2009!

Happy New Year! May you all have a wonderful, happy, and successful 2009!

May your next bird be a lifer!!

Wordless Wednesday

New York City on December 30, 2008

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone out there!

Nasty East Coast Weather

This week we are in New Jersey. And the weather sucks. It snowed on Friday, then it turned to rain, then it turned to sleet. Woke up Saturday to an RV encased in ice. Fun. We're at Bill's sister's house in Glen Gardner and as of right now, we may not be able to leave until Spring. Today is Sunday. Yesterday it really didn't do anything precipitation wise, but early this morning it started the rain/sleet thing again. Bill is now on the roof trying to get the ice off. The water pump doesn't like the cold, either.

I really don't remember this kind of weather when I lived here. I guess that's because I didn't do a lot of driving then. Or something. Mostly I think it's the changing weather patterns. At least in Alaska we didn't get the ice. Snow I can deal with. The real funny thing is the other day, a weather person was predicting "frigid" temperatures. In the 20s. Believe me, 20s are not "frigid." Negative 20s are frigid. Oh well. I guess it's all relative. All I can say is 2 more weeks and Florida here we come!!!

On the bird front, everybody seems to be laying low these days. As we drove up the road the other day, there were a lot of Juncos along the sides. There was also a small flock of chipping sparrows next to the RV yesterday morning looking for breakfast. They didn't stick around long. And I finally saw a cardinal. A male cardinal. It's not that I've never seen one before, it's just that they are so beautiful in their bright red (oh, it was a male), especially against the fresh white snow. Very Christmasy, if you know what I mean.

So, if all goes well, we will be moving on to Pennsylvania this week. We are going to spend time with both sets of parents before leaving for Florida and points south (and warm). We may need to rethink Montana, too. It's very cold and snowy there now too. Arizona? New Mexico? Argentina? I'll keep you posted.

Socorro, New Mexico and the Festival of the Cranes

Here are pictures from the Bosque Del Apache NWR where the Festival of the Cranes was held in November. Check out Bill's blog for better pictures. I'll add more when I get a chance.

Bird List: Snow Goose (duh!)
Sandhill Crane (would have been a wasted trip without seeing at least one of these),
Canada Goose
American Crow
American Widgeon
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Northern Harrier
Gamble's Quail
Chihuahuan Raven
Brewer's Blackbird
Red-Wing Blackbird
Western Grebe
Bufflehead
Bald Eagle
Mallard
House Sparrow
Killdeer
Great-Tailed Grackle
American Coot
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Hooded Merganser
Pied-Bill Grebe
Red-Tailed Hawk
Ring-Neck Pheasant
White-Crowned Sparrow
Greater Roadrunner
American Kestrel
American Robin
Canvasback
Western Meadowlark
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
House Finch
Northern Flicker
Ross's Goose
Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Not a bad list. I'm sure there were lots more, but like I stated before, LBJs drive me nuts! I'm not as confident in my birding abilities here in the Lower 48. But I'm working on it.

It's raining today, after 3 days of very cold weather, even for an Alaskan. Cold enough to keep you indoors anyway. Mall doors. :o)

Out of Flagstaff

The first thing we did on our way out of Flagstaff is stop at the Meteor Crater. Neither of us had heard about this until Cheryl's husband Michael said that we really needed to see it. And he was right. Thank you Michael!

Meteor crater is just that. A meteor had at one time, million of years ago, hit Arizona and left this large crater. It was really neat to take the tour and learn all about the history and the natives in the area and what they thought of the crater. And it was really cool.

Then we went to Petrified Forest National Park. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but it was really neat to see. Hopefully one day we will go back and really take a look at the history and all that went with it.

Next, Socorro, New Mexico and the Festival of the Cranes.

Back to Flagstaff

So, while we were in Flagstaff, Arizona (the place where it snowed on us), we took a side trip to Sunset Crater. This is a volcanic crater. You never really think of Arizona as being volcanic in nature, but there are a lot of volcanoes there. The mountains that surround the area are actually volcanoes. Pretty cool place. There are lava flows the cross the road and then there is one place that you can actually walk through it. It reminded me a lot of Hawaii, except it didn't have that "tropical" feeling.

