Getaway time! April 2026

 

Jimmy and I believe in "Zooming away on Wild Adventures," but this was more like slipping away on a mild escapade, 120 miles from home southwest to Napa.  April is such a lovely month to be Out and About.  I checked the weather in advance and the week of April 21-24 looked clear ... till a few days before we left, then rain entered the picture.  Harumph.  I changed our dates at Skyline Wilderness Park to the 22nd - 25th.  Okay!  We packed a couple changes of clothes (layers, doncha know) and some grub in Tergel and took off.  Wincing at today's $5.59 average gas p/g prices, we thanked our lucky stars that we'd filled Tergel's gas tank before arriving home when we left the desert in early March!

Skyline Park is an 850-acre wilderness area at the southeast corner of Napa.  We've camped here before (check Skyline label at left) and really enjoyed ourselves.  With over 25 miles of trails for hiking, (mountain) biking and horse riding, there's plenty of room for everyone.  This time of year, green is the dominant color, which mixes harmoniously with blue skies and cotton-candy clouds, above.

We did a recon walk-about our first afternoon, looking to see where the trails began and checking the grounds.  Lots to do here.  The RV park wasn't crowded and I had great access for bird watching from our dinette window.  Our site had W/E.

The next morning (Thursday), we set out on the Skyline trail, a sort of arduous climb to the top of the park -- but, oh the views!  Jimmy, above, is all set to go.  We had plenty of water, our hiking sticks, and granola bars.  We didn't hurry; the trail was too steep.  Leeching rainwater formed little rivulets on many parts of the trail.

Spied a number of these cuties.

Huff puff!  Half-way-plus, it was instant recognition when we came to the old rock wall.  "Hey, I remember this!"  And we also recalled a hole in the wall/fence where we could step through and look south with its fantastic vista, as you see below:

Wow, how's this -- the Napa estuary and San Francisco Bay beyond, with Mt Tam poking into the sky.  I think it's Mt Tam.  We could faintly make out a city skyline with binocs, which we thought was either Oakland or San Francisco.  This is one of those places where "you can see forever."

And, looking north, we had sweeping views of Napa Valley and beyond, to surrounding mountains and possibly even to Alaska (just kidding about Alaska).  The trees in the park are a sight in themselves -- the venerable sturdy Coastal Live Oak, California Buckeye (above, in flower), and California Bay (laurel), etc.  My bay leaf jar at home was empty so I picked bay leaves, enough to last, uh, quite a while. 

We made it to the top!

At 1630’ elevation, Sugarloaf is the highest point in the park.

Elevation gain on this trail was many hundreds of feet, but in this photo, the ground appears level.  Short-sleeve shirt day!  We dodged all the Poison Oak in the park, successfully, I hope.

Overlooking Napa green-green vineyards.  We found a bench on our trek down (photo below), where we ate our granola bars and split a Gatorade, all the while admiring this picturesque scene.  Our Tergel is parked at the yellow checkmark.  Obviously, we still had a way to go before getting down to our "home."

What a nice picture, and a fine spot for a most welcome bench!  Steep trail!  We had to be careful where we placed our feet even on the downhill.  I'd say we were in shade a third of the time, but the day was so fine, we were never too hot nor too cold.

I wouldn't tire of the view.

Discovered this "guy" scampering across the rocks on our return, not far from Tergel.  While it may look fierce, it's a Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar.  We named it "Bob."  And we left it alone!

In early April, Jimmy and I walked the Buttermilk Bend trail near Nevada City when wildflowers were covering the hillsides, along with a multitude of Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies.  So, the caterpillar morphs into this beauty. 

Getting closer!  Howdy, Tergel.

Between the Acorn Woodpeckers, above, probably making another hole in the pole, California Quail, and Anna's Hummingbirds, we never lacked for entertainment!  Quite a large variety of birds here.

Oh, and these fellas, too.

Each morning we heard gobble, gobble, gobble.

A four-mile hike was enough for us, considering the elevation gain, and we napped a bit in afternoon.  After dinner we scouted around on foot, found a large archery range, two disc golf courses, and more.  Back at the ranch, a weather check showed rain on Saturday.  Phooey.  We didn't want to drive home in the rain, so we decided to leave Friday.  April may be lovely, but she's capricious!

After a leisurely morning, we checked out, but left Tergel on the grounds.  Smartie took us to Gott's Roadside in Napa where we used a gift card from Matt and Jen for a delicious burger lunch.  The restaurant was packed with a waiting line when we got there and likewise when we left!  Because of the crowd, we shared our booth with two ladies from Redding, Cathy and Bobbi, which made lunch all the more enjoyable.  Good company.

