MET ANOTHER RV BLOGGING COUPLE TODAY & MY CATCH UP POST FROM SUNDAY

CALTECH’S PALOMAR OBSERVATORY ON MOUNT PALOMAR CALIFORNIA

South-west Borrego winds were strong enough Sunday night for Kelly to get up & put her bedroom slide in.  A few gusts rocked the coach slightly but never kept me from a good night’s sleep.  Fortunately by morning we were down to a light breeze out of the North.

SHHHHHH, A MONDAY MORNING SUNRISE IS SNEAKING UP ON KELLY

THIS IS WHY THEY CALL WHERE WE ARE ‘THE OVEN SITE’

STANDING ON SOME HIGH GROUND WATCHING FOR OUR COMPANY TO ARRIVE

As a rule after a day or two of activities we like to have a day spent relaxing around the coach & today was that day.  I like those ocassional do nothing days just as long as I don’t have too many of them in a row.  Fellow RV Boondockers Jodee & Bill from On The Road Abode are currently here in Borrego Springs at the State Park & after a few text messages back & forth over the past couple days they took a drive out to our rig just off Rockhouse Road in the Clark Dry Lake Bed area this morning.  Wow that was quite a sentence.  First time meeting these folks & Jodee has been a regular commenter on my blog for quite awhile.  Once again how nice to meet a couple fine down to earth people. Pheebs & their Wheaton Terrier/Labradoodle Tessa got along just fine & even had themselves some play time going on.  Safe travels folks & I liked that Calicos apple turn-over you brought.  Thanks……:((

PHEEBS PLAYMATE THIS MORNING WAS TESSA

AND OF COURSE HERE’S PHEEBS MAKING A BIG PEST OUT OF HERSELF

PLAY TIME

OK SO WHY DIDN’T WE THINK TO PUT JODEE IN THE CENTER..

Feeling the need for a hot cup of coffee after Sunday’s cold & windy hike up Ghost Mountain we decided to head off to the small mountain top touristy apple pie town of Julian California.  The drive from Shelter Valley up into what I think might be the Vulcan mountain is another favorite scenic road with twisting tight curves all the way through Banner right up to Julian.   This was probably our 4th or 5th trip along this road.  Having been in Julian before we knew which coffee shop to stop at.  While I waited Kelly scooped a couple coffees plus a huge piece of apple pie to go.  Drove around to an already very crowded side street, found a place to park, & wolfed down our scrumptious apple pie.  Julian is well ren-knouned for it’s apple pies & lots of tourists.

LOOKS LIKE WE ARE LESS THAN 100 MILES FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN

STRAIGHT AHEAD ATOP THAT MOUNTAIN IS JULIAN CALIFORNIA

LOOKING BACK ON THE SCENIC DRIVE UP FROM SHELTER VALLEY

HERE COMES OUR COFFEE & APPLE PIE

 

WE SPLIT OUR 1 BIG PIECE OF APPLE PIE INTO 2 PARTS & SOMEBODY’S NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT BEING IN THE BACK SEAT

PARKED ON A JULIAN BACK STREET EATING OUR PIE THIS WAS OUR VIEW

ROUNDING THE CORNER AT JULIAN’S MAIN INTERSECTION THIS IS MAIN STREET LOOKING SOUTH

PASSING JULIAN’S CEMETERY ON THE WAY OUT OF TOWN i KNOW MARSHAL SOUTH IS BURIED TO THE RIGHT OF THOSE STAIRS AT THE TOP

LOTS OF NICE BUILDINGS IN THE AREA

SPOTTED THIS NICE GATE ALONG THE WAY

Nice relaxing scenic drive from Julian to San Ysabel following a familiar road north out of Julian to a T intersection & turned left for San Ysabel.  Kelly remembered the Julian Pie Company there as a place we had picked up a great tasting pie last year.  So off to San Ysabel we went.  One can practically smell the Julian Pie Company before one even gets there.  The air is filled with a heavenly aroma of freshly baked apple pies & yes we did end up with a pie to take home.  Kelly in her frugal ways always knows enough to ask for ‘not so perfect’ which means any pie that may not be perfectly baked.  Maybe it has a crack in the crust or something.  ‘Not so perfect’ pies are always half price.

