Hawaii – Maui

Posted on December 28, 2025 by admin

The third island we visited on our trip to Hawaii was the island of Maui. From the air we could see Haleakala Mountain where we would be driving to the summit in two days. It is a huge shield volcano over 10,000 feet high that makes up most of the island.

Our first full day on the island was our 50th wedding anniversary, so we decided to enjoy some time at the beach at Baldwin Beach Park. Unlike Waikiki, we had this beach mostly to ourselves.

We had dinner reservations at Leilani’s On the Beach, a restaurant in Ka’anapali, Maui. It is near Lehaina where recent fires destroyed much of the city. We got there a little early, so we window-shopped at Whalers’ Village, an oceanfront shopping center right on Kāʻanapali Beach. The Glass Mango shop was our favorite.

The Glass Mango features wearable art jewelry and artistic glass creations by local artists.

Glass vases on display at Glass Mango Shop

This beautiful Calla Lily vase is blown glass made in one piece.

We went to our restaurant and were seated on the second floor at a table with an open air view of the ocean. We ordered a large prime rib dinner and split it between us. For dessert, we split a piece of Leilani’s famous Hula Pie made from macadamia ice cream, chocolate fudge, whipped cream and sprinkled with macadamia nuts. Delicious!

I booked our reservations around sunset so we could see the sun setting over the ocean. I was worried we wouldn’t get to see much of a sunset that night since it was cloudy when we got there.

I was wrong. The clouds made it even more beautiful. As the sun began to set, I began taking photos. The sunset became more and more vivid, lasting a very long time. The colors changed from golden to orange to bright pink.

As a finale, the clouds sent rays of sunlight shooting across the sky. People in the restaurant were getting out of their seats to get photos of this beautiful sunset.

The sun may have gone down, but the area around Leilani’s on the Beach and Whaler’s Village came alive with crowds of people. It was a memorable night for our 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

The next day we got up early to drive to Haleakala National Park. We ascended several thousand feet before we even got to the park entrance. Though it was cloudy when we started, the highway took us above the clouds.

On the road to Haleakala National Park where we were above the clouds.

At the Park Headquarters visitor center, I got my national parks passport book stamped and bought a sticker. It was during the government shutdown, but this visitor center stayed open. They were out of maps, but I took a photo of one.

We drove to the Haleakala Visitor Center next (which was closed). The view was amazing. Here we could look across the entire volcano valley floor. It was extremely windy there. I had trouble holding the camera steady.

Zooming in, I could see smaller volcanic domes. The variety of colors was so amazing.

As we drove on to the end of the road, there was another lookout point with a glassed-in viewing structure. On the same mountain was Haleakala Observatory also known as Science City.

Haleakala Observatory or Science City and other observatories on top of the mountain.

Other observatories are from University of Hawaiʻi’s, the Air Force, and Las Cumbres Observatory. These observatories have unparalleled stargazing due to the high altitude, clear air, and lack of light pollution. Unfortunately, they are not open to the public.

Observatories with a clear view of the skies.

This Silversword plant is unique to Haleakala. These plants live from 3 to 90+ years. They send up a tall flowering stalk, only blooming once. Then they die soon afterwards. The wind scatters the dried seeds. The one-time blooming usually happens after the plant reaches between 20 to 50 years of age. However, some may flower sooner, as early as 7 years depending on conditions. The blooming stalk of the Silversword is amazing and beautiful. It can be as small as 2 feet or up to 10 feet tall. It can have a hundred or more purple flowers. The blooms, however, only last up to 7 days.

On our way down the mountain, we stopped at another overlook for a different view of the crater.

We had plenty of time in our day to do more sight-seeing, so we drove along the road to Hana. We never got to Hana. The road is very narrow with many one-lane bridges and passages where cars have to wait for oncoming traffic to pass before proceeding.

Unlike the mountain, this area is lush with trees and foliage. At one of the state rest areas, we could finally see the ocean. After hours of driving, we turned around to head back.