Home before dark and before predicted rain.  Short and sweet getaway.

West Side Loop, Wed, 2/25/26

 

Black Rock Canyon Campground is in the northwest corner of vast Joshua Tree NP.  This part of the park appears different than the main entrance inasmuch as there are no giant mountains of jumbled rock.  But we've discovered this area still offers plenty to see and do.  West of the campground are several trails, including the West Side Loop trail, a rocky five-mile-long path that weaves through ridges and washes and Joshua Trees.  We decided to give it a whirl today, a repeat from two years ago.

The wind was blowing like stink again in the valley, but up here at 4,000+ ft, the day was really fine, not too hot nor too cool and just a breeze to keep us comfy.  Otherwise, the start wasn't auspicious because a couple of horses had preceded us and tore up the sandy trail.

I guess the park service leaves this sign up permanently, and perhaps the tire holds the sign in place! (We saw it two years ago) The ruts left from rains make it harder to climb the hilly sections, but we dodged 'em and kept climbing. 

I see a monkey!

What do you see?

The Joshua Tree blossoms are big and they're beautiful, and many of the trees are beginning to flower.  This one has a bee crawling on top.

This trail is rated moderate, and you have to work to get to the top of this hill (or mountain).  Next to the red x, you can barely make out two people we passed on our way up as they were descending.  Yup, that's our trail, all right.

Still slogging away, heading up.

I was feeling the 800' elevation gain.

Sometimes you just have to stop and breathe!

We're still not at the crest.

The same sign is up here that we saw down below ... with tricky sections to navigate in between.  The views of the mountains, layer upon layer, culminating in snow-coned Mt San Gorgonio were fabulous.

Beautiful.  Hi, Jimmy!

This we did not like.  Steep, sand-slick downhills followed by aggressive uphills followed by more of the same downhills and repeat.  We had to choose ways off trail to clamber down, often backwards and hanging onto whatever nearby shrub that didn't have spikes or spines.  We didn't remember having to do this from a couple of years ago.  Maybe on purpose?  Or the trail has gone to pot.  Anyhoot, it was scary.  No mas!

We did it, however, and nobody got hurt.  I do recall seeing this Joshua Tree lying down and becoming a a nurse tree with lots of offspring!  The only critters we came across today were lizards, lots of small lizards.

Even the Sotols are shooting up flowering stems.

Egad!  We were stopped in our tracks at the burn scar.  A "brush" fire on the West Side Loop trail broke out a few months ago -- October 2025, cause unknown -- and consumed approx 72 acres!  NPS and BLM worked on putting out the fire.  We knew it had to be recent as we could still see ash beneath the burned branches. 😢

When at last we saw our little Smartie, we were so tired, so ready to be done with the hike -- and sooo happy to see the li'l guy all by itself parked beside a Joshua Tree!  We drove home to Tergel and dove into the pool!  (not literally, no diving)

I talked about wind in the Coachella Valley in a previous post, and blowing sand. Yes?  Evidence, above and below.  As we came down into the valley from JTNP, we were appalled at the mess being created -- huge winds blowing sand and dust.  These pics were taken near the RV Park where we're staying, about six hundred feet above where the sands are being blown, so we're just seeing the tops of the sand being blasted skyward.  

Close the windows, Mabel!

And that's it for this year.  Our month at Catalina Spa and RV Resort is over Tuesday, 3/3/26, and we'll head out in the morning.  Hopefully the manic wind will cooperate and stand down!  We've enjoyed our time here, those terrific pools (I WILL miss my daily swim!), all the hikes we've managed to muster up the energy for.  We found new things to do this go-round, along with some familiars.  Of course there's the mundane, laundry, grocery shopping, and so on.  When we get home, we'll have our work cut out for us.  Till next year, adios Desert Hot Springs!

Lotsa fun in the sun, to Monday 2/23

Have you heard?  Desert Hot Springs gets wind!  Sitting at the end of a funnel, the wind frequently blasts through the mountain pass between Mt San Jacinto and Mt San Gorgonio, spraying gale force (or more) winds and taking direct aim at DHS.  These winds reach further into the Coachella Valley and stir up the sands that lead into Palm Springs, throwing great fountains of sand in the air.  They can also do considerable damage.  Wednesday the 18th was such a day.  We stayed home in our RV!

