THE GREAT STONE EAGLE
(This is Sunday’s post, had problems publishing it Sunday night)
It was a clear & crisp morning for locating Comet Ison. But I didn’t locate it. My head was still located on my warm pillow. Rare for me to be asleep when skies are lightening in the East but sleep in I did & missed the Comet. There is another Comet in the sky at the moment which I will look for as well. Named Comet Lovejoy it is under the handle of the Big Dipper at the moment.
WE WERE BUZZED BY A COUPLE HOT SHOT FIGHTER HANG GLIDER JOCKS THIS MORNING
Checking the overall weather map this morning we are finding ourselves in a very fortunate location. Many fellow RV Bloggers are experiencing cold & rainy weather at the moment. Congress is getting a lot of rain so we lucked out in traveling over here to Borrego Springs when we did. And back home in Bayfield they are buried in a snow storm. Mark from BOX CANYON BLOG is having a tough time with with the elements as well. Cold & wet in Utah. GEORGE & SUSIE are toughing out cold temps somewhere in Texas. My thought is why not just pack up & head for warmer climates. But then again if one has commitments & reservations it may not be the most economical thing to do. Oh Dear:((
NOTICED THIS VEHICLE IN BORREGO SPRINGS A COUPLE DAYS AGO & AT PEG LEG SMITH’S THIS MORNING. OLDER COUPLE DRIVING & IT HAS A EUROPEAN LICENSE PLATE
Am getting more inquiries about our solar installation so I will try & put together a more in depth description of what we had installed tomorrow & how to get in touch with Solar Mike at Slab City.
PEG LEG SMITH'S HAS REALLY FILLED UP FROM JUST A FEW DAYS AGO
My apologies about the yellow color of tonight’s default printing. I was 3 paragraphs into the post before I realized I had not switched to the easier to read custom color. Just didn’t have the energy to go back & re-type everything…………………..
Kelly packed up a lunch & we all piled into the Jeep heading out in a search of a large bird we did not expect to find. First a stop in Borrego Springs to drop off a small bag of garbage in a trash barrel at Christmas Circle. Next stop was the Big Horn Fudge Company for a coffee & a hunk of fudge. Quick stop across the road at the Anza-Borrego Park Store for some info on where to find the bird we were looking for….the great Stone Eagle. With directions in hand we boogied out of Borrego Springs heading for Montezuma’s Grade.
Montezuma’s Grade. Now here’s a drive up the side of the San Ysidro Mountains that rivals the Yarnell Hill. I would say this drive is twice as long & gains a higher altitude. Views of the Borrego Valley are spectacular. More curves,twists, & turns than the Yarnell Hill but the Hill may have some tighter hairpins. We have been up & down Montezuma's Grade before & never tire of the experience either climbing the grade or tumbling back down.
WITH BINOCULARS IN HAND KELLY IS LOOKING FOR OUR RIG AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF COYOTE MOUNTAIN & YES WE COULD SEE IT….BARELY
Our directions had us heading for a place we had never been before. A place we have heard & read about. Think I may have first come across it in Marshal South’s Ghost Mountain book. Liked the looks of WARNER SPRINGS soon as we drove into it. A historic past with the Warner Range being a stop on the Butterfield Stage route back in the mid to late 1800’s. Small community on highway 79. And it was at the local fire station in Warner Springs we caught a break.
KELLY ASKS A WARNER SPRINGS FIREMAN FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE STONE EAGLE
The 2,663 mile PACIFIC CREST TRAIL running all the way from the Canadian border to Mexico passes through Warner Springs right beside the local fire department. We knew it was a 3.5 mile hike from that point to where the great Stone Eagle could be found. We knew we could not make that 7 mile round hike but we wanted to at least walk part way. We couldn’t exactly find the trail so stopped at the fire station to ask where it was. (it was about 40 feet away) Kelly asked a fireman on duty about the stone Eagle & how long he thought it would take someone to walk there. And here’s where we caught the break. Fireman told Kelly we could cheat a bit & just drive to where the stone Eagle is located. He gave us directions & off we went. Ten minutes later we came around a curve opening into a huge valley. There in the distance were several rock outcroppings & there I recognized the great stone Eagle from pictures I had seen.
