Bicycling Bautista Canyon

Sunday the 9th - Happy Mothers Day!

We got up this morning around 7:30 AM, somehow the kids slept in, but that was alright since it was mothers day. No special events for us other than my expressed wishes to Tina for a "Happy Mothers Day!"

After a relaxing morning we loaded the bikes on the car, grabbed our cameras and drove to the eastern end of Hemet, then turned south into the foothills. We parked in a wide pullout and got ready for a nice leisurely ride up Bautista Canyon.

We heard about this ride from one of the guys at the bike shop in town. He said it was a low traffic gentle grade leading up through the canyon to the Conservation Camp and on over to Anza about sixteen miles away, south of the San Bernardino National Forest.

We started our ride up the canyon passing orange and grapefruit groves. There were many orange trees still with blossoms on them yet, covered with ripening fruit. The grapefruit trees were tall and trimmed for optimal harvesting with lots of fruit hanging from the boughs.

As we left the orange groves behind us we passed a big earthenworks dam designed for flood control then moved into the canyon proper. Soon we passed a sign welcoming us to the San Bernardino National Forest. The road followed a drycourse waterway as it wound up into the hills. Everywhere we looked there were flowers, bushes and trees in bloom so I was stopping frequently for photos.

We rode steadily upward but didn't realize how much elevation we were gaining as there was a slight tailwind. Six miles into the canyon we decided to turn around and return to the car. Now we could see just how high we had come and how deep into the canyon we had ridden. Going downhill the wind was in our face making it seem at times that we were still going up hill!

But we successfully negotiated the return route, loaded up the bikes and with a brief stop at the local "In 'n Out" for lunch returned home around 3:00 PM. Tina took a short nap, I downloaded the photos and we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Orange Empire Railway Museum

Saturday the 8th

After a really early morning wake-up call at 5:15 AM, we got the kids settled once more and managed to get another hours sleep before giving in to the insistence of the birds chirping outside and the flapping tongues inside. Once we were up I got the coffee going, took a shower, dressed and took the kids out before giving them their breakfast.

Once the kids were taken care of and we had our breakfast, Tina did several small loads of laundry while I watched TV and read my Sherlock Holmes. By 10:00 AM we decided to visit the Orange Empire Railway Museum (http://www.oerm.org/) over in the town of Perris. We settled the kids, locked up and headed west on Florida Ave W eventually going under I-215, passing through some farmland and finally arriving at the Museum.

Orange Empire Railway museum is an 85 acre facility dedicated to preserving and displaying rolling stock, artifacts and documents of the rail transportation industry of the southwest US, specifically Southern California. The organization provides educational opportunities for the public on the technology, history and impact of the rail transportation industry in the West.

After parking we walked the short distance into the facility and purchased our entrance tickets at the old depot. Since it was Saturday, the museum was running two trolleys, a streetcar and passenger train. Since the next departure was at 11:00 AM we walked around for a short time orienting ourselves to the various buildings.

Finally the stationmaster announced "All Aboard" for the Red Line streetcar, so we walked over to the boarding platform , mounted the steps and took our seats. A few minutes later we were off, gently heading down the line toward Perris. On the way Tina took a photo out the window with the camera pointed forward along the side of the car.

After reaching the end of the line, the conductor/engineer disconnected the power pole at one end of the car then connected the one at the other end of the car for the return trip.

When we got back to the station we walked over to Grizzley Flats Engine house No. 6 Along the way we passed two Rio Grande baggage cars which house a century of toy and scale model railroad cars and locomotives and other historic items.

Once inside the yard house, we found the 3'0" narrow gauge steam locomotive called the "Emma Nevada". This locomotive is an 1881 Baldwin 'Mogul' 2-6-0, named for an 1800's opera star. Also in the building were passenger cars, freight cars and related artifacts from the 1880's.

From there we walked back to Car House No. 1 which houses all the 3'6" gauge city streetcars and a small collection of horse cars dating from the 1870's, a San Fransisco Cable car and a Japanese streetcar from 1898. Also in the building are the Los Angeles "Yellow Cars" introduced in 1902.

Leaving Car House No. 1 we across the property to Car House No. 2 which has a collection of electric railway streetcars, suburban cars, interurban cars and locomotives dating from the 1900's. Also in this building are the Pacific Electric Railway "Red Cars".

From here we returned to the depot area where we boarded the City of Tucson Trolley for a narrated run around the perimeter of the property. Amazingly we were the only two people so we were treated to a very special trip. Our conductor/engineer, nicknamed "Hollywood", had just celebrated his 83 birthday and was still going strong. We made several stops where he told us stories of the various collections in the museum and life along the rails. At one point we passed a recreation of a hobo camp and he related how his brother "rode the rails" from New Jersey to LA during the winter of 1936 and nearly froze to death. Fortunately he survived to live for many more years in a warmer climate, heh, heh.

Once we got back to the station platform we departed the trolley and made our way back to the car for the drive home. We had a late lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon in "Relax" mode, working on the photos, writing the blog and relaxing.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

More Relaxing in Hemet

Thursday the 6th

A very warm day today, in the high 80's. We spent most of the day hanging out at the coach with time at the pool. Read a lot, played cards and watched a little TV.


Friday the 7th

After our regular morning routine we headed over to the Ballroom for a Waffle Breakfast. For $4 we got coffee, orange juice, a huge Belgian Waffle smothered in whipped cream and drenched with strawberries. Yum!! After breakfast we pretty much repeated yesterdays activities as it was again in the mid eighties.