The next day being much calmer, Jimmy and I drove into Palm Springs for a walkabout.  Thank goodness Gene Autry Trail (one of the major roads into the city) had been cleared of sand, like a snowplow clears snow, with mini sand dunes lining the road. We thought we'd pay Marilyn a call.  Her dress doesn't need wind to billow around her!  Jimmy!  We had no agenda today, except to walk a bit and enjoy the city sights.

On Friday the 20th, we decided to revisit the Thousand Palms oasis, and took off on the McCallum trail, hiking to the overlook.  Last year the entire Coachella Valley was completely and utterly barren of flowers.  This year's largesse is making up for last year's lack.  The wildflower displays everywhere are sensational.  The difference is rain.

This was neat.  We spied three or four of these large caterpillars -- White-lined Sphinx Moth caterpillars, notice the orange horn at the near end.  They'll become the moth that hangs around flowers, sometimes mistaken for a hummingbird.  And then, wow, what a find as we traipsed down a boulder-strewn cliff to get into a wash -- Desert Horned Lizard, aka horny toad, four to five inches long.  If it hadn't moved, I would not have seen it.  Perfect camouflage.  Never saw one before.

Made it to the overlook!  Smartie is resting near the white "ribbon" beneath the red x.  Not a long hike, just three miles.  The day was cool enough for a downy vest!  But ... that'll change in a few days.

And, when you get back to your RV home,

this is your reward!

* * * * *

Decided it was time to check out the botanical gardens in Palm Springs on Saturday.  Last year we rode our bikes past this sign several times, but didn't stop as we were in group rides.  (This year we didn't bring our E-bikes with us to the desert, and we really miss having them.)

Moorten's is a cacti botanical garden, chock-a-block full of plants that will sting, stab, pierce, spear or skewer any part of your body if you come into contact.  Don't lean forward or back up unawares, 'cause you'll likely get hurt.  Tremendous number of desert plants from all over the world.  It was established in Palm Springs in 1938.

M.I.C -- K.E.Y.

M.O.U.S.E.

This one-acre garden has lotsa birds, including the house finches at bottom.  Hummingbirds zoomed over our heads and then hovered in front of our faces, back and forth, as though greeting guests.  I actually grabbed a shot of a female Costa's Hummingbird as it sat still for one second.  Spied the bunny wabbit lurking below a stand of Prickly Pear cactus! 

Wide variety!

In the bottom left photo, Jimmy's fingers are pointing out the nitty-gritty of this lethal Sputnik look-a-like! Bottom right has my sandal/sox poking perilously close to that cute li'l cluster of pincushions.  The large two at the top are just fascinating, unique.  Quite a few of the cacti we're seen this year are close to blooming, but we're a bit too early for the actual flowers.

Love these golden barrels!

Inside the Cactarium (a word coined by the Moortens) are hundreds of cactus specimens, including rare plants seen nowhere else, as well as a couple I have at my Nevada City home, and everything in between!  Fantastic array of sharp plants, but pay attention to the sign Jimmy is pointing to, and below ...

Amen to that!

As long as we were in the neighborhood 😏, a lunch stop at Sherman's Deli seemed like a great idea.  We both ordered menu items different than our previous visit.  That BBQ'd brisket sandwich, OMG.  Half for lunch, the rest for dinner.  Win-win!

* * * * *

With rain last Monday and then EARLY Wednesday morning, we figured the Whitewater River would be up, as increased flow, fun to see.  Hiking to Red Dome at the Preserve would be a fine thing to do on Sunday, the 22nd.

Well ... maybe, maybe not.

At least we could see about it.

Here's what we found -- people studying and testing.  Whitewater isn't wide or particularly deep, altho it can be, but it is fast and rocky, with deep pockets of water.

There's the bridge, knocked off its mooring

and sitting catawampus, useless!

Jimmy was wearing his hiking boots, and I was in my usual "sneakers" (don't own boots).  He could've crossed, but I didn't want to take off my shoes an' sox and I knew I'd never be able to jump the river without getting a soaker.  What I didn't want to do was jump, hit unstable rocks, fall in/over and break a hip!

You can kinda see the situation here.  Some folks just waded through the cold water barefoot or in shoes, some jumped the river, and others, like us, retreated.  Snow-covered Mt San Gorgonio looms in the background.

So, turning around, we found a trail offshoot and went exploring, up a hill.  Nice day.  Great swim afterwards ... in the pool, of course!

I've been meaning to show you what we see (mostly) every day as we travel about the area.  Vendors set up these fruit/smoothie stands on many major intersections in Desert Hot Springs.  In all sorts of weather!  We haven't stopped.  Perhaps we will before we depart the desert.