There were reports that a dragon has been sighted in Borrego Valley of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, so we set up our Safari in Borrego Palm Canyon and joined writer/photographer Bert Gildart and his wife Janie on a hunt for dragons and other game along the way.  We rendezvoused with Bert and Janie at Borrego Springs’ Christmas Circle and traveled north on Borrego Springs Road.  The topography here reminded me of Ernest Hemingway’s description of parts of Africa where “the country began to open out into dry, sandy, bush-bordered prairies that dried into a typical desert country…” (Green Hills of Africa, Scribner, 1963, New York, page 160).  It wasn’t long before we spotted big game off to the right and we pulled off the road for a photo shoot.

It looked like elephants and camels were here.  Bert started taking photos a safe distance from these creatures, but one seemed to become wary and turned abruptly toward him.

As the space diminished between us, it became obvious that these creatures were actually large metal sculptures, Sky Art, created by sculptor/designer Ricardo Breceda for Dennis Avery’s Galleta Meadows Estate, depicting Gomphotheres, Camelops, and other creatures that roamed here during the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Miocene eras, millions of years ago.  Larry and I had visited this Sky Art two years ago as seen in my “Springtime in Galleta Meadows” post.

We retreated back to our trucks and resumed our pursuit of fabled quarry, the dragon.  Further down the road, we caught sight of its humps and pulled over to visually take in all 350 feet of The Serpent with a Chinese dragon’s head and rattlesnake tail undulating in and out of the desert sand.  We then respectfully approached for a planned photo shoot.

Janie held the strobe while Bert used his Nikon D7000 camera to photograph Larry wearing traditional Chinese clothing of the late 1800s.  (See Bert’s photos in his posting “Year of the Dragon“.)

Larry wore traditional clothing in the Manchu style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) such as this long blue gown (changshan), black skull cap with a jade ornament, and hair in the queue style.  (Historical note: “To frighten the Chinese, in 1873 San Francisco adopted the Queue Ordinance, which allowed prison wardens to shave the heads or cut off the long braids of Chinese prisoners,” writes Jean Pfaelzer in Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans, Random House, New York, 2007, page 75.)

Larry used a long bamboo pole to levitate a white Chinese lantern symbolizing the pearl of wisdom and knowledge, which the benevolent Chinese Dragon is fond of pursuing. The pearl also symbolizes truth, enlightenment, wealth, good luck, and prosperity.

The idea for this sculpture began with Dennis Avery.  “Dennis also is keenly attuned to Chinese culture through his wife, Sally Tsui Wong-Avery, who is founder of the Chinese Service Center in San Diego and the principal of San Diego’s Chinese Language School,” writes Diana Lindsay in her new book, Ricardo Breceda: Accidental Artist, Sunbelt Publications, Inc., 2012, page 205.

The arrival of this Chinese dragon is timely and auspicious as we enter the Year of the Dragon, which begins on January 23, 2012.  It’s a time to say “Gung Hay Fat Choy,” and watch the Dragon Dance!

Oh, there is one more thing… the second day of the 15-day Chinese New Year celebration is considered the birthday of all dogs!

Bert Gildart’s beautiful photography and stories have graced most issues of Airstream Life magazine ever since his first article, “Montana’s Crow Country – Airstreaming Through Native American History,” appeared in the Summer 2004 issue.  Bert and his wife Janie love to hike, so I had fun taking them on their first hike on the stunning Moonlight Canyon Trail in Agua Caliente County Park in the Anza-Borrego Desert in Southern California when they visited us in December.  Our morning hike was spectacular, especially when we came upon five Bighorn Sheep grazing on a nearby ridge.

Bert was so thrilled by the morning hike he asked to go out again after lunch for another chance encounter with the sheep and this time, take with him his tripod and strobes for a close-up photo shoot of blooming California Fuchsia.  I’ve accompanied Bert before on photography hikes, such as up Ghost Mountain on a previous New Year’s Day, and it is always a treat to see this professional photographer do his artistic work.  He brought along his bag of tricks, including lenses and strobes, and his heavy-duty tripod.

We returned to the California Fuchsia that we had seen earlier in the day and I took a picture of it (seen below) as Bert set up his equipment.

First Bert attached a 105mm macro lens to his Nikon D7000 camera and adjusted the tripod’s legs to accommodate the steeply angled rocky trail edge and focused on the flowers.

For Bert’s magic and artistry, he set the camera’s shutter speed to 250^th of a second (which makes the flowers look motionless, even in a breeze) and set the aperture at f/32 for maximum depth of field.   Bert used two hand-held strobes, which he explained overwhelm ambient light and produce the black background.  See his stunning image of this flower in his blog posting, “Surviving In a Land Where Everything Either Sticks, Stings or Bites.”