LIKE THE OPEN ROLLING HILLS THROUGH THIS REGION

OH BOY DID THIS PARKING LOT EVER SMELL GOOD & HERE COMES OUR LITTLE HAPPY FACE TRAVELER NOW

From San Ysabel we figured on heading to Warner Springs then Borrego Springs via Montezuma’s Grade coming down the east side of the San Jacinto mountains.  While driving I remembered a few years ago being able to see the white dome of Mount Palomar’s huge observatory far off to the West high atop Mount Palomar.  Minutes later we passed a road sign with an arrow pointing the way to Mount Palomars Observatory.  Kelly said, “lets go have a look at that” & seconds later after a quick U-turn we were on our way heading in the direction of the famouse telescope.  Passed Lake Henshaw & it wasn’t long before we spotted another road sign saying 14 miles to the Mount Palomar Observatory.  Made a right hand turn & we were on our way up the mountain.

LAKE HENSHAW ABOVE & A SCENIC VIEWPOINT ALONG THE WAY BELOW

Like so many roads here in the great South-west we were again twisting & turning like a Le Mans Grand Prix vehicle on a Go-Kart track.  Up & up, round & round we went until alas we found ourselves in a large parking lot atop Mount Palomar.  We had spotted 2 white domed Observatories on the way up the winding road but from the parking lot neither was visible.  Kelly decided to wait with Pheebs while I struck off to find what once was the largest telescope in the world back in 1948.  Wasn’t hard as I just followed other people along a paved walkway.  And then there it was just as big as life through the trees…… THE PALOMAR OBSERVATORY

MY FIRST REAL VIEW OF PALOMAR OBSERVATORY

i have been to the McDonald Observatory in Texas near Fort Davis as well as Kitt Peak west of Tucson Arizona but I don’t recall either as having an Observatory building as large as the one atop Mount Palomar in California.  Did I mention the word HUGE!! 

The paved walkway led to a sweeping set of stone steps leading up & into the small lobby of the Observatory itself.  While approaching the steps I heard an industrial sound & saw the entire top half of the dome rotating form left to a right.

THE ENTIRE TOP HALF OF THE DOME FROM THE CATWALK UP WAS ROTATING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AS i APPROACHED

 

SWEEPING STONE STEPS LEAD INTO THE OBSERVATORY WHERE A PLAQUE ON THE WALL HONORS THE MAN BEHIND THE TELESCOPE

STAIRS LEADING UP 2 FLIGHTS TO AN OBERVATION ROOM

Entering the Observatories main doors I noticed a stairway to my immediate left leading upward.  It was 2 flights up to the main floor of the 200-inch (5.1-meter) Hale Telescope itself.  Through what seemed like smoked glass on the observation deck I could make out the massive telescope seemingly suspended in the dim light.   Felt like I might have been standing inside an Alien space ship as I tried to make some sense of the large telescopes configuration.  Yes there was the large familiar tube affair which one could probably drive a small car through.  Up towards the dimly lit roof of the observatory I could kind of make out the far end of the scope which in turn looked a bit confusing.  At the lower end of the scope a round open room seemed to hang freely in space with a portable stair platform leading up to it.  I can only assume this is where the Astronomers come to peer through the scope with their many instruements & software programs.  Very impressive.

THIS IS THE TOP END OF THE TELESCOPE UP NEAR THE ROOF

SOME OF THESE PHOTOS ARE A BIT MORE CONFUSING BECAUSE OF REFLECTIONS IN THE WINDOW GLASS

THESE ARE  2 OF THE LARGE STEEL WHEELS THE DOME ROTATES ON

THIS LARGE ROUND DIMLY LIT  OBSERVATION ROOM HAD A MYSTIQUE ABOUT IT & REMINDED ME OF STAR TREK’S ENTERPRISE…..WHAT A COOL WORK ENVIRONMENT

Kelly had noticed a sign saying dogs ‘on a leash’ were permitted on the Observatory’s grounds so while I was taking some photos outside of the Observatory Kelly & Pheebs came walking along.  Pheebe & I waited outside while Kelly went in to have a look at the big telescope.