One of the typical sights in Maui is the sight of chickens and roosters running loose everywhere. We saw this beautiful rooster at the rest area.

We had a wonderful time in Hawaii and added two more national parks to our list of national parks. We have visited 36 so far, but we have 27 more to go!

For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but my kindness shall not leave you. My promise of peace for you will never be broken, says the Lord who has mercy upon you. Isaiah 54:10

Hawaii – The Big Island

Posted on December 14, 2025 by admin

Our 50th Anniversary trip to Hawaii continued by flying from Oahu to the big island of Hawaii, which is called….Hawaii. We stayed in the small town of Kailua-Kona, which is on the western side of the island.

The volcanic origins of the island were visible from the air. The airport and the roads are built right on top of old lava flows.

View from the air. Roads are built on top of old lava flows.

Our Air BnB had this beautiful African tulip tree growing in the front yard.

Flowering African Tulip Tree outside our Air BnB.

We drove over the middle of the island called the “Saddle Road” to get to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entrance. It was a 3 hour drive. We stopped at this historic hotel called “The Volcano House” to get some information about where to get my Park Passport book stamped since it was during the government shut down.

It was a rainy and cool day when we started, but thankfully, it cleared up. The fireplace in the lounge looked very inviting.

The best part of the Volcano House was the view out over the crater of the volcano. Just five days previously, the volcano had erupted. And, just five days after we left, it erupted again. Again it erupted in December of 2025 and was so powerful that it took out one of the cameras. This is the most active volcano on the island.

Steam venting from volcano can be seen from inside the Volcano House.

The view from outside the Volcano House was one of the best.

We had a delicious Margarita pizza in the Volcano House restaurant. From our table we could look out at the volcano.

Margarita Pizza at the Volcano House restaurant.

I got my Passport book stamped, and bought a couple of stickers. After that, we drove to the end of Crater Rim Drive to get a closer look at the steam vents.

Volcanic smog rising from the recent lava flow of Kilauea volcano.

The lava flows onto the crater floor. In 2018, the magma drained from beneath, causing the floor to collapse hundreds of feet. At the crater’s edge, we could see cracks along the crater’s edge where this happened.

From this view point, we could look out over the crater floor and see many steam vents.

The man-made walls around the viewpoint were made of lava stones. This one shows gas bubbles of all sizes formed in the rock as it was cooling.

After lunch, we drove the Chain of Craters Road all the way to the ocean where it ended. At this overlook we could see the new land formed by the lava flows. It is unstable because the ocean waves erode and undermine the surface. No one is allowed out there.

Driving along the road, we could see the black areas where lava flowed down the hills toward the sea.

Looking closer, we could see wrinkles in the rock where lava once flowed and then cooled.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was a fascinating place. I’ve always had an interest in geology since a field trip I took with my class in 6th grade. We had a long drive home, so we headed back to our Air BnB for some supper and some rest. The next day, we would fly to our last island–Maui.

“The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.” Psalm 97:5-6

Hawaii – Oahu

Posted on November 8, 2025 by admin

We spent nine days in Hawaii. It was a special trip to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Our first day we flew from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Honolulu. As we flew into the island of Oahu, we could see Pearl Harbor from the air. We would be spending our entire next day there.

We couldn’t check into our AirBnB apartment until 4 pm, so we did a little sight seeing first. We had a five-hour flight with only snacks to eat, so we looked for Teddy’s Bigger Burgers in downtown Honolulu near Waikiki Beach. We found parking across the street where we saw this beautiful Guanacaste tree.

After eating, we took a stroll to see Waikiki Beach. It was pretty crowded, so we decided to go find a grocery store and stock up on food for the next couple of days.

While driving through the city, we saw Banyan Tree Plaza. It had several large Banyan trees. Banyan trees are not native to Hawaii. When their aerial roots descend from branches and reach the ground, they become new trunks.

A lot of the tall buildings had murals painted on them. This was one we saw while driving around.