We then returned to the ridge where we had seen Bighorn Sheep earlier in the day, but none were within sight.  As we gazed upward, we both slowly turned, smiling at each other with the same thought.  Maybe the sheep were just on the other side of the ridge.  Yes, we thought, and scrambled up the loose granite side of the ridge like young boys on a treasure hunt.  We got to the top and Bert went on to a higher ridge nearby, but did not see sheep.  I motioned for him to come over and see Hedgehog Cactus that had been eaten earlier that morning by the Bighorn Sheep.

In his book Bighorn Sheep: Mountain Monarchs, Bert writes, “Sheep can digest many forms of food, and their teeth form the foundation for this tolerance… The lower incisors and single canine are intended for nipping while the molars serve to grind… Sheep have a four-chambered stomach… the first [chamber] is unusually large, creating a super fermentation vat” (Page 53).  See Bert’s close-up photo of this same cactus here, taken from his vantage point seen below.  (The cactus is in the shade to the left of the Brittlebush.)

We could have enjoyed lingering on that ridge longer, but the sun began to set, and Janie and Larry were waiting for us back in camp.  We returned with warm memories of this glorious day, which continue to sustain us as we look forward to that next hike, adventure and photo shoot in this wonderful world as we greet the New Year and the return of the sun.

The rising full moon amid fluffy clouds in an otherwise clear night sky was an auspicious sign as we began planning our fall and winter camping season.  This occurred last Monday night as we celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival.  According to Wikipedia, this festival is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival and is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated especially by Chinese and Vietnamese people on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, always coinciding with a full moon.

This is a time when family and friends gather together outside under the full moon and share in festivities such as eating mooncakes, sipping wine, and hanging brightly lit lanterns.  Loved ones who can not be together on this night can still feel connected by looking up at the moon at the same time.

As is customary in Hong Kong, Larry suspended Chinese lanterns on bamboo poles from a high point, in this case, from the top of our pergola.

We feasted on Larry’s homemade pizza under the pergola and watched the festive lanterns dance in the cool night breeze as lights twinkled in Mexico and throughout the South Bay.

As mentioned in Wikipedia, this festival is strongly associated with the legend of Houyi, the Archer, and Chang’e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality.  This is illustrated in YouTube’s “Legend of Moon Festival“.

Much of the symbolism of this festival revolves around the shape of the full round moon, emphasizing unity, wholeness, completeness, togetherness, well-being and prosperity.  It is said that catching the reflection of the moon in one’s teacup, glass of wine, or bowl of water is a perfect moment.  More ways of celebrating the harvest moon are described by Eleanor here.

Another perfect moment occurred on this auspicious night with the blooming of our Nightblooming Cereus, Queen of the Night.

This festival is also called the Mooncake Festival because mooncakes are often prepared in the shape of the moon and are usually made from lotus seed paste and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs.  We celebrated with two types of Chinese bean paste pastries, winter melon and mung bean.

We continued to share this special night by my ongoing daily bedtime readings out loud of Harry Potter, currently Book 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Midsummer nights are here and on most evenings we can hear fireworks rumble from San Diego’s Seaport Village.  Our Airstream Safari quietly rested in its homeport under the midsummer stars as I took the dogs out for a late night break in the cool air of the backyard patio.

As I passed by hanging plants on one side, I noticed a sensual fragrance and, looking more closely, I noticed many large, white blooms of the Nightblooming Cereus, the Queen of the Night, had just fully opened.

This is a magical moment because these flowers bloom at night and wilt by dawn.  Their blossoms are enchantingly alluring.

Even the nearby and playful Green Man seemed to take notice.

Meanwhile across town, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was playing.  Before I delve into this finale, I thought it best to read and understand the magic and character of Harry Potter, as written and developed by J. K. Rowling, author of the seven Harry Potter books.  So I have begun reading (out loud) each evening a chapter or so, beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

During the day, we visited the first inaugural San Diego Ukulele Festival.

We went on Friday afternoon as booths were just being set up and performers were testing the sound equipment. Seen below is Ukulele Bartt, Bartt Warburton, animatedly singing and playing his ukulele like a wizard.  This 3-day festival at Liberty Station opened last Thursday with a concert by ukulele grand wizard, Jake Shimabukuro.

More information about the history of the ukulele and the ukulele – Airstream connection is found in my article, “Ukulele Strumming and Airstreaming.”