One of the other places we visited was Wupatki National Monument. Let me tell you. Being an Anthropology student, the place had me. I could have spent hours there. However, they are no longer doing any archaeological digs there do due its being sacred to the Native Americans whose ancestors lived there. Doesn't matter though. I still could have spent a lot of time there. We were losing light, though and had to get back to the dogs. Oh well.

Next installment...what we did after Flagstaff. Stay tuned...

Surprise!

We surprised everyone by making it to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. We first stopped at Peggy's (Bill's sister) and completely surprised all of them. Then we drove to my mom and dad's and they weren't expecting us. Especially since the day before we told them we were still in Arkansas.

I promise I will update everyone on what's been going on the last 2 weeks. I especially need to list the birds from the Crane Festival. It was really great! If you are a birder and have never been to the Bosque del Apache NWR, I highly recommend it. You don't necessarily have to go during the Festival of the Cranes, but I would highly recommend you go at that time. Quite frankly, you could call it the festival of the Snow Geese for how many were there.

Now that we are settled for a while, I'll be able to get pictures posted and update you on the last 2 to 3 weeks of this leg of the trip.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!

Quick Check in

Just a quick check in to let you know that I haven't forgotten the blog. We spent a really great week in Socorro, New Mexico at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge during the Festival of the Cranes. Never did see the Sungrebe. But I did get a few new birds.

Right now, we're on the road traveling East. Don't know when we'll actually reach our destination, but when we do, I'll update you on what we've done the last 2 weeks or so. Lots of pictures, too.

Wordless Wednesday

Santa Fe, New Mexico

We made it to Santa Fe and have been here the last 3 days. It's a very nice place. Even though it's the capital of the state, it doesn't seem to be out of control. You can get around the place easily. It's just a little expensive to live here.

We went to 3 brew pubs while we've been here. And 2 wineries. The first winery was the Santa Fe Winery. The wines were OK, but the guy who was pouring had no personality and it seemed like they didn't do wine tastings very often. They have another tasting room downtown in a gallery and I have a feeling we should have gone there instead. The winery itself is in Espanola, and that's where we went. We were served our samples in plastic cups. It didn't give a great first impression of New Mexico wineries. But then we went further north to Black Mesa Winery. Now THIS is a winery. They had great wines, and the gal who poured was very knowledgeable and helpful. We even got to take our tasting glasses. One of the wines they have here is called Santa Fest and they serve it warm with cinnamon sticks. Talk about the best winter drink! And their signature wine is Coyote. It's a red wine that even Bill liked.

We're heading to Albuquerque today. But we're only going to be there one day. Then it's off to Socorro and the main reason for being here. The Festival of the Cranes!! Expect lots of pictures. Then it's off to the East coast for Christmas. We're still not exactly sure what we're doing for Thanksgiving. It's going to depend on where we are and what the weather is like. Hopefully it will only take us 5 to 7 days to get there. All I can say is that the first place we hit had better have a bath tub, because that's where I'll be for a couple of days.

I'll post from the Festival of the Cranes.

Wordless Wednesday

On the road to Sedona.

Woke up this morning...

...to this. In Flagstaff. Clearly we are still too far north.

OK, I know. It will be gone in about an hour, but that's not the point.

More Pictures

American Coot London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ Sunrise at the Grand Canyon The sign at the entrance to the park

Arizona - Grand Canyon

As you can tell from the title, we have made it to Arizona. The altitude is getting to me, though. And it's extremely dry here. I've had a headache since we got here. Other than that, the Grand Canyon is absolutely beautiful! You look out at these rocks and it reminds you that you are a mere speck in the world. We watched the sun go down and then, in a true act of altitude insanity, got up at 5am this morning to watch the sun rise. Only it was cloudy, so it wasn't as spectacular as we had hoped.

We will be spending the next 2 nights in Flagstaff. Still at a high altitude, but it doesn't feel as bad. Tomorrow we want to go to Sedona. We have to start on our way to Socorro soon for the Festival of the Birds. Oh, speaking of birds, I have added some to my list: Gambels' Quail, Great-Tailed Grackle, Mountain Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Pinon Jay, and a California Gull.

Enjoy the pictures.

Wordless Wednesday

Where was I?

I forgot where I left off on our journey. But either way, right now we are in Paso Robles, California. We got here yesterday afternoon, and spent the latter part of the day visiting some of the wineries in the area. Turley Winery has some incredible Zinfandels. If you're ever in the area, try them.