Our AirBnB was on the 9th floor of a high-rise building . It was very small, but had everything we needed, including a full kitchen. Our bodies were still on Las Vegas time, so we woke up early–early enough to get some photos of the sunrise from our apartment window.

View of sunrise from our apartment on the 9th floor.

Pearl Harbor

The next day, we rose early so we could get a parking spot at Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. We bought all-in-one tickets that gave us access to all the museums and historic sites. They were open, even though it was during the government shutdown.

It rained off and on that day, which made it perfect for catching this double rainbow. The rain was warm. It was a hot and humid day.

Our first stop was to see the Pearl Harbor National Memorial where we read about the attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The maps and storyboards told the history. I learned that of the 185 ships anchored there that day, only 21 of them were damaged or sunk.

The USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah were complete losses. But here’s an amazing fact. All but one of the other damaged ships were repaired and returned to service.

Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial in the distance

I was unable to get reservations online for the USS Arizona Memorial. But that day, we found out we could apply for stand-by admission. We would be texted when to board the boat that would take us out to the memorial. We went to see the nearby Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum in the meantime.

Torpedo display in the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum.

While we were in the museum, we got a text saying we should report to the boarding area for the boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial.

We were asked to be silent and limit our photo taking. This is the grave site of 900 American sailors of the 1,177 crew members who died on the USS Arizona. It was a solemn place.

The memorial straddles the sunken remains of the ship. The names of all those who died are engraved on a wall inside the memorial.

Oil still slowly leaks out and rises to the surface from the wreckage of the USS Arizona.

Oil still leaks from the wreckage of the USS Arizona

After the boat returned us to the Pearl Harbor Memorial site, we finished looking through the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and then boarded the USS Bowfin submarine for a tour.

The quarters were tight. We gained new appreciation for sailors who served on submarines.

Even though the kitchen was small, it was equipped to serve meals to 80 men.

We had lunch at a food truck on site. We had pulled pork tacos with fresh pineapple. Yum!

After lunch, we boarded a shuttle bus that took us to Ford Island where we toured the USS Missouri.

The USS Missouri with a statue of General Eisenhower.

This is a statue of a famous photograph of a sailor kissing a dental assistant on Victory in Japan Day. The actual event took place in Times Square in New York City.

August 14, 1945 was Victory in Japan Day. This was reproduced from the famous photo.

The USS Missouri is famous because it is where the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, officially ending WW II.

We happened to walk onto the USS Missouri just as a tour was beginning. The tour guide was a Japanese man who lived in Hawaii.

There are nine 16-inch guns on this ship and can fire a 2,700 pound projectile up to 23 miles.

Our tour guide showed us the spot where the Japanese surrendered.

Our tour guide in front of historic photo of Japanese Surrender at the end of WWII

Plaque showing where the Japanese surrendered at the end of WWII

We still had the Air Museum to see, but we were hot and tired, so we decided to skip it and call it a day. I’m really glad we spent the day at Pearl Harbor. It was very worthwhile.

Dole Plantation

The next day, we drove to the middle of the island where we toured the Dole Plantation.

There are three main attractions there: The Pineapple Express, the Pineapple Maze and the Garden Tour. We selected the self-guided Garden Tour.

One of the main garden attractions was this lily pond with a waterfall.

Waterfall and lily pond at Dole Plantation

There were many colorful plants in this two-acre garden. There are eight different mini-gardens.

We could see out in the distance where the pineapples are grown, along with some historical machinery. Dole moved it’s pineapple growing to other countries and only produces a small amount for local consumption. The Plantation is mostly a tourist attraction now.

Pineapple field and ancient pineapple harvesters

There was no end to beautiful flowers to photograph like this Bird of Paradise.

Even though they look like a palm, banana trees are not palm trees.

There were many different types of palm trees throughout the garden.

We wrapped up our time at the Dole Plantation by getting a Dole Whip–which is a frozen dessert with pineapple flavor. It wasn’t our favorite, but we had to try it.