Ukuleles glowed in the warm afternoon sun.

We took in more magic Saturday by attending the San Diego Gay Pride Parade, where approximately 300 active and inactive military service-members marched for the first time.

Yes, wouldn’t this be a good time for a piece of rhubarb pie… and listen to Jake Shimabukuro perform his “Crazy G” encore.

Desert blooms are not as profuse in some places of the Anza-Borrego Desert this spring due to three straight nights of freezing temperatures in February, but magnificent points of color can still be treasured.  Avoiding nails, I carefully backed our Airstream Safari into our Agua Caliente County Park campsite, right up to two spectacular ocotillo plants lush with small green leaves and profuse crimson flowers.

Every morning we opened our door to wonderful displays of color.

Nearby our two ocotillo plants is a creosote bush in full bloom.

The Creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, is an evergreen shrub with dark green leaves and yellow flowers.  According to Wikipedia, this plant was used by Native Americans in the Southwest as a treatment for a variety of illnesses and it is still used as a medicine in Mexico (the species is named after J.A. Hernandez de Larrea, a Spanish clergyman).

Another medicinal, the ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens, has bright crimson flowers that often appear after a rainfall.  According to Wikipedia, the fresh flowers are used in salads and the dried flowers are used for herbal tea.

Marshal South and family’s spirits rose when spring came to their desert home, Yaquitepec, on Ghost Mountain.  He wrote in his Desert Diary 4 (May 1940) April at Yaquitepec article:

 All the desert is awake and rejoicing in Spring. Fountains of wax-like white flowers tower above the green, bristling bayonets of the yuccas and the emerald wands of the newly-leafed ocotillos are tipped with points of flame. Color! Sharp, vivid color! That is the keynote of the wasteland’s awakening. And the knowledge that the vanished Children of the Desert found in many of these gorgeous blossoms a source of nourishing food takes nothing from their charm. Both the flowers of the yucca and the ocotillo are good to eat.

(All 102 articles and poems written by Marshal South for Desert Magazine from 1939 to 1948 can be read in Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles: An Experiment in Primitive Living, 2005, Edited and with a Foreword by Diana Lindsay and Introduction by Rider and Lucile South, Sunbelt Publications, San Diego, CA.)

After a cold, rainy winter, my spirits rose while hiking the Moonlight Canyon Trail in full sunlight and rising temperatures.  I spotted a lizard basking on granite surrounded by a sea of Bigelow Monkeyflowers, Mimulus bigelovii.

Barbed cholla spines pierced my lower pant leg and shoes as I maneuvered to take the photo of the barrel cactus below.

I returned to camp, removed the cholla spines, and enjoyed my daily noontime shower followed by savoring a cotto salami sandwich made by Larry.  Slices of cotto salami are placed in a toasted bun with finely shredded cabbage, horseradish mustard, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and onion with a side of chips and pepperoncini, Asian pickled garlic & ginger, olives and Deglet Noor dates.  This was complimented by a cold bottle of Heineken.

Then came afternoon reading, writing, walking the dogs and dining and photographing under the stars… and listening to a French song.

Last week we hopped back out to one of our favorite desert camping spots, Agua Caliente, where I previously photographed up-close Bighorn Sheep.  We docked our Airstream Safari at the foot of the Tierra Blanca Mountains and put out a red (auspicious Chinese color for life and prosperity) tablecloth as we made preparations to celebrate the Chinese New Year 2011, The Year of the Rabbit.

According to Wikipedia, Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after winter solstice and in China it is known as “Spring Festival“.  This year Chinese New Year’s Eve fell on Groundhog Day and even Punxsutawney Phil gave his nod that spring is near!  Although we had chilly weather at night, we did have beautifully sunny days and saw beginnings of spring wildflowers, such as the Ghost Flower.

The Ghost Flower, Mohavea confertiflora, is a native annual with beautiful, delicate, translucent cream flowers.  This one wilted the following day after our lowest night temperature of 29°.

For our Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, Larry pulled out our rolling dinette table from under the credenza and made Chinese dumplings.

Seen next to the tray of dumplings is a round tray of Chinese sweets.

Seen on the dumplings tray are chunky peanut butter dumplings (with a pleated edge) and pork-Shiitake mushroom dumplings (with a smooth, flat edge).  These were cooked on our Volcano stove.  First the peanut butter dumplings were deep-fried.

These dumplings look like small gold ingots and seen nearby are two rabbits holding a gold coin, symbol for wealth and prosperity.

The pork-Shiitake mushroom dumplings were browned on one side with a small amount of oil.  Then a quarter cup of broth or water is added and the dumplings are covered with a lid and steamed for 3 minutes.

