularly care to build sand castles all day! Scott was great sport and really played with the kids all day long!  

Off to our next destination....Joshua Tree.  Jack asked what it was and then he said "oh, forget it, I don't want to look it up!"  

~Linda

Inquiring minds want to know...

One of our friends asked us:

Hi Hadwen Family---I am enjoying your travels----Now that you have made it to California---What has been the best place/experience for each of you? Also the worst place------seeing friends and spending time together doesn't count......

LINDA: I loved driving down the Pacific Coast Hwy. This has always been on my bucket list of things to do. However, I never quite imagined driving it in an RV...a convertible would have been more like it! I loved every quirky, California beach town from San Fran all the way to San Diego. My least favorite was having to spend any night at a truck stop.

TYLER: He says Graceland was his favorite...Elvis, rock and roll, the whole pink limo experience. His least favorite was Montezuma's Castle in New Mexico. They had a Jr Ranger program with "homework" and he got mad! LOL

JACK: His least Niagara Falls because it was cold and wet and we couldn't see anything! His favorite was seeing the elephant seals on the beach in San Simeon. He loved being so close to the animals in the wild!

SCOTT:  My least favorite was some/most of the Rt. 66 points of interest where we bottomed out the RV and bent the metal beam protecting the propane tank, but to top if off with viewing the Cadillac Ranch which was nothing more than a dump (of tons of empty spray paint cans and other trash), made it worse.  My favorite was El Capitan where we stayed for 5 days and I was able to relax in the warm sun.

Enjoying some downtime at Huntington Beach for a few days.

our white RV is above the fire, to the left.

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  ~Linda

Silver Strand State Beach (Coronado, CA)

January 5, 2014

We spent the day at Silver Strand State Beach in Coronado. Silver Strand State Beach features extensive beaches on both the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay. San Diego's South Bay is a major seaport bustling with shipbuilders, naval traffic and international commerce. But out on the narrow seven mile spit of sand that protects San Diego Bay from the sea, you'll get the sensation of being far removed from civilization as you comb the endless, deserted beaches for seashells.  

We packed up a lunch, Jack's skimboard, a couple of chairs and jumped in the car.  I must say, as we were sitting on the beach I did miss all the comforts of the RV!  I love that the kids can make anything fun with limited "things".  

Jack was the bird whisperer, while Tyler adopted a pet bull whip kelp to walk.

hermit crabs!

playing with some bull whip kelp

a couple of plastic cups were fun for quite awhile!

A nice ending to our time in San Diego and we are sneaking back up the coast to Huntington Beach for a few more days on prime beachfront real estate before we head start the long journey East.

~Linda

Cuddly pandas, sunsets & reality!

January 4, 2014

It's not all cuddly pandas and glorious sunsets. I didn't think I had much to say about yesterday, but, apparently I do! I will share our day as it really was. 

I got a nice pic of Ty & Scott!

I expected to get up and out to either Torrey Pines or Coronado today so I jumped in the shower.  It took forever for the water to heat up and when I did get in, the nozzle only reached my shoulder.  In order to rinse my hair I was practically doing back bends.  Kind of like the time in Big Sur where I was in a handicapped shower stall.  I looked in and saw a high nozzle and a low one.  I put a token in and the water only came out the low nozzle so I took that shower on my knees.  What is it with me and my showers? Jeez! I do learn my lessons though and I have not forgotten a towel twice!

Next up, a quick couple loads of laundry. There are 4 washer/dryer pairs in 2 separate buildings here. They are ALWAYS busy. I had to get my mind into stealth mode and take ownership of one pair if I was ever going to get any laundry done. Do or die, now or never! These ladies are ruthless and I swear they have a stopwatch! I snuck in and got 1 washer.  When I came back they were discussing how I was doing laundry all morning....bunch of bullies! I unloaded the wet and reloaded the same machine telling them how I have a husband AND 2 kids that get dirty and go thru too many clothes.  I got a touch of sympathy, but still gave up my washer after the second load.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Scott was cooking up breakfast. Scrambled eggs, sausage and OJ. Dirty dishes, computers, nooks, phones, cameras and all their corresponding cords are everywhere!

This place needs a good cleaning! Scott heads out to grocery shop and I kick the rest if the crew outside! The kids are huddled over a computer laughing their butts off while Scout is laying in some wet dirt. I'm on my hands and knees washing the floor, vacuuming, dishes, laundry etc. I give the kids the long runner rug to shake out and they go crazy. So wild and laughing hysterically playing tug of war with the rug!  Proof that they don't need toys and stuff...they can make their own fun out of a paper bag!

I no sooner finish and sit down and they all want to come back in and Scott arrives home with the groceries and Nana calls not liking the story about Tyler escaping in his sleep! Calgon take me away...2 minutes, that's all I ask, 2 minutes to enjoy a clean place before everyone gets their muddy paws all over it! LOL  

I spend the rest if the day reading and napping until it's just about sunset. We all head out at around 4pm to go to Sunset Cliffs. This has to be the best spot got a sunset photo, right? There is a traditional wedding going on along with a commitment ceremony, surfers are out, the only thing missing is the actual sunset. It was a hazy bust!

We all need our "down days" even if it is in San Diego. There is still so much more to see but we can't do it all. We have to save some things for another trip!

~Linda