As we flew out of Oahu the following day to our next island, we could see the crater of Diamond Head below. Our next island was the “Big Island” called Hawaii.

“O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.” Psalm 104:24

Lake Tahoe – Gatekeeper’s Museum

Posted on October 31, 2025 by admin

In Tahoe City, a little town in north Lake Tahoe, we visited the Gatekeeper’s Museum and Indian Basket Museum. We stopped here on our audio tour on a previous day, but it was closed. It was worth coming back to visit.

Entrance to Gatekeepers Museum, Tahoe City, NV

The Gatekeeper’s Museum was once the cabin where the Gatekeeper for the Lake Tahoe Dam resided, whose job it was to regulate the water flow out of the dam. It burned down in 1978 just before it was deeded over to the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society. They reconstructed it completely by hand on the original foundation.

The museum also houses the Marion Steinbach Native American Basket Collection. The basket gallery showcases more than 700 baskets from native peoples of Western North America. The baskets are in very good condition and are works of art.

Indian Basket Collection is part of the Gatekeeper’s Museum.

Another display showcases Navajo Indian rugs.

The rest of the museum preserves and tells the history of the Lake Tahoe area. There are stories of various boats that were used on the lake, artifacts from dog sled operators, and dresses from ladies of the past and more. Upstairs there’s more history and wild tales of the legend of the plug at the bottom of the lake.

The outside of the museum has beautiful grounds that are right on the edge of the lake. Let’s take a walk down to the lake.

Pathway from Gatekeeper’s Museum to Lake Tahoe

Someone (not us) collected all these pine cones and arranged them on the picnic table.

Within sight of the Gatekeeper’s grounds, is the famous Fanny Bridge which is located over the only outlet of Lake Tahoe into the Truckee River.

The bridge has an interesting story on how it got its name. It was so named from all the fannies that can be seen from the road as gawkers stare over the edge of the bridge at the water below. Do you see any fannies?

Here’s a view of what you can see from Fanny Bridge.

If you walk across the bridge, the North Lake Tahoe Visitor Center has a very interesting interactive display. The “Shaping Watersheds” interactive sandbox is a large-scale educational model where visitors can move the sand to build mountains, valleys and other land-forms. An overhead projector casts topographical contour lines and a color-coded elevation map onto the surface. The motion-sensing camera detects changes and the projected lines and colors change to reflect the new topography. It’s even fun for adults. Ask me how I know.

There was another historical cabin in Tahoe City that we did not get to see. It’s nice to have reasons to come back. This is one area I could visit over and over again.

“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” –Jesus

Lake Tahoe, California

Posted on October 16, 2025 by admin

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. It is the second deepest lake, after Crater Lake which is in Oregon.

Fanette Island in Emerald Bay is the only island in Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is completely surrounded by mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the Carson Mountain Range.

We enjoyed our three-week stay in South Lake Tahoe. The lake straddles two state lines, California and Nevada. We were on the California side, but did our shopping and fueling up in Nevada where prices were much better.

Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe is a popular scenic spot.

Our campsite was among tall beautiful pines. Whenever we stepped outside, we could smell the wonderful scent of the pines. Tahoe Valley Campground where we stayed is one of the Encore parks of Thousand Trails Campgrounds.

Our campground, Tahoe Valley Campground, at South Lake Tahoe

On our evening walks, we saw a variety of wildlife. There were plenty of tree squirrels like this little fellow.

Young squirrel eating pine nuts.

This squirrel amazed me at his determination to carry this pine cone (that was almost as big as he was) up this tree trunk.

We even saw a bear one evening by a neighbor’s doorway. We had our own bear incident. I came out one morning to find both doors on the passenger side of our truck wide open. I thought maybe Ray had forgotten to close them, until I saw a bunch of trash around on the ground. Although we always lock the truck at night, we forgot that night. A bear opened the truck doors and found Ray’s bag of Fritos and our stash of peanut butter crackers. He ate everyone of them! (and left the trash for me to clean up.)