This results in dumplings that are crispy and chewy.

The peanut butter dumplings were then sprinkled with powdered sugar.

As you can tell by Larry’s Russian rabbit fur hat and layers of clothing, the weather got chilly in the late afternoons, especially when the sun dipped behind the nearby mountain ridge.

Gusty winds increased the chill factor.

Our outside dog water bowl had an inch of ice the next morning.

Our friends in Tucson had temperatures dip to 17° that night and considered winterizing their trailers for the first time.

The Arizona Daily Star reported that Tucson’s freezing weather caused ‘astronomical’ frozen-water-pipe damage.

Larry served hot soup (made with asparagus, ham, onion, cilantro, and chicken broth along with the dumplings, which warmed us as we welcomed the Year of the Rabbit 2011 and Punxsutawney Phil’s indication that an early spring it will be!

Agua Caliente lies in the Anza-Borrego Desert at the eastern end of Vallecito Valley at the foot of the Tierra Blanca Mountains in Southern California where seismic activity created a spur of the Elsinore fault enabling water to come to the surface, which supports lush plant life and a wide variety of wildlife including the Bighorn Sheep.  Minerals come up in the hot springs forming mounds of natural salt licks.

Bighorn sheep are on the federal list of endangered species and seem to be making a comeback in this area.  An Agua Caliente County Park Ranger said there are about 13 of them here, so I was excited to have my first close encounter when I took a hike during our last camping trip and spotted four of them,

or more accurately, they spotted me.  They prefer to graze on rocky ridges and slopes where they can spot and escape from predators.

I stopped in my tracks and quietly prepared my camera and spent the next forty minutes in their world.  We saw eye to eye.

As long as I moved slowly and peacefully, they seemed comfortable in my presence.

They came down to feed,

and smile.

Poet, artist, and author Marshal South, along with his family, lived on Ghost Mountain for years before they spotted a great ram while hiking near here.  Marshal reported this experience in his article, Desert Refuge 41, December, 1944 issue of Desert Magazine:

As the dark body broke from the fringe of brush and leaped upon the lower rocks of a precipitous hillside not 30 yards distant, we saw that it was a great ram… a monarch among sheep.  In that flash instant in which poised upon a boulder, he glanced back at us before starting upward; he was a sight to stop the heartbeat… he halted, appraising us.  Then he started up, bounding swiftly up the almost perpendicular ridge with a sure footed skill that gave a deceptive illusion of leisurely ease… he reached the crest.  Here, silhouetted against the hard blue of the sky, the tall sharp line of a dry mescal pole rising beside him like a lifted standard he paused again.  Silence held the desert – and us – as for perhaps 20 seconds he stood outlined against space: A creature of freedom, gazing out across the rocks and ranges of his homeland in whose beetling cliffs and hidden canyons still some trace of dwindling freedom lingers.  Then he was gone.  The skyline was empty, and our hearts came back slowly to normal beating.

(All 102 articles and poems written by Marshal South for Desert Magazine from 1939 to 1948 can be read in Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles: An Experiment in Primitive Living, 2005, Edited and with a Foreword by Diana Lindsay and Introduction by Rider and Lucile South, Sunbelt Publications, San Diego, CA.)

I was lucky to have my Nikon D40 camera on hand as I took a hike on one of Agua Caliente County Park’s many trails when I had my first glimpse and extended photo session with Peninsular Bighorn sheep during our last camping trip here.  Up until this trip, we have never seen firsthand the famous Bighorn sheep of the Anza-Borrego Desert.  (“Borrego” is Spanish for lamb or sheep.)  “Bighorn sheep tend to keep a safe distance from human activity, but sometimes seem possessed of a kind of curiosity about humans,” writes Jerry Schad in his Afoot & Afield in San Diego County, 3rd edition, Wilderness Press, 1998, page 13.

Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, Ovis canadensis cremnobates, live in the Peninsular Mountain Ranges of California and Baja California.  Wikipedia states that Bighorn sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia during the Pleistocene (about 750,00 years ago).  Bighorn sheep population once peaked in the millions, but decreased to several thousand by 1900.  Threats to this endangered species include drought, disease, mountain lions, coyotes, feral cattle, off-road vehicles, and reductions in their natural habitat by encroachments of “civilization” (golf courses and housing developments).  Bighorn sheep prefer steep rocky slopes where they can graze on plants while avoiding predators.

After I spotted the first one, I walked ahead very slowly, quietly, gently with camera ready and heard above me hoof-steps and rocks moving and saw an ewe gazing down at me.  It was love at first sight.

