California Deserts & Anza NHT - Spring 2015

[Pmount]

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Start: Cerro Alto campground, w of Atascadero, CA
Finish: Ventura, CA


Click here for this RTA Library Map

Rain, rain and more rain; all day! Around 3 AM a gentle off and on rain began and stayed mild until 8 AM. On ewe got up and left the campground the rain became steady and hard at times until 4 PM. We were on US 101 all day, heading south. Our first stop after breakfast was at the Mission San Luis Obispo. We had a nice chat with the young man in the gift shop while stamping our books, he was interested in our travels.

We continued south towards Santa Barbara. One of the most scenic areas along the road is Gaviota Pass, northbound is a tunnel and southbound is some of the most rugged rock you will see anywhere. My photo does not do justice to rugged rock.

Gaviota Pass


While in Santa Barbara we stopped at the Presidio de Santa Barbara for the Anza NHT stamp. The most memorable part of that stop, besides the adobe, in which a member of the Anza expedition resided, was the difficult parking, almost as bad as San Francisco. one parking lot told us they would charge us $20 for our Chevy Cargo van, even for 1 hr of parking. We finally found street parking in the area. The Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center is on the harbor, within the maritime museum building. The view from their 4th floor area is always scenic, not so today.

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum entrance


Santa Barbara Harbor


Our final stop was at the Channel Islands National Park visitor center in Ventura Harbor. After viewing the exhibits we walked around their Native Plants garden for a few flower photos. We've taken the day trip out to the Channel Islands in the past, well worth the time and expense, but not on a day like today! The trips leave from the harbor, just south of the visitor center with a private vendor.



McGrath State Beach campground is closed due to flooding in the past, with no scheduled opening. We opted for the local Motel 6, our first night out of our van on this trip.

Passport Stamps
Juan Bautista de Anza NHT
Mission San Luis Obispo
El Presidio de Santa Barbara
Channel Islands NP
Channel Islands National Park
Ventura, CA
Santa Cruz Island
Anacapa Island
Bonus
Outdoor Santa Barbara Visitor Center
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum - 1st Order Fresnel Lens, Pt. Conception Lighthouse

Wildlife Sightings

American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Brown Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Common Raven
Seagull
Comorant
Mourning Dove

[Pmount]

Wednesday, April 8, 2015


Start: Ventura, CA
Finish: Cottonwood Campground (NPS), Joshua Tree National Park


Click here for this RTA Library Map

Today was the day to finish the Anza NHT- and return to the desert! Goal accomplished by the end of the day, but first we had to conquer LA. My husband was born and raised here, so he knows the area, but does not like the traffic or crowds anymore.


Back on US 101 heading south to Calabasas to stop at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (NPS) to their main visitor center, King Gillette Ranch, a beautiful mission-style ranch house. A trail by the ranch house was closed off while a crew was filming a pilot. This area has been used for many TV shows and movies over the years. We had learned of a new stamp for the NRA had been placed at a nature center at the south end of the park, an area we had not been to previously. Back to 101 and a bit further south, then off on some hilly, curvy roads, past some incredible mansions, to Douglas Canyon and the nature center. The area was wild and undeveloped, yet surrounded by homes. The displays in the Sooky Goldman Nature Center were very interesting; one was of a large mountain lion with lots of information. There were also quite a few displays of fossils from the area, some collected by people my husband knew back in the day.


Our next stop for the second Anza NHT stamp of the day was in Griffith Park and their visitor center. This is another great location with beautiful panels outside depicting the cultural development of the area and animals of the area.


Griffith Park visitor center



Griffith Park panel



As we headed to downtown for another stamp we were amazed at the clear LA skies. The rain from the previous day had cleared the skies.


Downtown LA



Another new stamp for the Anza NHT was at El Pueblo de Los Angeles in an office shared by NPS, state parks and other affiliated groups. When we arrived at the storefront of the Hellman-Quon building, in the middle of the historic area, it was closed. Through the window we could see the stamp! I tried calling a possible contact number, they were trying to be helpful, but had no access to the building. While talking on the phone we saw someone in the back of the office who came to the door. He found out what we wanted then had us wait outside until a ranger came down. Ranger Anthony was most helpful and pleased to hear about our travels. He told us about a recent sighting of a Mountian lion that has been roaming the area below the Hollywood sign. This is a first sighting in many years. With no predators he said there were plenty of mule deer to keep the lion fed.