We spent the night of the 29th at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Totally cool. The Skip Barber Racing School is there, and on Thursday there were cars on the track practicing. It was almost like being at a race. We went to Monterey while there and walked through Cannery Row and then drove the scenic drive along the bay. Apparently it was cold there, given all the people in coats and jackets and sweaters. We were in shorts and t-shirts thinking the weather was just perfect. If they think temps in the 70s are chilly, what does that say about their summers?

Before that we spent 2 days in the Garlic Capital of the world, Gilroy. And yes, it does smell like garlic. Everywhere. And yes, we did the tourist thing and went and bought everything garlic. Salsa, pesto, pickles, pasta sauce, and even pickled garlic. There are also outlet stores there, so we went shopping too. Bill got about 10 pairs of shorts and I got a shirt.

The weather has been wonderful. Warm and sunny. I'm actually liking this. I think I've spent too many years in the cold. A little warmth and I'm in heaven. We're heading further south today. We want to get into Santa Barbara in order to meet Bill's Uncle Art and Aunt Andie. I've never met them and Bill hasn't seen them in almost 20 years.

All in all, we're having a good time. I'm starting to get over my homesickness, or better yet, my lack-of-a-home-sickness. We're keeping busy and seeing and doing things that we've never done before, which is keeping my mind off it. I've been cross stitching and crocheting when I have time. The dogs keep you busy too.

Speaking of dogs, today is Eugene's 3rd birthday. Tomorrow he will have been with us a full year. Can you believe it? I can't. It feels like he's been with us forever. He has definitely become one of the family and I couldn't imagine this trip without him, or Meika, for that matter. They've made it more fun.

I've been doing some birding, but the LBJs have been driving me absolutely insane! I'm finding I'm not as good a birder as I thought I was. I knew all the birds in Alaska, but now I'm not so sure of myself. My biggest issue is that the birds in Alaska are all in breeding plumage and here they aren't. And there are a lot of juvenile birds that look like each other. Gulls are giving me the same headache, but to a lesser extent. (Oh, LBJs are Little Brown Jobs.) I did, however, add a Western Bluebird to my list. And there was a large flock of California Quail at Laguna Seca. I'm working on my birding skills. I think I need to find an Audubon Society outing and join in so I can get some help from the area experts.

I guess I'll finish here. Don't forget to check out Bill's blog, http://thewanderinggrywhl.blogspot.com. He's outdoing me in the blog world and it's a very enjoyable read.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EUGENE!!

Baseball

THE PHILLIES WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!

Phillies

The Phillies beat Tampa Bay 10 to 2! They now lead the Rays 3 games to 1! One more game to win and the pennant is ours!!!!

And on top of that, the Eagles won today too! Go Philly!

Something to Ponder

This was published today in the Anchorage Daily News column titled "Alaska Ear." I thought it was interesting and wanted to share.

VERBATIM ... Only eight more days. In case you've missed the campaign, here's a synopsis:

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest (we) become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

Cicero - 55 BC.

California

We're in Vallejo, California this weekend. It's just outside of San Fransisco. We're visiting family while we're here, but it's actually just a cover for the Napa/Sonoma wine country. That's what I'm here for. Wine, wine, wine.

We hit Sonoma and Napa yesterday. A lot of good wineries here, of course. But most importantly, they make some seriously good red wine. From Pinot Noir to Syrah (Sirah, Shiraz depending on where you're from). Where Oregon had a lot of sweet white wines, Napa/Somona has a lot of dry red wines. Cabernet Sav. is my favorite (don't know how to spell it). And the wines here range in price from $10/bottle to over $100/bottle. I haven't spent that much on one bottle of wine. Yet. But I got close to that yesterday. If it weren't for Bill...Either way, I am growing one heck of a wine cellar. Now I need somewhere to put the wine cellar.

This morning we went birding along route 37 that goes through a really cool salt marsh. There just wasn't a whole lot of places to pull out and gawk. If you ever wanted to know exactly what an American Avocet looks like, just go there. There are thousands of them. And Marbled Godwits. Everywhere. It's a bird watchers dream.

