2/9/08 Leaving Lone Pine and heading to Visalia

Hi there,

I am leaving Lone Pine now....It was a great visit... I will stop back here again to further investigate this wonderful area.

I had a long drive ahead of me. I came across an area known as Red Rock Canyon. The rock formations are a beautiful shade of red!! After stretching my legs for a bit and taking in the scenery I was once again heading to Visalia.

By the time I reached the area it was getting late- I found a KOA Campground. Decided to call it a day and get a good nights sleep

In the morning I would check out the area better, and head up to Kings Canyon.

Off to post pictures and more adventures..........take care everyone!!
SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #127: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

2/8/08 Lone Pine- Movie Road- Beverly & Jim Rogers Museum

Hey Everyone!!

Here is about my day in Lone Pine! I started by visiting the Beverly & Jim Rogers Museum.
This place is great!!! It is a museum of the history of film making in the Lone Pine area.
There have been hundreds of movies and commercials made here. Not all of the movies were Westerns either! That was a real surprise to me!

This museum was full of posters, costumes and many other artifacts from all the movies made here. There were saddles, outfits, guns, stage coach, autographs.....and so much more. They also had a small movie theater- where they show for free a 10 min movie about the filming in Lone Pine. The museum also had a wonderful gift shop with a lot of unique gifts.

After spending a couple of hours taking in all the sites here- I was ready to go out and see the actual place these movies were made. It is called Movie Road located in the Alabama Hills, at the base of Mount Whitney (the highest point in the lower 48 States).

It was so great to actually be where all those movies were made....to walk where so many famous people had walked before me....but more important to me was to see GOD's most wonderful beautiful creations... these mountains, and rock formations wowed me constantly!

I hope you like the pictures I took- trying to capture the beauty of this area!!

This whole area offers so much for everyone!!! Here are just a few things to see and do:

1) Eastern Sierra Museums- (there are 20 of them) here are a few of the web sites:
www.monocommuseum.org- Mono County Museum
info@friendsofbodie.org - Bodie State Historic Park
www.MonoLake.org - Mono Lake Committee Information Center
mbhs@qnet.com - Old School House Museum
www.nps.gov/depo - Devils Postpile National Monument
www.MammothMountain.com - Top of the Sierra
www.Mammothskimuseum.org - Mammoth Ski Museum
www.lawsmuseum.org - Laws Railroad Museum
www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo - Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center
www.countyofinyo.org/ecmuseum - Eastern California Museum
www.nps.gov/manz - Manzanar National Historical Site
www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org - Beverly & Jim Rogers Museum
www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/house-tour.htm - Scotty's Castle
www.nps.gov/deva/ - Death Vally National Park, Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Borax Museum
www.maturango.org - Maturano Museum

2) Hiking Mt. Whitney

3) The Alabama Hills

4) The Whitney Portal Road

5) Movie Road

6) Rock Climbing, Fishing, Bird Watching

7) Death Valley National Park

8) Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

And these are just a few of the many wonderful things to see and do....If you ever find yourself in this area- please take the time to check out this gem in the Sierras!!


Take care everyone...off to get the pictures together.... take everyone- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #126 http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

2/7/08 Arriving at Lake Diaz

Hi There,

Made it to Lake Diaz- this is where I will camp for the next couple of days- while I check out the area. It is a beautiful campground nestled in between 2 mountain ranges....the view is spectacular!! There were 3 others here camping.... it is winter time here and not many people camp this time of year.... I can imagine that in the summer this place is packed!!!

I made 2 little friends there were a couple of squirrels that had a home in a nearby tree.... I can already tell they are going to be a great source of amusement for me!!! LOL They are very active and playful.

After I was done setting up - I ventured out to the visitors center for the area to discover everything there was to see out here. Well needless to say there is tons and tons of things to see here. Between the mountains and the desert and everything in between!!! I know won't get it all in but I will try my best!! Once leaving the visitor center I went to Lone Pine to check it out- I found a few interesting things there to check out further- but it was getting late now- so I decided to head back to camp site for the night. There isn't much in the line of street lights up here.....so when it gets dark- it's very dark!!

I enjoyed a very quiet and peaceful evening ....it was a bit chilly sitting out by the campfire- but once I got into my tent and under my blankets...I was nice and toasty!! OK I am off to get my first pictures of this area ready to post.... will be back soon- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #125: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

2/6/08 Wednesday- Palm Springs and Ridge Crest

Hi There,

I left TwentyNine Palms in the morning to seek out some Mountain Ram art work in the Palm Springs area.