This pregnant ewe accepted my peaceful company and grazed on plants.  “Favorite food is jojoba, mesquite, white ratany, bee sage, desert agave, and barrel cactus,” writes Diana Lindsay in her book Anza-Borrego A to Z: People, Places, and Things, Sunbelt Publications, 2001.

She grazed and gazed.

Other sheep gradually accepted me, while this ram came down with a clattering noise of sliding rocks to investigate.

An older and larger ram kept watch as a younger ram and ewes grazed towards me.

These were very special, magical moments with the great ram…

and pregnant ewe…

After 40 minutes, we said our gentle goodbyes and I walked ahead with a warm glow and beautiful memories.

Such beautiful and precarious creatures… may we be good shepherds to all of nature.

While our friends 50 miles north of us in Borrego Springs were experiencing cold, cloudy weather with rain during the day and sleet at night, we were enjoying the sun and rainbows during our return to Agua Caliente County Park on our first trip of the new year.

Our Safari trailer also seemed to enjoy basking in the warm sun in preparation to brave the cool nights that required a small space heater that ran continuously throughout the night at this full hookup campsite.

It’s quite peaceful and relaxing here. People like to sit and take in the beautiful vista views.  I saw some people sitting on a vintage art deco cement bench on the side of a nearby desert road.  From a distance, it looked liked they were waiting for a bus.  But as I got closer, it looked like they were hitchhiking.  Perhaps their car had tire problems or maybe they were trying to thumb their way to warmer climes.

It turned out that our friends Rich, Eleanor and Emma came down to visit while sitting and hiking in the sun.

The sun brings out such happiness!

Eleanor and Larry decided to spend the afternoon in camp chatting and sharing notes, while I joined Rich and Emma on a hike near the primitive Mountain Palm Springs campground.  This pleasant hike up a rocky arroyo led to Palm Bowl, site of 100 or so palms.

Emma, Zoe the cat, and I looked on as Rich stood on the edge of a rocky precipice to take his photo of 100 palms seen in his “Last days in Anza-Borrego” post.

We took our time and savored the sights and the sun.  Emma stopped here and there to examine mica particles glistening in a small creek and gently caressed the spines of an ocotillo.  “I’m petting them,” she quietly said to me, “Sometimes I talk to plants.”

We returned to camp with warm memories of a wonderful hike and spotted Eleanor and Larry happily chatting away in camp chairs positioned to catch the last rays of the sun just before it disappeared behind a nearby mountain ridge, bringing quickly lowering temperatures.

In my next post I’ll share with you my very special, intimate 40 minutes spent taking close-up photos of four Bighorn sheep that I came across while hiking the next day in Agua Caliente County Park… such magnificence!

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park‘s Borrego Palm Canyon Campground is 2.5 miles from the Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs, California, and is a wonderful place to relax and soak in the sun while celebrating the winter holidays.  The snowbirds are arriving, but it is still relatively quiet and peaceful during the weekdays.  So we spent five wonderfully sunny, balmy days enjoying the ambiance of this special place.

I savored my hot cup of joe as our docked Safari and San Ysidro Mountains glowed in the early morning sun.

A Blue Palo Verde tree, Indigo bush, chollas, and Creosote bushes were seen through our Vista View windows.

We came ready to celebrate the holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas, while avoiding the frenzied crowds at shopping centers.

Our dogs came ready to enjoy walks (on a 6′ leash) about the campground and the 0.6 mile paved trail from the campground to the visitor center.

This ADA compliant (Americans with Disabilities Act) trail is handicapped accessible and bikes and dogs are permitted.

Along the trail are interpretive signs about the area’s plant and animal life.

We heard and spotted a nearby coyote as we took our mid-morning walk.

Along the way we saw ocotillo that have turned bronze from a recent frost.

Once we reached the visitor center, our dogs enjoyed drinking water and resting in the shade, while we each took turns visiting the center.  I usually can’t resist buying something here each year, so this time I bought Road Trip With Huell Howser #148 Anza Borrego DVD and San Diego County Native Plants, by James Lightner.

By midweek it was time to light the candles of the Menorah for the eighth day of Hanukkah, while the waxing crescent moon slowly passed overhead.

I continued to revel in the holiday spirits while reading about “Technomads”, a mobile technology article by RG Coleman in the Winter Issue of Airstream Life Magazine.

During our stay, we remained unshaken by a 3.9 magnitude earthquake 9 miles from Borrego Springs and braved Southern California’s wintry nights because sometimes “Baby It’s Cold Outside“.