The weather had warmed and we enjoyed getting out and walking around the desert, looking at the beautiful flowers that had sprung up as a result of the rain. 
We also went one more time to pick oranges so we could take a good supply with us on the trip. Of course, we had to make another trip into town to get groceries, do laundry and make one more run to the Arizona Market, just in case we needed one more thing before leaving! McKenzie had to make her usual trip to Petsmart for food and treats and just happened to find a real bargain on a new shirt. We had trimmed her down and she now needs to wear shirts for a few weeks until her hair grows a little, so she doesn't get sunburned. At least she chose something that was on sale!!! 
We had a couple of campfires and a Leap Year day that consisted of games, starting in the afternoon at the activity center and then ending up with a hot dog roast. We played washers and a game named "golf". (How it got that name, I will never know, but you try to throw a ball on a string around a platform made of pvc pipe. It's fun and neither George nor I had ever played, so we had to try it out. ) You are now hearing from the Grand Winners of the water balloon toss! That's right, George and I were the lone couple standing after everyone else had managed to drop or bust their water balloons!!(Wet T-shirts on senior citizens - hmmmm!) 
Jack decided to check out the buffet table but decided there just wasn't enough ruffage to suit him. He did reappear for the hot dog cookout though.
After spending a couple of days in Quartzite, we headed toward California with our first stop being at the Elks Club at San Luis Obispo. From this spot, we left the trailer and drove the truck on Route 1 up to see the Hearst Castle.
William Randolph Hearst, the man behind Hearst Castle, was an important figure from the twentieth century whose influence extended to publishing, politics, Hollywood, the art world, and everyday American life. His power and vision allowed him to pursue one of the most ambitious architectural endeavors in American history, the result of which can be seen in the magnificent grounds and structures of Hearst Castle. Before we go much further, here's a little background history.In 1865, George Hearst, a wealthy miner, purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland that included the Mexican Ranchos of Peidras Blancas, San Simeon, and Santa Rosa. In 1919, his only son, William Randolph Hearst inherited this land from his mother. By then, the ranch had grown to encompass 250,000 acres. Originally known as "Camp Hill", its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips. Despite elaborate arrangements with separate sleeping and dining tents, Hearst envisioned more comfortable accomodations and dreamed of building a dwelling similar to those he had seen on his European tour as a boy. Hearst amassed a vast and impressive art collection that included classical paintings, tapestries, religious textiles, oriental rugs, antiquities, sculptures, silver, furniture and antique ceilings. His mother introduced him to Julia Morgan, an architect that she had used. Hearst Castle was to become the realization of his dream as he and Julia collaborated for 28 years to construct a castle worthy of those he saw in Europe.
As they were planning and constructing his dream home, Hearst renamed the rocky perch from which it rose "LaCuesta Encantada" - the Enchanted Hill. During construction, Hearst used the Castle as his primary residence, continually entertaining the elite of Hollywood, politics and sports. By 1947, Hearst and Morgan had created an estate of 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. The estate's magnificent main house, "Casa Grande",
and three guest houses are of Mediterranean Revivial style, while the imposing towers of Casa Grande were inspired by a Spanish cathedral. 
Construction of the Neptune pool spanned 1924 - 1936. Three swimming pools were built on this site, each successively larger. The final version of the pool as it stands at the Castle today is 104 feet long, 58 feet wide and 95 feet wide at the alcove. It is 3.5 feet deep at the west end, 10 feet at drains, and holds 345,000 gallons of water.
The Roman Pool is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath. The Roman Pool is decorated from ceiling to floor with 1" square mosaic tiles. These tiles are either colored (mainly blue or orange) or are clear with fused gold inside. The intense colors and shimmering gold of the tiles combine to create a breathtaking effect. 
Hearst left his San Simeon estate in 1947 to seek medical care unavailable in the remote location. While the Castle was never completely finished, it stands as the remarkable achievement of one man's dream. William Randloph Hearst died on August 14, 1951, at the age of 88. He was interred in the Hearst family mausoleum at the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California.
After spending the day pretending to be visitors of William Randolph Hearst - staking out our bedroom,
gathering to socialize in the Assembly Room,
and then having dinner in the Refectory 
- we boarded the bus and headed back down the curvy road to the museum area. It's hard to fathom how a person could put all this together to create such an impressive site!After leaving the Hearst Castle, we drove about 4 miles to the Piedras Blancas rookery on Highway 1 to view the Elephant Seals, aptly named because of their large long nose.