KELLY CHECKS OUT A BARBED WIRE GATE TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THROUGH
Went a little further & found a short pull off with a barbed wire gate. A wagon trail led in & ambled it’s way towards the Eagle about a quarter mile away. Silly us even knowing we were going up into the higher altitude mountains today had not thought to throw a couple coats in the Jeep. There was a good wind blowing, temperature was 53 & we were cold. Kelly had a long sleeve shirt & I dawned my yellow rain coat to cut the wind. First thing we had to do was get on the ground & get ourselves under a few strands of barbed wire. We were determined to walk to that Eagle. And walk to that Eagle we did.
What a beautiful valley this was. A few pockets of large boulders looked as though they had an ancient intelligence to them. Kind of reminded me of England’s Stonehenge a bit. I was also aware this felt like a very special place. I have experienced that before. Happens to me every time I enter the Blair Valley west of here to climb the trail to Marshal South’s homestead.
But today it was the great Eagle we were walking to & how amazing to see this striking rock formation looking every bit like a an Eagle on the ground with wings spread against the wind. Took us about 5 minutes to walk the wagon trail to the Eagle. Sure worked out better for us not having to walk 7 miles.
California’s section of the Pacific Crest Trail travels right past the great Eagle with a short path leading up behind the site. Pheebs & I made our way around behind & were able to climb up on the Eagles back & stroke the back of it’s magnificent head. I whispered in it’s ear to fly us away high up into the sky. No harm in trying, I’ve always been a dreamer.
BEHIND THE GREAT EAGLE
PHEEBS & I CLIMBED ONTO THE EAGLES BACK, I PLACED MY HAND ON THE GREAT BIRD’S HEAD & SOFTLY WHISPERED………………..
Wind wasn’t letting up & with a growing cloud cover casting long shadows the air was cold. Kelly was feeling it & we quickly headed back to the warmth of the Jeep. A bit of scrambling under the barbed wire gate & we were on our way up the road.
HEADING BACK TO THE WARMTH OF THE JEEP
We were on the Los Coyote Indian reservation & knew there was a campground ahead so took a drive up & had a look at it. Not somewhere we would consider going. No water, no electric & for that they still wanted $25 a night.
KELLY SCRAMBLES UNDER THE BARBED WIRE GATE
WHEN PHEEBS SAW ME ON THE GROUND SQUEEZING UNDER THE WIRE SHE FIGURED IT WAS PLAY TIME
“MOM, MOM, DAD’S FALLEN & HE CAN’T GET UP”
Back to highway 79 in Warner Springs. A right turn would have taken us to Temecula. We turned left into Warner Springs & stopped across from the fire hall & ate the ham sandwiches Kelly had made for us. From there it was back highway S2 heading for Borrego Springs. We began our long descent down Montezuma’s grade with a stop near the top at the Culp Valley Campground. We had stopped there about 5 or 6 years ago one time & did a couple hikes. We stopped there again today but didn’t walk too far. Nice campground & popular with tenters. Roads too rough & spots too small for most RV’s. It was already after 3 o’clock & we were tired. Tumbled our way down Montezuma’s Grade, slipped though Borrego Springs with a nod to Christmas Circle. We were back at the rig well before 4. Stretched out in one of our new Gravity chairs, turned on the IPod Bose, put on some of my very most favorite ambient tunes & just relaxed soaking up the later afternoon sunshine until it slipped slowly down behind the San Ysidro Mountains. Another great day in the life & travels of the Bayfield Bunch:))
THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL WANDERS PAST THE STONE EAGLE SITE HEADING SOUTH TO MEXICO
Tomorrow I will have additional photos from today showing more of the area around the Eagle, Los Coyote Campground, Warner Springs, the Culp Valley Campground, & tumbling down the Montezuma grade. I’m too tired tonight to include them & you are too tired right now from reading all this……………………
GROANER’S CORNER:((
Q: Why do they say 'Amen' at the end of a prayer instead of 'Awomen'?
A: The same reason they sing Hymns instead of Hers!
Q: Why did Moses wander in the desert for 40 years?
A: Even then men wouldn't ask for directions!
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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
