In an attempt to escape the dreadful heat of Texas we are heading out to cooler climes. After a brief stop at the coast near Port Aransas to celebrate birthday month (we have 7 family birthdays in August), we will head northwest to Arizona ( I know you think it will be hot). Not so! Check with weather.com and you will see the temperatures around Flagstaff (our destination) range from the upper 70s to the lower 50s, a nice change from the lower 100s to the upper 70s here in Georgetown. While in the area we will be camping in the Cococino National Forest and visit the Grand Canyon. Ermine (my wife) has booked a mule ride down into the canyon--I have opted to abstain. Not only is it a long ride downhill and on the edge of a narrow trail atop rough riding mule, but the reward is a destination where the temperature is likely to reach 115 degrees. We are leaving 42 days of 100 degree heat! What's the attraction? Oh well, Dulce (our Chihuahua) and I will explore the area around the South Rim looking for birds and taking photographs of whatever we can find. On our way to Flagstaff we will spend a few days along the Mogollon Rim, an area in which I once spent two weeks doing birding surveys for the Apache-Sitgraves NF back in 1997. This area is home to the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the world, is near 8000 ft in altitude and is home to large herds of elk and other wildlife. I have wanted to return there for a very long time--I have fond memories of waking up in the morning and scraping ice off my windshield in June. Then, after our visit to Grand Canyon, we will return to the Flagstaff area before heading south to visit the Sedona region. I recall driving the scenic Oak Creek Canyon highway to Sedona from Flagstaff on an earlier visit and we will make camp at Cave Springs Campground. While in the area we plan to visit Slide Rock State Park listed in Life Magazine as one of the nations 10 best swimming holes, check out the attractions of Sedona, and enjoy the wildlife endemic to the area.
From Arizona we will head west to Big Bear Lake, California for several days in the San Bernardino Mountains at Serrano NFS campground. We have not visited this recreation area before, but it is reported to be a beautiful region and, cool. While here we will engage in some hiking, kayaking and explore the surrounding forest before heading on to our destination for the month of September--Oceanside, CA. Ermine was raised in Oceanside until she was moved to Texas when sixteen. She still has friends in the area and one of our daughters recently moved to nearby Encinitas. We will spend the month at Paradise By the Sea RV Park which offers adjacent beach access. I have booked a 4 day pelagic trip out of San Diego begining on September 5th and returning on the 9th. The trip focuses on pelagic birds, but we will encounter many fish and mammal species along our path that takes us up the coast above Los Angles, through the Chanel Islands and out along the edge of the continental shelf and over several deep water canyons. I hope this will substantially pad my life list (a list of birds kept by birders recording the species they have seen) pushing me very close to 700 species in the American Birding Association area -- a level not many birders reach. The remainder of the month we will spend making short excursions, chasing unusal birds, enjoying the beach and the cool days, taking photos of interesting people, places and things and, of course, visiting grandchildren, family and friends. I intend to write about the trip and, in particular, the wildlife we encounter, interesting people and places we observe, and experiences along the way. So if you are interested sign on to this blog and check it out from time to time. When I have the internet and have processed pictures, I will be posting them to my Flickr account and provide you with the link. Stay tuned, we depart Georgetown next Monday, August 1st.