El Pueblo de Los Angeles Monument



After getting the stamp we walked over to the closest post office for a cancellation for my husband's collection. There are beautiful murals in the lobby, as seen in many of the post offices around the country. Mainly painted during the Depression of the 1930s by WPA (Works Progress Administration) employees. (WPA was established on April 9, 1935)


Post Office mural



Tasty lunch at the north end of Olivera Street and then a stop at the Avila Adobe, which includes the visitor center for the state parks section for the Old Spanish NHT.


Olivera Street



Avila Adobe



Back on the freeway, which so far had relatively light traffic. A short distance east to Mission San Gabriel which was in existence when Anza travelled through in 1774 to establish the route to San Francisco and in 1776 with the settlers this is a beautiful mission that retains a rustic charm.


Mission San Gabriel - final stamp for our Anza NHT trip



We were ready to head east and get back to the desert. Traffic and our timing had worked really well all day so we were able to make it to the southern end of Joshua Tree NP by 5:30 PM. We were tired, but very happy to back in the open skies!


Passport Stamps
Juan Bautista de Anza NHT
-Santa Monica Mountains NRA, CA
-Griffith Park
-El Pueblo de Los Angeles
-Mission San Gabriel
Santa Monica Mountains NRA
-Calabasas, CA
-Franklin Canyon Park
Old Spanish NHT - El,Pueblo de Los Angeles National Monument, CA


Bonus
Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge ( Blue Goose stamp)
California Condor pictorial
Pico House pictorial
San Gabriel Mission - www.sangabrielmission.org (pictorial of mission in middle)

[Pmount]

Thursday - Sunday, April 9-12, 2015


Joshua Tree NP to Salome, AZ to W of Phoenix to Tucson


Click here for this RTA Library Map


This basically concludes our Desert & Anza NHT trip. For the next few days we will be joining a group of letterboxers on the west side of Phoenix. We enjoyed another full day at Joshua Tree NP before entering Arizona on Friday afternoon. On Friday evening we camped at a La Paz County Park near Salome, AZ. Only $14 for electric and water and lots of quiet. Found a few letterboxes along our route.


I will leave you with a few flower photos I have taken the past couple of days. Sometime next week I plan to post a summary of the trip. Thanks for reading!





Hedgehog cactus



Prickley Poppy



Arizona Sunset

[Pmount]

March 16 - April 13, 2015
29 days


4,088 miles
3 states - AZ, CA, and 30 minutes in NV (day trip from Death Valley NP)
License Plates - all but KY, WV, RI & DC


National Park Service sites - 14
Passport Stamps - 60
Link to scanned images will be posted in the future
Bonus Stamps - 27


Letterboxes found - 93
Letterboxes planted - 3


Expenses
Total - $2060, $515/wk
18% - Lodging; camping, 1 night motel, 5 nights at family
41% - Meals - meals out & groceries
40% - Local Transport; gas, rental car (in SF), parking & tolls
1% - Misc - showers & ice


Flowers found at home upon arrival

[Mark Sedenquist]

Awesome flower photos! Thanks for sharing this road trip adventure with us!

Been a very nice distraction from the redesign work on RTA that has been keeping us living on near-constant cups of java....

Mark

[Pmount]

Anza NHT Junior Ranger post

When I travel and I complete a Junior Ranger program along the way, I write a blog about the experience. This program was a little different than most of the Junior Ranger programs I have done, from start to finish. If you followed this trip report there are no new pictures, just posted in the order of the expedition. Fun to re-live the trip.

https://jrpfmount.wordpress.com/?p=464&preview=true

Junior Ranger - Senior Friendly
Junior Ranger programs are great for all ages! The majority of park staff are just as happy to present a certificate, badge and/or patch to those older than junior. In 2 years I have only had one site refuse to give me a booklet to complete, hopefully that has changed since I was there. A small number of NPS sites offer a Senior Ranger program (check my Senior tab in the blog). Whenever I complete a Junior Ranger program I promote the Senior Ranger program.
I can honestly say I have always learned something new when completing a program, no matter how simple the material.

-Pat

[Pmount]

My husband scans and adds to his webpage all of the passport and bonus stamps he collects along our travels. Below are the stamps from this trip.

http://nostalgia.esmartkid.com/2015s...ripstamps.html

A fun way to remember our trip, and it has solved some discussions about when and where we have been over the years!