Bear at neighbor’s door

On our walks, we like to look at the variety of homes on wheels. I thought this little vintage trailer was cute.

Vintage Trailer

If we timed our walks right, we could peer through the trees and see the mountains in the distance as the last bits of sunlight lit up the mountain tops at sunset.

Sunset on mountain peaks

Donner Pass

One of our first excursions in the area was to Truckee, California, to see Donner State Park and Museum. The museum tells the history of the Donner party and the history of the Lincoln Highway (Highway 50). We listened to an audio tour and learned about the history of the area as we drove along. We lost the route in Truckee and had to finish it on our own. We listened to the rest of the tour on our way home.

Bridge on the Lincoln Highway

Taylor Creek Visitor Center

Another excursion closer to home was the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. We hiked the half-mile Rainbow Trail that makes a loop back around to the Visitor Center. It was a perfect day for a walk.

Rainbow Trail at Taylor Creek Visitor Center

Most of the area is marshy. One of the reasons Lake Tahoe is so clear is that it is mostly filled from rain and snow. The marshes also contribute to the clarity by filtering water flowing into the lake.

Boardwalk on the Rainbow Trail

The marshes help slow the water flowing into the lake, thereby trapping sediment.The plants in the marshes absorb excess nutrients which removes pollutants from runoff and snow-melt before it reaches the lake.

Marshes like this purify the water flowing into Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe gets 300 to 500 inches of snow each year. This “Snowtel” is one of the ways the snowfall is monitored.

Snowtel for measuring snowfall

The Stream Profile Chamber is the highlight of the Rainbow Trail. Visitors can view the stream from under water. This is one of the most unique nature displays I’ve seen.

Stream Profile Chamber at Taylor Creek Visitor Center on the Rainbow Trail

We were there too early to see the salmon spawn. The Kokanee salmon spawn here in mid-October to November. We saw a few small fish.

On our way back to the parking area, we saw this helicopter practicing search and rescue.

Helicopter practicing rescue efforts

Tallac Historic Site

Near the Taylor Creek Visitor Center is the Tallac Historic Site. You can hike a short trail from Taylor Creek to get there, or drive a short distance and park in the parking lot. This historic site is a beautifully preserved glimpse into the lives of three prominent families from San Francisco during the Gilded Age.

The Baldwin Museum and Gift shop is in a central location on the properties.

The Baldwin Estate Courtyard

The walk through the grounds is beautiful.

Besides the larger homes, there were many smaller cabins.

The grounds are right on the shore of Lake Tahoe with beautiful views of the lake and forest.

There are three estates here, so you can get some good exercise by going to all three.

Many of the buildings are still being restored. Volunteers restored this garden.

The Pope Estate invited painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists beginning in the 1920s. The Great Basin Institute re-launched the artist-in-residence program in 2023. The artists use the historic cabin as their personal studio, showcase their talent and provide workshops. The beautiful setting is an inspiration to any artist.

Further down the shoreline is a pier and marina.

To get supplies or to get to the other side of the lake, boats were launched from the boathouses on rails into the water.

If they didn’t want to get their feet wet, they used the pier.

My favorite estate was the Pope Estate with it’s fish pond and gazebo.

Entrance to Pope Estate

The Pope Estate’s fish pond.

In this community garden, volunteers grow herbs and fruits and vegetables like strawberries, tomatoes and asparagus.

Community Garden at Tallac Historic Site

The Valhalla/Heller Estate boathouse was converted into a community theater which is currently used for events and performances.

The Valhalla/Heller Estate boathouse that was converted into a community theater.

View of the boathouse/theater from the dock

Lake Tahoe is such a beautiful place, it is on my list to re-visit again and again. Some places are just especially beautiful. This is one of them.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

Yosemite Natl. Park (Part 2)

Posted on August 15, 2025 by admin

Now that Yosemite National Park has a reservation system during the summer months, we couldn’t just decide to go to Yosemite for the day without some planning. Even with our reservation, we waited 30 minutes to enter the park.