I arrived in Palm Springs a short time later. I did a quick drive thru and realized that parking the SUV and walking around would be a better idea. As this area is very congested with a lot of foot traffic....you can get around by car but with all the shops so close to one another and all the visitors milling around- it was easier to park and check things out. I went to the small visitors center/library. I was not getting much info or real help...I asked a few people about the art work or if they knew where I could find out more information about the Rams...I basically got the cold shoulder from everyone that I spoke with. I did find out about an Art Museum in the area- so I made my way there trying to find out more about the art work. Well when I got there....I got the the cold shoulder there too......so I was not overly impressed with the Palm Springs area. I got the impression that people here are a bit to snobby for my liking. I guess the don't take to outsiders very much....the only visitors they seem to be interested in are the local visitors! If you were from out of the area- they couldn't be bothered with you....very disappointed!!!

As I was making my way out of the area I did find one of the Rams. As you can see in the picture above. I found it outside a local bank. Well I am now done with this area!! LOL

Now to make my way to Lone Pine. I drove all day and it was getting late and I was noticing signs for free range cattle and I started having flash backs to New Mexico....LOL.....so I decided to find a place to settle for the night. By this time I arrived in Ridge Crest, CA. This lovely little town is nestled up in the mountains.

I was looking forward to arriving in Lone Pine the next day. I have been a long time fan of Western movies and I found out this is the place to visit- the mecca of where Western movies were made! A special thanks to my friend Jullie and all of her help finding out about this area..... It started when I was in TX visiting with her. Another friend told me that John Wayne had made several movies in the area around San Angelo......well after some research- Jullie and I found out that most of the Western movies I grew up watching were made in Lone Pine, CA!!!! So here I was making my way to Lone Pine.....can't wait to check out the area!!!

Well off to bed I went- wanted to get an early start..... Take Care til my next entry!!-Donna

2/5/08 Tuesday - TwentyNine Palms- Joshua Tree National Park

Hi There,

Another beautiful sunny day...... I stopped in the office to ask about some loud booming sounds I heard during the night. The clerk gave a chuckle and said that is "Our Marines " playing war games. They were shooting off their big guns. I hadn't realized that there was a large Marine Base just down the road in the middle of this desert. LOL
I headed to the museum- "29 Palms Art Gallery" 1st. The Gallery can be found at:
74055 Cottonwood Drive, TwentyNine Palms, CA.
For more info on the Gallery please see: http://www.29palmsartgallery.com/

I found Anne and told her about my travels and that I was looking for the giant painted tortoises. Much to my disappointment the project had taken place the previous year and all the pieces of art work had already been auctioned off. It was a project to help out the local Hospice Center. Anne did give me the name of the head of the Hospice, and I planned to go there for a visit- hoping they may still have one or two of the tortoise there. I spent about 1/2 hr looking around the museum at all the art work done by local artist. There were some truly beautiful pieces in the museum. I asked Anne about the art work painted on buildings around town, that I had noticed the day before. She told me about the "Oasis of Murals" a project that she and others had been working on. All of these paintings were a look into the heritage of the desert oasis area. The Morongo Basin Area. Anne gave me a visitor's guide of all the paintings in the area. I planned to visit all of them and get some pictures of them. She also told me about a project in Palm Springs of Mountain Rams ( I will check that out later). I thanked Anne for all of her help...and off I went.
I was now on my way to the Hospice Center hoping to see those giant tortoises.
I found the Center....but I was sad to hear that they had no tortoises left. They showed me some pictures of the ones that had been painted by local artist.....The artist had done a great job on them...sorry I don't have any pictures of them to share with you.
http://www.hospiceofmorongobasin.org/

I now took my "Oasis of Murals" guide and went on the hunt for art work around TwentyNine Palms. The guide was very helpful. It not only had a picture of the murals with brief descriptions- it also had a map to show me where to find them all!! There were a total of 22 different murals....all were very interesting!! I got pictures of all of them...I hope you enjoy them too.

To find out more about the "Oasis of Murals" please see: http://www.oasisofmurals.com/
SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #123: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

After going around town taking pictures I decided to get a bite to eat. When I finished I made my way to the Joshua Tree National Park. This National Park is part of the Mojave Desert. I spent the rest of the day exploring the Park....there is so much beauty in the desert!

For more info about this National Park see: www.nps.gov/jotr
SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #124: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

At sun down I headed back to the resort for some dinner, laundry, and pool time!!

Wednesday morning I was going to Palm Springs to try and find Mountain Ram Art Work, then heading to Lone Pine, CA.