The Northern Elephant Seal is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1,000 to 5,000 feet deep for periods of 15 minutes to two hours, migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting and rest. This particular area is home to about 15,000 animals. The time we were here was the breeding and birthing season, so we were able to see everything from babies who are 3 to 4 feet long and weigh 60 to 80 pounds at birth, adult females which are 9 to 12 feet in length and weigh between 900 to 1,800 pounds, and large males which are 14 to 16 feet in length and weight between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds. It is estimated that they swim at speeds of 10 to 15 mph. En route to the feeding grounds, they cover around 60 miles a day foraging as they go. Females, who eat in the deep ocean, eat primarily squid. Males who forage over the continental shelf eat bottom dwelling species such as ratfish, hagfish, rays, and small sharks. They swallow their prey whole and digest it in about six hours.People often think the seals are dead because they are not moving or breathing. They will often stop breathing and dramatically lower their heart rate - as they do routinely at sea - for periods of a few minutes to half an hour. That apnea and their general inactivity are ways of conserving energy. During the time they are on shore, they are fasting and relying on their stored fat to meet their water and energy needs.
We spent quite a while watching the antics of these mammals and enjoying the beauty of their life and then headed back to San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo boasts that they have the largest street Farmer's Market in California. Every Thursday evening, they close off the main street in town for about 12 blocks and the Farmer's Market opens, selling everything from fresh fruit and veggies to rib dinners.
We enjoyed participating in it and bought some excellent strawberries. They were as big as the palm of our hands and sweet as could be. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the state of California, but there is no place greater for fresh fruits, vegetables and gorgeous flowers! We're heading out tomorrow and will spend the night at Salinas and then drive the next day into San Francisco. We were there on our honeymoon and decided that we needed to go back to experience the city once again. So stay tuned and we'll see what we can find to share with you in San Francisco.
There were classes on making box kites out of white plastic garbage bags, jewelry from stones picked up out here, and purses made from old blue jeans. We also had the annual golf tournament. This was the 20th anniversary of the Coyote Ridge Open Golf Tournament. Everyone who wanted to play signed up, names were drawn, and teams were formed.
We had ten teams of 4 people each and after some coffee and donuts, all the teams were staggered to start playing on the nine holes. Once the first nine holes were played, we posted our scores and ate lunch. Afterwards we were back out there in the desert playing another nine holes. The winning team received special prizes and all other teams got to pick prizes off the gift table. Jan’s team came in 6th and George’s team was in 7th place.
After the 18 holes had been played, we assembled at the community area and had a wonderful potluck dinner.
We also found lighted wine glasses (perfect for those evenings around the campfire. At least you can’t misplace your wineglass!), styrofoam sun visors, and bungee shoelaces. You surely can’t find treasures like these just anyplace!! Oh yes, Nancy and I put on quite a show at the wig shop. After trying on numerous styles and colors we both decided the ones we liked best were the ones closest to the way we currently had our hair cut. No more curly tresses for these two girls!! (And most of the onlookers also agreed – after they were finally able to get their breath once again after the intense fits of laughter.) Once we got home, Nancy found a great surprise when she walked into our rig and found two more of our good friends, Nancy and Cal.
They had been here at Coyote Ridge but had left a few days before Nancy Davison arrived. As they had to pass by here to head out, we all decided we’d surprise Nancy and they came back out to the desert for a couple of days. Nancy Davison met Cal and Nancy back in Oxnard, California and then introduced them to us when we visited in 1998. We’ve all been friends since then.
It gave Nancy Davison a chance to get to see some of the folks she had remembered from the years when she and Lee used to come out here. As usual, the food was delicious. How can you keep from gaining weight out here? It may be time to “Call Jenny” (Craig). Later in the afternoon, we got a visit from Jack, the resident wild burro who has been here for at least 20 years or more. 
He comes around every day around happy hour to see if anyone will give him bread. Nancy and I fed him some minature carrots which he thoroughly enjoyed. Once Monday afternoon came around, we were very sorry to see Nancy have to get back on a plane to fly back to New Braunfels but we are looking forward to later this summer or early fall when she may be able to join us over in the New England states for a visit. She still has a few years to work before retirement but she has graciously taken several days of her vacations and flown places to meet us. She visited with us in Washington D.C., now here in the desert, and hopefully somewhere in the Northeast. We love having her visit with us!!
It was held out in the desert wash behind our trailer, so we set up a back patio in the shade and everyone came with their chairs to watch. George and I decided to try our hand at it and we actually did better than we had anticipated.
It was a perfect afternoon for it and of course, afterwards, we had another potluck.
The next day was a potato bake. (Are you beginning to see a pattern here?) Rick and Reita cooked 91 baked potatoes on grills. Each was sliced, stuffed with butter and and onion and then baked. Everyone else brought all the extras to go along with the potatoes. The wind was a bit stronger but this group has never let a little wind stop an eating frenzy, so the cars and trucks were parked in a circle and provided shelter for us while we sat at tables and chowed down.