The Valley was very crowded that day even though it was a week day. The parking at this pullout along the road was empty when I got there, but by the time I left, it was double parked with vehicles. Everyone had to see what we were looking at!

Across the road from us was a magnificent view of El Capitan.

It was a bit windy that day. You can see the water at the top of Bridal Veil Falls being whipped up by the breeze. Though Bridal Veil still had water, Yosemite Falls was just a trickle.

The parking lots in the valley were totally full. We drove around to see if anyone might be leaving, but soon gave up. We had to settle for parking along the road like this meadow pullout.

I took a little walk along the pathway and found this old fallen log.

Looking back, I could see El Capitan from a different angle.

We got tired of the crowds and decided to drive up into the high country. We found a nice pull out with a view. We were the only ones there.

Our campground was only five miles from the Oak Flat entrance. We enjoyed our time there, but we didn’t attempt any more trips into the park. It was just too crowded for our taste. However, we enjoyed our evening walks around the campground and the many beautiful sunsets like this one.

“We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Yosemite National Park

Posted on July 12, 2025 by admin

Of all the national parks we’ve visited, (33 so far), Yosemite is our all-time favorite. While we were staying in Coarsegold, California, we couldn’t resist a visit to our former “backyard.”

The Historical Wawona Hotel was being renovated in 2025.

We entered Yosemite park through the Oakhurst entrance and stopped at the Wawona visitors’ center. In all our visits to Yosemite, I’d never been to this visitors’ center. It houses a fabulous collection of paintings of the famous landscape artist, Thomas Hill.

A large floor to ceiling painting of Thomas Hill in the Wawona Visitors’ center.

After getting my National Parks Passport book stamped and buying a couple of stickers for my journal, we drove on to Glacier Point. The road was fully opened recently after having been closed for a couple of years for repairs.

At over 7,200 feet in elevation, Glacier Point has the best views of Half Dome and Vernal and Nevada Falls. It also has wonderful views of Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Falls.

The weather was a perfect temperature that day. The clouds added character to the beautiful landscape.

Vernal and Nevada Falls from Glacier Point

Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada Falls from Glacier Point

Rock ledge overlooking Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Upper and Lower Falls from Glacier Point

We were driving back from Glacier Point when we found this nice meadow where we stopped to eat our picnic lunch. I took some time to do a quick “plein air” watercolor painting. It wasn’t a Thomas Hill, but it was fun and relaxing.

As we were coming through the tunnel, the view suddenly opened up and we saw this magnificent view of the valley and Bridal Veil Falls. I never get tired of looking at this view.

This view is known as the Tunnel view because the road goes through a tunnel and then opens up to this.

The clouds were really something that day. They started forming in the distance over the mountains and kept growing and growing until they filled the whole sky above.

While enjoying the view, a young lady from Utah offered to take our photo. She and her family own a campground in St. George, Utah. Since it was my birthday, I figured I should have a photo to commemorate it.

As we drove through Yosemite Valley, we caught glimpses of Yosemite Falls. They were full and beautiful from record snowfall and rainfall in the winter and spring of that year.

Yosemite Falls (Upper and Lower) from Sentinel Bridge area.

We continued on driving through the valley until we stopped at this viewpoint of Bridal Veil Falls and the Merced River.

Merced River and Bridal Veil Falls from Valley View Turnout

By now the clouds had almost completely filled the sky above us. We turned toward home as we closed out our day with a last look at this magical place.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1

Joshua Tree National Park

Posted on June 28, 2025 by admin

While traveling from Arizona to California, we stayed in Cathedral City, California. It’s not far from Indio. For some reason, we thought we had seen Joshua Tree National Park before. The fact was, we hadn’t.

South entrance from Interstate Highway 10.