2/4/08 Monday - Heading to 29 Palms

Hello Everyone,



Monday morning it was time to leave the motel that I had spent that 11 days at. I was now heading to 29 Palms a town out in the Mojave Desert. I was hoping to find a contact given to me by an art director in Ocala, FL.

She had told me about this other art center and their work with a project of giant painted tortoises.... much on the idea of the art work I have been finding through out the country.



I arrived in 29 Palms by mid afternoon. I found the art center but it was closed on Mondays. So I decided to find a place to set up camp for the night. I found a wonderful RV resort. It is called Twenty Nine Palms Resort. Located at: 4949 Desert Knoll Ave, TwentyNine Palms, CA.

The web site for resort is http://www.29palmsresort.com/



The prices were great and there was so much they had to offer. There were places for RV's, tenting and a few cabins. They had a huge indoor pool, sauna,hot tub, golf,club house (where many other activities are held- like music, dancing,dinners), card/dart/pool room, laundry facilities, and many more amenities. I would highly recommend this resort if you are in the area and need a place to stay.



After getting settled I found a grocery store in town and got some supplies. While I was out I noticed a lot of the buildings around town had art work on them. So I started to take pictures of them.



Now the sun was getting ready to set so back to resort I headed. Had some dinner, went for a swim and then settled for the night.



It had been a great day... and I was looking forward to exploring the area more the next morning.


SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #122: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

2/3/08 Super Bowl Sunday!!

Hi Everyone,



This is the last day of David's visit. He will be on a plane tonight- heading back home to Massachusetts.
We did a little shopping and grabbed some pizza and settled into the room to watch the Super Bowl together. Our Patriots were playing against the NY Giants. It was a great game.....but unfortunately The Patriots lost....(soooo sad) LOL
After the game was over I drove David to the airport so he could catch his flight home. It was a sad evening- I really didn't want him to go home....I guess I was feeling a bit home sick.
I went back to the motel and got things together. The next morning I was heading to 29 Palms. I was looking for some art work that my contact - Nancy in Ocala, FL had told me about. I was looking for Anne at the 29 Palms Art Gallery. I was hoping to find giant painted tortoises.
****** Off to catch up on more entries LOL I am almost caught up to date.........................
(only 1 yr behind!! LOL).
Take care til we meet again.....Love Donna

2/2/08 Saturday- Corando, Imperial Beach, Little Italy

Howdy,

Well it was now Saturday morning....the weather was beautiful as it had been all week.


David and I decided to take a ride over to Coronado Island. This is an island located in the Harbor. You get to it by crossing the Coronado Bridge. There are many homes, businesses and the entrance to the Naval Base, on this Island.....Also the famous Coronado Hotel.


We walked along the beach and enjoyed watching the dogs playing on the beach together (part of the beach is for dogs to romp- up near the Naval Base-end) There were also many, many, sail boats out on the water... It was a very relaxing morning.


After leaving the island we decided to go back to the Imperial Beach area. We found a quaint little coffee cafe'. We sat outside on their terrace area and drank our coffee and talked over all the many wonderful things we had seen so far. We also discussed the up coming evening activities.


We had found out earlier in the week that Saturday night in Little Italy there was going to be a "Passaporto di Carnevale"....sort of a Mardi Gras type night....there were going to be many activities, bands, singers, mimes, clowns and other such things.....


David and I had decided that we were going back to Little Italy to have dinner and enjoy the festivities. We were not disappointed. It was a fun night....we end up eating dinner back at Filippi's Pizza Grotto - and the food was superb!! After dinner we walked the whole length of Little Italy and took in all the sites and sounds......It was a wonderful way to bring our time together in San Diego to a close!


If you would like any further information about the above please see:
www.coronadovisitorcenter.com/
www.coronado.ca.us/
www.littleitalysd.com/Carnevale/index.asp


We got back to the motel late in the evening. THe next day David was flying back home.... we did not want this vacation to end...........

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #121: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

2/1/08 Friday- Day of Rest

Hi Again.....

This was our lazy day...... we have been going non stop for 5 days now...my back and whole body were shouting"STOP" !!! LOL

So David and I spent a very relaxing day doing just about nothing..... we slept in late, had a long breakfast......did some laundry.....watched TV..... and just rested up.

The week was going by so fast ....... David had a flight home Sunday after the Super Bowl..... It will be very sad to see him leave.

We decided to go out for dinner....we found a buffet style Chinese restaurant. the food wasn't bad. After dinner we went back to motel and just watched TV before going to bed.

1/31/08 Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument

Back Again Everyone.....