McKenzie and George walk every morning and watch the sun come up.(I’m usually watching the sun come up from the comfortableness of my own bed!!!) We will definitely miss all the things the desert has to offer, but it is time to move on and see more of what this wonderful country has to offer. Saturday will be hookup day and we’ll head off to Quartzite for a day or two and then once again begin our travels, slowly making our way to our place in Chimacum, Washington. We’re looking forward to new adventures and lots more places to visit. I’ll update as soon as I can once we get on the road. Til then, take care and God Bless each of you.
Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas! We went to my aunt’s in San Diego and spent about a week with her. Had a great time shopping and McKenzie enjoyed playing with her dog, Peanuts. Although it took them five days to determine that they weren’t enemies, the last two, they spent running throughout the house chasing each other. We went back for Christmas and gave them a chance to play again. 
Close to Christmas, we all went to one of the churches in the foothills and listened to the dancing lights Christmas tree chorus. It was quite interesting. They set up chairs in the parking lot and we took lots of blankets and some hot chocolate and sat out under the stars in the 49 degree weather and listened to the choir sing Christmas songs. The stage was a giant Christmas tree with 22,000 colored lights on it. The 70 people in the choir stood on a rows of the Christmas tree and the lights were generated by a computerized program to blink off an on in various segments. It was kind of neat and doesn’t take much to amuse us on a Saturday night.
Though the wind has been very strong , we have still had some beautiful sunny days and the nights are spectacular with the stars filling the sky like diamonds. Wish you each could be here to enjoy this with us. Jack, the resident donkey, has been making his rounds every day around happy hour time to see if anyone has any leftover bread, apples or carrots. He and McKenzie have a "hate" relationship going on so we try to keep her safely away from him. He did attend one of our campfires but he stayed on the outer perimeter and McKenzie stayed on my lap but watched his every move out of the corner of her eye! What a protector!!!!
and head over to the Castle Dome silver mine museum. We had a great time there and the gentlemen who owns the property, Allen Armstrong, has done a fantastic job of restoring many of the old buildings to look just as they were in the mid to late 1800's. Allen took all of us on a walking tour of the old silver mines and shafts and imparted some very wonderful knowledge to us about the old miners of that time. Colonel Jacob Snively, after serving as Secretary to President Sam Houston began the first mining venture here in 1862. In 1864, the Castle Dome City's population was 12. In the 1880's, it exceeded that of Yuma. It was a meca for those wanting to get rich quick and for desperados hiding from the law and seeking an easy opportunity. The lonely, the misfits, the dreamers, the fools and the notorious women all came to Castle Dome. There were shootouts, brawls, murders and untimely deaths. Fortunes were made and fortunes were lost! That time and life is gone but Allen and his wife did a superb job of restoring it. While walking thru the midst of this city he has created, we listened to the echoes of the past and marveled at how life could have been abundant at all in the harsh but beautiful landscape.
The adventure began aboard a double decked elevator that took us to the mine carved from salt deposits formed 275 million years ago. While going down, you are surrounded by total, black, black darkness. (I know that is repetitive, but I mean to tell you, it was really, really dark!) When the doors open 650 feet below, we were surrounded by walls that stretched for miles in a calm, exotic subterranean world where it is always 69 degrees. We boarded a tram and were given a very detailed ride and description of the salt deposit. From 1923 to 1965, the Carey Salt Company mined salt from this huge deposit. It also is a storage facility for many important documents, tapes, and materials.
Though we hated to leave there, we felt we’d better move on if we wanted to make it to the desert before the winter was over. 
However, on the way, we definitely wanted to stop to visit with our dearest friend, Nancy, in New Braunfels. We had a great five days with her, shopping and spending evening hours sitting in front of the fire with a good glass of wine and her favorite, furry companions, Nell and Willow. 
Then gradually we made our way back over to Yuma, Arizona where we would spend the better part of the winter.
Our grandson, Drew, is much taller than the last time we had seen him and such a character! He's destined to be a salesman or a politician as he can talk anyone into anything! 
Anyway, we have enjoyed everything. George and Damon have golfed several times and I've enjoyed being connected to the internet, but most of all we've enjoyed just visiting with Damon, Kim, Debra and Drew (and of course, the dogs, Scout and Lucy and the cat, Dudley). 
Kim has been the most gracious hostess, providing us with really delicious meals and including us in all their plans.
We will head out on Monday, September 17th and start making our way to Missouri and Kansas where we will stop to take a factory tour of the custom RV makers, Space Craft and New Horizon. After spending a little time in that area, we'll head on over to Huntsville and spend time with Mom and Dad and George's sister and brother-in-law. After a few weeks in Huntsville, we'll head over to New Braunfels to spend a few days with our best friend, Nancy and then off to the desert for the winter. Hope you all will periodically check in with our blog to see what we are up to. Though we won't be traveling for a while as much as we have the past five months, there will still be lots of fun things going on that we want to share with each of you. Until then, take care!