Of course, my first goal was to get my National Parks Passport book stamped at the visitors’ center. We entered the park from the south entrance from Hwy 10 and stopped at the Cottonwood Visitor Center.

Not far from the visitors’ center was a picnic area where we stopped and had our lunch. Near there was Lost Palms Oasis, the largest grove of California fan palms in the park. These huge bearded trees thrive due to a constant water supply from Cottonwood Spring.

California fan palms in Lost Palms Oasis

From there, we worked our way northwards through the park. We saw very few Joshua trees at first. The temperatures in the desert in early May were quite pleasant since we were climbing in elevation the whole time.

The road is about a 30 mile drive, but we made several stops along the way to learn about the desert plants and geology. This alluvial fan coming is a common sight where the mountains meet the desert floor. Material from the mountains is washed down by streams during rains and flash floods. As the water slows, sediment gets deposited from the streams.

The alluvial fan gets more moisture from runoff to support more plants like the ocotillo and chollas. Believe it or not, ocotillos are more closely related to blueberries and tea plants than cactus plants!

Our next stop was the cholla garden. I’ve never seen so many chollas in one place! There were warning signs telling tourists not to get too close. Chollas are also known as “jumping cactus” because if you happen to brush up against one, it will stick to you.

Joshua trees are a type of yucca plant. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. I thought at first these yucca plants were baby Joshua trees. But they are yuccas.

The next photo shows the difference between a yucca and a Joshua tree. It’s pretty easy to tell when they’re this big and side by side.

It was late spring when we visited, but there were plenty of desert flowering plants.

Along our route was this interesting rock formation called “Skull Rock.” Joshua Tree National Park has a variety of rock formations. This is a popular one for tourists.

As we got further and further into the park, we began to see huge Joshua trees. I’ve seen many Joshua trees in my lifetime, but these were the biggest I’ve ever seen.

The trunks of these trees were like the size of an oak tree, and had many “arms.”

Another stop along our route was this “balancing rock” formation. It looked like it could topple down at any time.

Our last stop in the park was Keys View where we could look out over the whole Coachella Valley. I didn’t know this, but the San Andreas Fault line runs right down the middle of this valley.

At over 5,000 feet in elevation, we enjoyed the cool breezes as the day continued to warm up.

Joshua Tree National Park is worth seeing. The variety of desert plants and animals that can withstand the extreme temperatures of desert weather is a testament to God’s marvelous creation.

“The wilderness and the desert will rejoice,
And the desert will shout for joy and blossom.” Isaiah 35:1a

Very Large Radio Telescope Array

Posted on June 11, 2025 by admin

At nearly 7,000 feet altitude, on the very flat plains of San Augustin surrounded by mountains, in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, is a fascinating place called “The National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array.” Or, VLA, for short.

The VLA has 28 large radio telescopes. They are spread out in a Y-shaped array across the valley. Each of these huge telescopes is mounted on railroad tracks so they can be clustered together or spread out over 20 miles.

Row of radio telescopes. Telescopes are moved along rails to different locations.

The telescopes are interconnected so that they can function as one very large radio telescope. The radio waves they collect from outer space are not visible to the human eye. Instead, a huge very sophisticated computer “translates” the radio signals into images we can see. Some of the observations have been of black holes, photoplanetary disks around young stars, tracing complex gas motions at the Milky Way’s center and more.

When we visited, the telescopes were clustered close together. Each telescope is 25 meters (or 82 feet) across.

Building for servicing large telescopes can be seen in the background

The different arrays are used to get various results. One is used for fine detail and another is used for a broader range of images. The super computer then merges the images together to form one visual image. The telescopes are moved about every three to four months to a different configuration.

Walking tour path to radio telescope up close.

Each telescope dish itself can also move into different positions. These telescopes are operational 24 hours, seven days a week. Night or day doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it is far away from any radio waves like cell phones, microwave and radio signals that would interfere with these sensitive telescopes. That is why this location in the middle of nowhere was chosen for these sensitive instruments that are collecting very faint cosmic radio waves. The mountains block interfering radio waves from other surrounding sources.