HERE’S PHEEBE AT THE PALOMAR OBSERVATORY IN CALIFORNIA & NOTICE HOW SMALL THE PEOPLE ARE WALKING AROUND THE BASE OF THE BUILDING

A FAMILY POSES FOR PHOTOS OUTSIDE THE OBSERVATORY

 

SERVICE & HANDICAPPED ENTRANCE AROUND THE BACK

On our short walk back to the Jeep we stopped into the Visitor’s Center & finding the electronic displays there very impressive as well.  I was glad we had made the effort to drive over & up Mount Palomar to the Observatory.

 

COULD THESE BE 3 FLYING SAUCERS WITH A SPIRAL GALAXY IN THE BACKGROUND….MAYBE THE PHOTO BELOW WILL OFFER A CLUE

BIG TREE OUTSIDE THE VISITOR’S CENTER

It was getting into late afternoon when we pointed Libby’s nose down the mountain & away we went making only one stop for a couple giant Pine cones alongside the road.  Our day had pretty well clouded over so the Borrego Valley floor wasn’t quite as scenically impressive as it usually is coming down Montezuma’s grade.  No matter as I took a handful of pictures anyway.

Sure glad to be back at the rig after a 9 hour day which began with an early morning cold & windy climb up Ghost Mountain.  And that catches up my writings & blog photos for another day.       

<<< AND THIS WAS PHEEBS SAD LITTLE FACE A COUPLE DAYS AGO WHEN WE TOLD HER SHE COULDN’T COME WITH US WHEN WE WENT INTO BORREGO SPRINGS FOR A FEW THINGS

GROANER’S CORNER:((

Santa and his reindeer need to be really quiet when they deliver presents so no one will know they are there. One Christmas Eve when they landed on a roof top, there was a loud, "Snort, snort, sniff, honk, honk, sniff." "Shhh," said Santa and he proceeded to get out of the sleigh. Once again, louder this time, there was a "Snort, snort, sniff, honk, honk, sniff."  Dogs began to bark in the neighborhood. "Shhh," Santa said again, "Stop doing that." He started to lift his sack of toys out of the sleigh when he heard it again, even louder. "SNORT, SNORT, SNIFF, HONK, HONK, SNIFF." Lights came on all over the neighborhood. Some people opened their windows and stuck out their heads trying to see where the noise came from. Horrified, Santa jumped back in the sled and flew off to the North Pole. When he got there, he lined up all the reindeer and said, "OK, we are not going to deliver any more presents until the reindeer who is trying to be funny by making those noises confesses and apologizes." He waited. No reindeer came forward. "I know who it is," said Santa. He held up a piece of paper. "I've written your name here and I will read it. But I want to give you a chance to do the right thing,"  Still no reindeer came forward. So Santa did the only thing he could. He read off the rude-nosed reindeer.

Q: What nationality is Santa Claus?
A: North Polish.

Q: What do elves learn in school?
A: The Elf-abet!

Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
A: Snowflakes.

MY ANNUAL MARSHAL SOUTH GHOST MOUNTAIN TREK TO YAQUITEPEC

STANDING IN THE RUINS OF MARSHALL SOUTH’S YAQUITEPEC
Another beautiful Moonlit night Saturday with large clouds skudding across a dark star filled sky.  No wind & it didn’t feel cold.  Could see a large solid cloud bank coming in from the South-west but managed to get off a few night photos before the half Moon was totally obscured.

BORREGO BY NIGHT

Trouble again publishing my post but I managed to deal with the OLW bugs & it finally published close to 11 o’clock Saturday night.  Frustrating.
I was surprised by a familiar sound on our roof.  Rain!!  Not a lot but it was noticeable.  Winds began picking up & by morning it was gusting but not enough to rock the coach.  Our location at Borrego’s Clark Dry Lake Bed is well known by all RV’ers for it’s big winds & fierce wind gusts.  We have spent more than one near sleepless night at this location over the years.  When we had our Class A Damon Challenger with solar panels tilted up I thought for sure some nights those panels were going to be torn right off the roof.

