thought this would be easier.
we're in joshua tree at loraine's house. Loraine was sam's mom's roommate her freshman year of college.
the sun just came up and the desert is orange. The bird feeders are full of black-throated sparrows, gold finches, house finches, ladderbacked woodpeckers, and there are two desert cottontail rabbits fighting in the yard. I only know names because loraine tells me. Yesterday we went on a long walk learning (and, at least for me, forgetting) the names of all the wildflowers and different cacti. Beavertail I can remember.
bill's still sleeping.
sam's eating cereal and looking at a map. Hannah's eating cereal. Maybe i'm not so good at this blog thing. loraine has been making noise in the kitchen and I see now that she is making fresh squeezed orange juice!
one highlight of the first day of our trip (which seems like months ago) was riding along huge orange groves on the way to perris lake and grabbing an orange off the tree. Sean Kredel, one of my 3 friends from home (zach and brian too..and of course my dad, which was a real treat!) who joined us for the first day, slowed to see what I was doing, and I grabbed another orange off the tree while I was riding and clumsily tossed it to him and he caught it with one hand and we then enjoyed what seemed like the best orange i've ever had. Soon after that sean, hannah, sam and I stopped at a farm stand and got free samples of whole oranges and tangerines and figs and also bought a bag of salt water taffy and it was so good! I thought of you when we got the taffy mom--I remember it as a road trip favorite of yours. Solvang?
So far
80 miles from Irvine to Lake perris
60 miles from Lake perris to palm springs
37 miles from palm springs to joshua tree
that's all. I need to make breakfast or loraine's going to do it for me, which would just be too much! she bought us all indian food last night at this indian/pizza restaurant in "downtown" joshua tree last night. It was great. bye. I'll try and get the others to write on this blog. I can't change teh settings from spanish. But that's okay caause bill's still in spanish mode after guatemala--he says that in his tent only spanish can be spoken. This has not really been put to the test because we have only spent one night in the tent! Pathetic.
Last night loraine got out her telescope and we saw the rings of saturn! It was so amazing. Makes you want to shout. Each of us did when we had our turn. We got a little star guide to help us in the nights ahead.
1 flat tire on indian canyon road. Sam's. Strong headwind all through the desert. Strong headwind all up the huge hills that we climbed on 62 between desert hotsprings and joshua tree.
ok bye
