GO WEST WITH VIC AND PAULA: Prepping for trip home

It's beginning to warm up. Today is day five of high temperatures. There were two days of 93F, then one at 94F followed by yesterday when it reached 95. Today was cooler - only 90! Compared to Death Valley it really is cool here. Temperatures at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center have been over 100F each day this week. Yesterday was 109 and it's still only April - WOW! We made our final trip to the valley on just the right weekend.

We had a nice final day with the Jeep Junkies last Sunday when we checked out the Hidden Hills, another wonderful canyon, made a repeat visit to a mining area that we particularly like and stopped one last time for the year at China Ranch Dates. Unbelieveably I seem to have lost the photos from that day somewhere in the computer or camera or..........aargh!

There were more new and different wildflowers and a sidewinder, up close but not too personal. The rattlesnake was a young one and was not particularly aggressive, seemingly happy basking in the sun BUT it was a rattlesnake! There were half a dozen wonderful photos of it. Now it seems the photos in my memory will have to suffice.

We have come to the decision that our blog is poorly titled (go west with....) as Saturday we begin the drive east for home. Most likely it will not be so active in the coming months as Jeeping opportunites in our part of the northeast do not abound. There may be a few things about the trip home to share when we get there plus coming train club and quilt retreat activities, etc.

The Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise, we have committed to return to Ash Meadows NWR next winter and we look forward to blogging those adventures.

Home is sounding awfully good and, as much as we have come to love all things desert, it's time for a chlorophyl fix, hugs and time with that part of our family and with old friends and much, much more.

Oh my gosh! I found them - the elusive photos! There is no hope that I will become a computer geek - just ain't going to happen!

Desert Holly in bloom

A sage