We toured the visitors’ center and museum, watched an informative video, and then went on a self-guided walking tour around the facilities. This sundial (in the center) showed historic moments on the ground where the sundial would have been pointing at the time they happened.

This VLA is located about 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. We stopped here on our way from Socorro to Show Low, Arizona. We took our lunch break here after first touring the facilities. It was a nice break in a long day of travel, and besides that, we learned a lot.If you’re ever traveling on Hwy 60 through western New Mexico, stop and take some time to see this interesting place. It will be worth your time.

Sign board showing whirlpool galaxy, different wave lengths and images produced

I was impressed with how vast and huge is our universe. It reminded me of these verses in the Bible.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have set in place;
What is man that You think of him,
And a son of man that You are concerned about him?” Psalm 8:3-4

“The heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their expanse declares the work of His hands”. Psalm 19:1

Fort Davis National Historic Site

Posted on May 31, 2025 by admin

Imagine traveling 200 miles from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas, in the mid-1800’s by wagon, perhaps on your way to the gold fields in California. Travelers on this mountainous desert route were often raided and killed by Indians who were looking for food and livestock to supplement their hunter-gatherer way of life. This conflict caused the United States government to build and maintain a series of forts along this road. Fort Davis was one of these forts.

On our way going west out of Texas, we visited this historic Indian Wars’ frontier military post. Many of the buildings have been preserved, and some have been restored and furnished in period furnishings. We weren’t allowed to walk on the parade grounds because of the existence of artifacts still to be unearthed.

Parade Ground in front of row of officers’ quarters

As we walked through the barracks, we learned that 26 soldiers lived together in one large room. There were quarters for up to 400 soldiers at one time. During their free time, they played cards or checkers, sang and danced, read newspapers and books from the post library or strolled around.

The commanding officers’ quarters were much better. Many of the officers brought their wives and children with them. Wives sometimes worked as laundresses, hospital workers, or servants to other officers’ families.

Even though they were far from civilization, the officers brought nice furniture with them to furnish their homes.

Below, a photo of the wife of the officer and his two children hangs above the mantle in the bedroom. The officer’s helmet is on the fireplace mantle.

The Commissary stored food for the outpost. However, food had to be transported long distances. Food was sometimes already spoiled by the time it reached the fort. Some food was grown or bought locally, however.

There were many structures on this 460 acre park. Of the 24 buildings that have been restored, only five are refurbished. There are also over 100 ruins and foundations. During the summer months, there are living history demonstrations. We were too early for that, however.

There’s a museum at the entrance to the park. This paint set and sewing kit were among the artifacts.

After the Civil War, Congress passed legislation to increase the size of the army and to require a certain amount of black soldier units. Some were stationed at Fort Davis.

These Buffalo soldiers not only engaged in over 100 Indian skirmishes, but they also built many structures on the post, strung over 300 miles of telegraph wire, and built a water delivery system that supplied running water to the garrison.

The main purpose of Fort Davis was to protect west Texas from the Comanches and Apache Indians. The Indians were eventually forced into Mexico where they were killed by Mexican soldiers. This ended the Indian Wars. The soldiers at Fort Davis also provided protection for wagon trains and mail coaches and survey parties. By 1891, the fort was abandoned, having outlived its usefulness.

Our campsite at Davis Mountains State Park

We stayed in Davis Mountains State Park Campground while we were there exploring the area. This state park is unusual, in that, it had full hookups at the campsites. There was a road that went up the mountain to a lookout. This photo is from the viewpoint looking toward the campground.

This next photos are looking toward the town of Fort Davis. We could see a long way.

Lookout at Davis Mountains State Park near Fort Davis.

Fort Davis played an important role in the West. Learning about their lives and hardships makes me feel grateful for their contributions in settling the west. Fort Davis is a national historic park, so I was able to get my National Parks Passport book stamped once again and add another sticker to my journal.

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