Funny story, Nate thought he would be able to gas up whenever we needed more. Well, after you leave Phoenix there is literally nothing for a very...long...time. We stopped at a rest stop to try and gauge where the next gas station might be and could not get service. With the assumption that we would soon run out of gas, a Chevron sign appeared over the very next exit and we rolled in on fumes! Lesson learned!
Joshua Tree National Park is a place I always hoped to make it to and it was happening. Joshua trees are a particular looking tree, a bit like a real life truffula tree (think Dr. Suess' The Lorax). They have palms, but look fuzzy at the same time. These trees are actually the largest of the yucca family. These trees, like most all other yuccas rely on one species of moth for pollination. They only grow in the Mojave Desert and are magnificent looking! We took the scenic drive through the park, however the park offers many other drives. Most of these drives require an all wheel drive vehicle and are on dirt roads. Because we were hoping to make it to San Diego by 5ish without hitting major traffic, these other drives were not explored. Someday I hope to go back and explore the geology trail that runs approximately 18 miles. The rocks
in Joshua Tree NP are a monzogranite that were weathered by groundwater. I have never seen anything
like them.
Cholla gardens (R)
Joshua Tree landscape (L)
Monzogranite (L)
Split Joshua tree (below)
Continuing on I-10W, there stood the largest wind farm I have ever seen. Sure, there are some big ones in Wisconsin and through the Midwest but there must've been thousands.
Joshua Tree National Park is a place I always hoped to make it to and it was happening. Joshua trees are a particular looking tree, a bit like a real life truffula tree (think Dr. Suess' The Lorax). They have palms, but look fuzzy at the same time. These trees are actually the largest of the yucca family. These trees, like most all other yuccas rely on one species of moth for pollination. They only grow in the Mojave Desert and are magnificent looking! We took the scenic drive through the park, however the park offers many other drives. Most of these drives require an all wheel drive vehicle and are on dirt roads. Because we were hoping to make it to San Diego by 5ish without hitting major traffic, these other drives were not explored. Someday I hope to go back and explore the geology trail that runs approximately 18 miles. The rocks
in Joshua Tree NP are a monzogranite that were weathered by groundwater. I have never seen anything like them.
Cholla gardens (R)
Joshua Tree landscape (L) |
| Joshua tree close up |
Monzogranite (L)
Split Joshua tree (below)
Continuing on I-10W, there stood the largest wind farm I have ever seen. Sure, there are some big ones in Wisconsin and through the Midwest but there must've been thousands.
I snapped a couple pictures with my phone. The wind mills were of all different heights and sizes, some had three arms and some had two, they were on hill tops and in valleys. It was a sight! After looking it up, it is the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm with over 2,500 turbines.
Shortly after Palm Springs, the scenery drastically changed. The roadside went from mostly dirt and brown hills and mountains to a lush green. The roadsides became filled with grasses and trees dotted with small orange and yellow flowers. The most amazing part was the smell! You could smell the blossoms and the ocean all at the same time. We didn't hit too much traffic and rolled into Oceanside, caught up with drinks and dinner and planned for the next day.
Our Saturday adventure took us all to deep sea fishing at Dana Wharf. There were about 20 or so people, a researcher and her assistant, and the crew on the boat. All along the docks were sea lions sunning themselves and pelicans hoping to catch a fish. Cormorants and egrets also decorated the dock posts. Everyone gathered their fishing poles, set up hooks, and attached the weights. The boat made a stop at the bait dock to gather fish and squid, then out to the ocean we went.
We couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun was shining and it was warm! On our way out of the harbor, sea lions barked a good luck (hopefully) at us and dolphin fins surfaced in the distance. The beautiful San Diego coast line was to our left as we headed south to our first fishing spot. As we stood in the front of the boat anticipating our catch, beers and burgers were consumed for extra sustenance for the five hour fishing trip!
As time passed, dolphin fins kept surfacing but were extremely hard to get pictures of due to their quick "breaths" and distance. Sea lions would frequently come close enough to check us out, come up three times and disappear again. Brown pelicans were constantly around the boat. They would try to get your catch or bait fish and many were successful. I was enamored with the coloring of the brown pelicans. Some were a dull gray with brown eyes, some had yellow heads with blue eyes, and some even had a red gullet (not sure if that is what it is called). After doing a bit of pelican research, pelicans eyes turn blue and their top plumage turns yellow after breeding.