Here's my list from this morning. I still have a couple of pictures from Bill that need to checked in case of birds I couldn't identify:
Marbled Godwit
American Avocet (life)
House Finch
Red-Tailed Hawk
Brewer's Blackbird
Snowy Egret
Snowy Plover (life)
Willet (life)
Black Phoebe (life)
Song Sparrow
American Kestral
Long-Billed Curlew (life)
Savannah Sparrow
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
American Crow
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Western Meadowlark (life)
Mallard
Turkey vulture
White Crowned Sparrow

I now have 303 birds on my life list and 253 birds on my North American list. Not bad for not really trying. Can you just imagine how many I'd have if I actually went on all types of birding trips and tours?

We drove along the coast for a while on our way here. The roads are so curvy with switchbacks and tight turns. NOT for RVs. We also had a hard time finding places to pull over to look at the sights. It's one of the hazards of the GRYWHL. Too big. We were going to stop in Mendocino, but couldn't find anywhere to park. We had to just continue on. We did stop at a park next to the water and let the dogs swim a little. (Did I mention it's HOT here?) Eugene doesn't seem to care one way or the other about the water, just throw the ball. Meika on the other hand, likes to jump over the waves as they come ashore. And then she likes to run along the shoreline in the surf. If it weren't for her thick black coat, she'd be a California girl.

We spent a couple of days in Cloverdale before we heading to Vallejo. Cloverdale and Healdsburg are in the heart of the Russian River Valley/Anderson Valley/Dry Creek Valley appellations. That's wine speak for LOT'S of wineries. I developed the tic Bill is always talking about. There would be signs at intersections with 20 to 30 wineries listed on it. We only got to 11. And 1 brewery. Yes, we're still hitting breweries and brewpubs. Not all of them have growlers, so Bill will get a pint glass. We're going to need a very BIG house for all this stuff. My next job is to document all the wine we still have (drank a few already) so I know what we got. Finding someplace in the RV to put them is turning out to be an issue. And there are still 2 areas of California I want to get to.

This place has ants, and they are making their way into my RV! UGH!

So, Bill's cousin Pat and his wife Karen invited us (including Eugene and Meika) to dinner Friday night. Karen made a chicken with all the trimmings. It was SOOOO good! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! And their dog Nevada even tolerated Eugene and Meika while we were there. I think Nevada likes Meika. Not sure how she feels about him. Nevada is a miniature Schnauzer. He's such a cutie! We're going back to their house today with the hopes of meeting Bill's other cousin Lucy and her family. Bill hasn't seen this side of the family in nearly forever.

I've been informed it's time to go. I'll finish up later.

World Series

For those of you not watching the World Series of baseball, the Phillies are now up 2 games to 1 over Tampa Bay. YAY!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Bunny from the campground in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.

Oregon Coast

We spent 4 days in Newport, Oregon, along the coast. Originally, we were going to spend 2 days, but enjoyed it so much, we stayed the weekend. The scenery was spectacular!

This is the Yaquina Bay Headlight. You can walk to the top, but being afraid of heights, I didn't make it. Bill did, though, so you'll have to check his blog for any pictures he may have.

Apparently there is an unusually large number of Brown Pelicans in the area. They were everywhere.

We are now in Eureka, California. We got here this afternoon after quite a trip across the mountains from Redding. We didn't stop for any pictures along the way. Unfortunately, the Gray Whale can not access many of the turnouts along the roads (that's why there aren't many pictures of the Oregon coast). So, we have to be content with seeing and not documenting.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to see the huge redwood trees. Since we'll be in the jeep, we should get a few pictures. Not sure what we'll be doing after that. When we were in Newport, we stayed in a state park campground, so we didn't have internet access. Hopefully now we'll have a couple of days that we'll be connected.

Bird update: Newport, OR
Brown Pelican
Pelagic Cormorant
Black Turnstone
Double-Crested Cormorant
Herring Gull
American Robin
Northwestern Crow
Northern Harrier
Common Loon
Heermann's Gull (life bird!)
Harlequin duck
Song Sparrow
Bald Eagle
Great Blue Heron
Surf Scoter
Black-Legged Kittiwake
Dark-Eye Junco
Stellar's Jay
Northern Flicker (red shafted)
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
Chestnut Back Chickadee
Hairy Woodpecker
Western Gull (Life bird!)
Western Grebe
Black-Capped Chickadee
Great Horned Owl? (heard, not seen)
Pine Siskin

See? I told you I'd do more birding once I got to the coast.