After leaving the Wild Animal Park, David and I drove back to the coast. We were on our way to Point Loma and the Cabrillo National Monument.

At the beginning of Point Loma there is Coast Guard Light house and offices...one you leave the parking area there are signs explaining the sea life you are apt to see during your visit....then you proceed to walk down a series of walkways and paths to the edge of the cliffs. Standing out there on edge of cliffs is very awe inspiring. The birds fly by and you can almost touch them.... if you want - you can make your way down the cliffs to a small beach area- where you will find tide pools.

Once back up on the cliffs you can walk quite a ways along the edge of the cliffs enjoying the ocean view to the left and to the right a hill rising very high- and you can just barely see the top of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, on top of that hill.

After taking in the view for quite awhile we made our way back to SUV. We drove up to another look out point- the view was spectacular!!

We then drove up to the top of the hill where the Cabrillo National Monument and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse are located. From there you can see all of downtown San Diego and its outskirts, plus the whole harbor area. The views are breath taking!! There is a small museum up there explaining the history of the area. The Cabrillo Monument is located just outside the museum. The old lighthouse was a few hundred yards away and it was great to see this old lighthouse.... lighthouses hold a special place in my heart.

The Park closes at sundown so around 4:30 we started to make our way down to the city area... On the way back down the hill we noticed a National Cemetery. It is amazing to look in any direction and see a straight row of pristine white headstones. We made it to the highway and decided that we did not want to sit in rush hour traffic, so we got off at The Old Town exit and made our way back to Cafe Coyote to have dinner. The food once again was to die for!! We waited there well into the evening before heading back to the motel for the night.

It had been a very long day....but well worth all the aches and pains I was now feeling!!! LOL
For more information about Point Loma or Cabrillo National Monument check out: http://www.nps.gov/cabr

Ok off to get the next entry ready....

Hope you enjoy the pictures of Point Loma.
SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #120: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Thursday 1/31/08 Wild Animal Park

Hey there......

Thursday morning David and I were up early once again. We had another full day ahead of us!!
Our first stop was the the Wild Animal Park located in the San Pasqual Valley of Rt 78. This park was truly wonderful!! There were so many animals to see and exhibits to learn from. There were rides, and special tours, food and shopping- a little bit of everything for everyone!!
This is a huge park...and needless to say by the time we got done I was very very grateful!LOL
There was one disappointment in the park that day. We had hoped to take a ride in the hot air balloon to get some great aerial views of the park but due to wind conditions that ride was not operating the day we were there.
We spent almost 5 hrs walking around and checking out all the animals. We did take one tram ride that took us out into the open areas where the animals roam.
If you would like more info on the park please see: http://www.wildanimalpark.org/
I hope you will enjoy the pictures of the park.
SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #119: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Wednesday 1/30/08 San Diego Zoo

Howdy Y'all,



On Wednesday morning David and I headed out to the San Diego Zoo. I was really looking forward to this adventure, because I was going to see my beloved Panda's!!!!

When we arrived, the zoo was just opening up for the day. There were a few school buses their with kids getting ready to check out the zoo.

Once inside we made our way around to all of the exhibits. We stopped to have a quick bite to eat at one of the many stands through out the zoo and we also went to the gift shop where I got a sterling silver panda for my ankle bracelet. We then went to one of the many shows offered at the zoo. To finish off our visit we took a tram ride around the zoo to get one more final look around. It was about 3pm when we left and heading back for downtown.

Once back in downtown San Diego we visited the Historic Gas Lamp Section. It was nice to see some of the old buildings and park areas. We were strolling along and getting hungry...LOL...we came across the Whiskey Girl and decided to have dinner there. The food and atmosphere were wonderful.

After dinner we decided we were not ready to head back to the motel yet...so we walked around town. The city is very busy and "colorful" at night! We came to a very interesting place and decided to check it out. It was called Dick's Last Resort. This is a very wild place !!!! LOL It would not have been a place I would normally frequent...but I am glad I checked it out.....They are a little too crazy in there for me....which is saying a lot....cause I am crazy myself!!!! LOL But I tend to be on the quiet side of crazy this place was hopping...in many ways!!!!! LOL After a couple of drinks and about a hour of people watching we were off again..... Our next stop was at a tavern called Maloney's. This was a quiet pub type bar. Mostly young college age kids in here...with a few of us older types!!!! LOL We stayed for a drink then decided that we would head back to the motel...we had another long day coming up......

Please check out the zoo pictures- I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I had taking them!! Until next time- take care everyone!!!!- Love Donna
SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #118: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880