Some were luckier than others, however we caught as least two. I only caught two, a kelp fish and a calico bass. After looking at pictures of the kelp fish, I'm not entirely certain that is what it was. Nate caught the only keeper, the calico bass had to be over 14 inches. Justin and Lacey both caught a nice number as well, increasing the variety of out catch: mackerel, red snapper, and even a barracuda. What a great time!
Because I can't help my nerdy science side, there was also a grad student on the boat collecting the fish caught and taking blood samples. She was assessing the stress levels of the caught fish by analyzing their blood for cortisol and lactate levels.
I would love to do this again!
Sunday we spent the day taking in the ocean. We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway along the ocean. People everywhere were enjoying the beautiful day running, biking, surfing, etc. We took a short trip into Old Town San Diego. There were many shops and a great Mexican restaurant to catch a beverage. We continued down to Coronado Island and enjoyed a drink overlooking the ocean. I finally got my toes in the sand here, a little chilly but totally worth it.
For dinner on Sunday we dined at Stone Brewery, what an experience! Not only is this a brewery, but it is a fantastic restaurant with beautiful gardens. While we waited for our table, we grabbed a beer at the bar and then walked around the beautiful botanics. There were heat lamps and small fires scattered around the rocky gardens to provide warmth on a chilly night. The food was great! I can't stress that enough! The service was great as well and of course, most of all importance is that I enjoyed my beer:) I wish I took my camera to dinner, however I did not anticipate a brewery being so beautiful.
Shortly after Palm Springs, the scenery drastically changed. The roadside went from mostly dirt and brown hills and mountains to a lush green. The roadsides became filled with grasses and trees dotted with small orange and yellow flowers. The most amazing part was the smell! You could smell the blossoms and the ocean all at the same time. We didn't hit too much traffic and rolled into Oceanside, caught up with drinks and dinner and planned for the next day.
Our Saturday adventure took us all to deep sea fishing at Dana Wharf. There were about 20 or so people, a researcher and her assistant, and the crew on the boat. All along the docks were sea lions sunning themselves and pelicans hoping to catch a fish. Cormorants and egrets also decorated the dock posts. Everyone gathered their fishing poles, set up hooks, and attached the weights. The boat made a stop at the bait dock to gather fish and squid, then out to the ocean we went.
Bait dock
We couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun was shining and it was warm! On our way out of the harbor, sea lions barked a good luck (hopefully) at us and dolphin fins surfaced in the distance. The beautiful San Diego coast line was to our left as we headed south to our first fishing spot. As we stood in the front of the boat anticipating our catch, beers and burgers were consumed for extra sustenance for the five hour fishing trip!
As time passed, dolphin fins kept surfacing but were extremely hard to get pictures of due to their quick "breaths" and distance. Sea lions would frequently come close enough to check us out, come up three times and disappear again. Brown pelicans were constantly around the boat. They would try to get your catch or bait fish and many were successful. I was enamored with the coloring of the brown pelicans. Some were a dull gray with brown eyes, some had yellow heads with blue eyes, and some even had a red gullet (not sure if that is what it is called). After doing a bit of pelican research, pelicans eyes turn blue and their top plumage turns yellow after breeding.
This is my favorite!
Pelicans waiting for fish
Some were luckier than others, however we caught as least two. I only caught two, a kelp fish and a calico bass. After looking at pictures of the kelp fish, I'm not entirely certain that is what it was. Nate caught the only keeper, the calico bass had to be over 14 inches. Justin and Lacey both caught a nice number as well, increasing the variety of out catch: mackerel, red snapper, and even a barracuda. What a great time!
Because I can't help my nerdy science side, there was also a grad student on the boat collecting the fish caught and taking blood samples. She was assessing the stress levels of the caught fish by analyzing their blood for cortisol and lactate levels.
I would love to do this again!
Sunday we spent the day taking in the ocean. We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway along the ocean. People everywhere were enjoying the beautiful day running, biking, surfing, etc. We took a short trip into Old Town San Diego. There were many shops and a great Mexican restaurant to catch a beverage. We continued down to Coronado Island and enjoyed a drink overlooking the ocean. I finally got my toes in the sand here, a little chilly but totally worth it.
For dinner on Sunday we dined at Stone Brewery, what an experience! Not only is this a brewery, but it is a fantastic restaurant with beautiful gardens. While we waited for our table, we grabbed a beer at the bar and then walked around the beautiful botanics. There were heat lamps and small fires scattered around the rocky gardens to provide warmth on a chilly night. The food was great! I can't stress that enough! The service was great as well and of course, most of all importance is that I enjoyed my beer:) I wish I took my camera to dinner, however I did not anticipate a brewery being so beautiful.