SUNRISE FROM MY RECLINER THIS MORNING

EARLY MORN AT OUR HOUSE
Long time readers know I never leave Borrego Springs without first making my annual hike up the steep rocky trail on Ghost Mountain to the remains of Marshal South’s homestead he called Yaquitepec,  This morning was that morning as Kelly, Pheebs, & i headed out the door & Jeeped ourselves in a South-westerly direction through Yaqui Pass to Blair Valley.  Always love this twisty winding route through mountains & canyons & always look forward to the drive every year with it’s tight curves & beautiful scenery.  We left the rig at 9 A.M. California time & arrived at the foot of Ghost Mountain 50 minutes later.   Kelly had brought her book with her & was quite content to wait in the warm car while I hiked to the top & back. Minutes later Pheebs & I were on the ever rocky trail heading up.  Ghost Mountain by the way is more of a high rocky ridge than a towering peaked mountain as we are commonly accustomed to thinking of mountains.

BORREGO SPRINGS DEAD AHEAD

WINDING OUR WAY THROUGH THE YAQUI PASS

TAMERISK CAMPGROUND & RV PARK ON THE LEFT

MAKING OUR WAY ACROSS BLAIR VALLEYS DESERT FLOOR

GHOST MOUNTAIN STRAIGHT AHEAD & ATOP THAT RIDGE LIES WHAT’S LEFT OF THE MARSHAL SOUTH HOMESTEAD
Sun was not over the high ridge yet so it was a cold climb in the ridges shadow with the toughest part being high winds sweeping up through Blair Canyon.  My hands were cold & the winds kept blowing my hat off.  So much so I ended up having to carry it for fear of having to chase it through tangles of spear like Agave cactus plants.  Wasn’t until I crested the ridge that I caught the first rays of sunshine but gusting winds whisked away any warmth old Sol’s rays were carrying.  Hiking across a flat stretch on a small plateau before a second climb through a stumble of boulders I was staggered several times by wind gusts.  Had to keep a close eye on the Pheebs to make sure she didn’t get blown off into outer space somewhere.  She stayed pretty close behind me all the way.

OLD SOL CREEPS UP BEHIND THE JEEP AS I BEGIN MY CLIMB IN GHOST MOUNTAINS COLD GRAY SHADOW

IT WAS SO NICE TO FINALLY REACH SOME SUNLIGHT
We made our way to the large boulder climb & found a bit of wind protection there as we picked our way through a sometimes hard to see path through the large rocks.  I knew as soon as we came out of those boulders we would again be at the mercy of the wind but also knew we would also be at the Marshal South homestead.  Finally reaching the site I noted that we had made the climb in 25 minutes.  Fortunately the ruins are in a bit of a hollow & afforded us some temporary protection.  I was so glad to have once again made the trek for another year.  Have been making this climb every year since December of 2008 & I think one year I may have made the climb twice.

FINALLY REACHED THE RUINS OF MARSHALL SOUTH’S YAQUITEPEC

A ROUND BASIN TO COLLECT RARE RAIN WATER

LOOKING TOWARDS BLAIR VALLEY THE HOUSE RUINS ARE IN THE CENTER OF THE PHOTO

IT WAS A HARSH BUT BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT THEY LIVED IN
Everything looked exactly the same as it did on my last visit.  Walked around looking at everything I had looked at so many times before as I again let my mind wander back to the years Marshal South & his family lived here atop Ghost Mountain.  Rather than me telling you about what took place with this family I will give you these links.  It’s quite a story…….. In the following links the name Marshal should only have one L. 
Marshall South Home Site
Ghost Mountain Trail To Yaquitepec
Finding The Real Marshall South
Marshall South...The Years Before Yaquitepec
Also if anyone is interested in some of my other Ghost Mountain posts just type Marshal South into the search bar at the top of my right hand column.

A CISTERN SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING RAIN WATER

THE RUINS ARE AT TOP RIGHT
I have a favorite big rock at the site which I like to clamber up on each time I’m there & stand overlooking the beautiful far reaching Vallecito Valley.  It is a quiet few moments of reflection for me each year remembering past family members who made all our travels possible over these past 10 years.  However, I had to make those reflections fast this morning as the Borrego winds tried to rip me right off that rocky high point.  Managed to get a couple quick pics of Pheebs on the rock then we had to get right down off that high point again.

MY TREASURED VALLECITO VALLEY VIEW FROM ATOP A LARGE BOULDER AT THE SITE

YOU CAN SEE EVEN PHEEBS IS STRESSED & BRACED AGAINST THE HOWLING WINDS TRYING TO RIP US OFF OUR FAVORITE LARGE BOULDER
Spent another 20 minutes taking a few photos knowing full well I already have hundreds of photos of the site but each time I’m there I can’t seem to help taking a lot of pictures.  Today was no exception again.  A quick look over the edge of some boulders down into the Blair Valley where I could see the Jeep far below told me there were no vehicles in the parking area & that meant there were no people on their way up the mountain.   It was time to go & standing one last time in the ruins of where the South’s kitchen once stood i thought back half a dozen decades to when the home was once decorated for Christmas, warm & cozy.  You can read Ryder’s Souths remembrances of the those years he spent atop Ghost Mountain with his Mother, Father, Brother, & Sister in a book by Diana Lindsay called Marshal South And The Ghost Mountain Chronicles.  I have that book & it was the start of my fascination with the whole Marshal South story.  I even tracked down his final resting place in the Julian cemetery a few years ago.  Oh & we drove by his son Ryder’s house in Silver City Mexico a few years ago as well………………

BLAIR VALLEY SHOWING THE SANDY JEEP ROAD LEADING TO GHOST MOUNTAIN…..JEEP IS VISIBLE IN THIS PHOTO BUT IS HARD TO SEE IN BOTTOM LEFT SECTION

A TELEPHOTO SHOT DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SHOWING WHERE I PARKED THE JEEP WITH KELLY INSIDE READING

WIND WAS SO STRONG COMING UP OVER THE RIDGE FROM BLAIR VALLEY IT WAS BLOWING PHEEBS EARS OUT STRAIGHT

THIS IS ALL THAT’S LEFT OF THE MARSHALL SOUTH HOME

Finally leaving the homestead site Pheebs & I didn’t waste any time coming down off the mountain & i found if I kept my head tilted down the wind pushed on the top of it pasting it firmly down around my ears.  With 3 layers of upper clothing on I was sweating on the inside but cold on the outside.  It was not my best hike up & down Ghost Mountain & by the time I finally reached the Jeep my legs were feeling rubbery. 

A LAST LOOK BACK AT YAQUITEPEC & THEN WE WERE GONE

WE QUICKLY MADE OUR WAY DOWN THROUGH A SLEW OF BOULDERS ON A SOMETIMES HARD TO FOLLOW DISAPPEARING PATH

PATH LEADING ACROSS A SHORT FLAT PLATEAU BETWEEN CLIMBS

So nice to get into the warm Jeep out of that biting wind.  Kelly had made some peanut butter sandwichs & I had mine gobbled up in a matter of seconds.  Minutes later watching Ghost Mountain disappear in my rear view mirror I once again had the same thought I always have when driving away……was that my last time climbing Ghost Mountain to Marshal South’s Yaquitepec.

AGAVE
We slowly wound our way along a dusty Jeep road through Blair Valley kicking up small clouds of desert dust o alight gently on the many Agave Cactus along the way.  We were both feeling the need for a hot cup of coffee & the nearest place we were going to find that was Julian California but I’m going to have to save the second part of our day for tomorrow.  It was a 9 hour day for us & I’m just feeling way too tired tonight.  Monday I will tell you about our scenic drive to Julian followed by a spur of the moment decision to Jeep ourselves all the way over to & up Mount Palomar to see the awe inspiring world renouned Palomar Telescope.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( On the Sunday before Christmas Reverend Billy Graham was walking down Highland street in Mt Holly, North Carolina on his way to see a parishioner. However, he wanted to post a parcel urgently so he asked a young boy where he could find the post office. When the boy had directed him, Reverend Graham thanked him and said, 'If you'll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven.'  The boy replied, 'I think I'll give your sermon a miss. If you don't even know your way to the post office, how will you lead me to heaven?'
How do snowmen get around?
On their icicles.
Christmas is just plain weird. What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree in your living room eating candy and snacks out of your socks?
Q: What do you call a bunch of grandmasters of chess bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?
A: Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer!

Q: What do you get if you deep fry Santa Claus?
A: Crisp Cringle.