By 3;30 in the afternoon, it had started to cool down so we decided to go see a movie. Turns out "Ironman II" had just been released so we went to the 4:30 showing. What a great fun movie, exciting and intense, we both enjoyed it thoroughly.

Since it was still early we decided to try the other Thai restaurant in town, the "Siam Garden Restaurant". We arrived about 7:00 PM and were seated right away. there were only a few other diners, yet it was nearly half an hour before we received our order. The food was filling but nothing to get excited about. Oh well, as my Dad used to say, "It's only one meal."

After dinner we returned home to take the kids for a long walk then settled in for the night.

No photos today.

Hiking the San Jacinto Mountains

Wednesday the 5th

Woke to another gorgeous day with temps in the 80's predicted for later. By 10:00 AM we're ready to head out to the San Jacinto Mountains in the San Bernardino National Forest. Our route takes us east through Hemet on CA-74 winding up through the foothills to 4,000 feet before we reach highway 243.

Turning left on the Banning Idyllwild Scenic Highway we eventually pass the 5,000 foot level and pull in to the town of Idyllwild (http://www.idyllwild.com/). This is a cute little mountain town full of small shops, restaurants and B&B's. Since it is still early, we decided to drive to the Idyllwild Nature Center (http://www.bigblendmagazine.com/naturecenter/index.htm) to do a short hike.

Visiting with the Centers director we learned about some of the exhibits on display, the live snake terrariums and some of the culture and history of the native peoples that lived in the area. Walking outside we checked the map and selected a short half mile hike through the pine scented forest along small spring fed streams. This was a nice walk in a beautiful setting.

Leaving the Nature Center we returned to Idyllwild. Parking in the heart of town we walked across the street to the "Red Kettle" for lunch. The place was packed and the outside deck was full so we took a table inside. We both had hamburgers and these were real home made burgers, big and juicy! With our burgers we had a chocolate shake... ahhhh, delicious!!

From the restaurant we drove out of town up into Fern Valley and Hubbard Park, not far from Suicide Rock. We probably gained another 600 to 700 feet of elevation by the time we reached the trailhead. Parking in the lower lot where there was still a patch of snow on the ground, with hiking shoes on, water and cameras, we headed out on the Ernie Maxwell Trail. The trail hugs the side of the valley leading down to Idyllwild and runs for about 2.5 miles trending slightly lower.

After crossing a small mountain stream we met several people coming from the opposite direction. After a brief chat we continued down the trail until we reached the halfway point where we turned around. . Having covered about three miles of mountain trails for the day, we decided to return to the car. Arriving back at the trailhead we changed into our sandals and returned to Idyllwild.

Turning right onto CA-243 we continued our drive north through the San Jacinto mountains reaching nearly 7,000 feet elevation before the run down to Banning. Following the long winding road out of the mountains we shed over 4,000 feet in about eight miles. This is a beautiful drive and we had perfect weather.

From Banning it was only a quick hop on I-10 over to Beaumont where we got on CA-79 south to Hemet arriving home about 4:30 PM. The rest of the day we just relaxed, worked on our photos and took it easy.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Relaxing In Hemet

Monday and Tuesday the 3rd and 4th

We took both days off to enjoy the sun with a couple of nice bike rides around town, stopping for lunch at the historic Hemet Train Depot and spending time at the pool. Tuesday evening I went in to town and played in a Nine Ball Tournament at Great Shot Billiards. Shot poorly, but had fun and was home early.

No photos today.

Car Show and Air Show

Sunday the 2nd

Today we have planned to go to two events - the Show 'n Go car show in Riverside and the air show at March AF Base. We followed the same routine as yesterday morning except we went out to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (http://www.mimiscafe.com/) in downtown Hemet. Tina had Belgian Waffles and I had a great California Omelet, yum! After breakfast we returned to the coach and took the kids out for a long walk. That done we were on the road by 9:30 AM headed for downtown Riverside.

We got there right around ten o'clock and after scoping out the situation, parked in a county parking lot two blocks from the activities.

Unlike the Del Mar Car Show which was held at the Sab Diego Fairgrounds with both inside and outside displays, the "Show 'n Go" car show was outside on the streets.

The downtown core of streets had been blocked off with cars being displayed everywhere within the four square blocks. It was kinda cool as it also allowed parades of different cars to circle within the area every fifteen minutes or so.

Naturally, we saw at least a dozen cars we would be happy to own. There was even one we could pick up for around three grand and do our own restoration! NOT! But it was an intrigueing idea for a few minutes anyway.

We spent about an hour and a half wandering around, drooling and taking lots of photos. Just before heading back to the car we stopped by a vendor booth where huge cajun shrimp were being grilled. The owner took a couple of napkins, picked up one of the shrimp off the grill and handed it to me. He gave me instruction on how to peel it, then gave one to Tina. These were huge, more like giant prawns but were they good!!

That pretty much took care of lunch, so we headed back to the car and drove south to March AFB arriving at our exit right about noon. Pulling to the side of the freeway before getting onto the exit ramp should have been a sign of things to come. Almost an hour and about two miles later we were being directed where to park on the base tarmac. We almost pulled out of line twice but managed to stick it out.

Once we got parked we grabbed our cameras and walked over to the air show entrance. The military patrols were searching all bags and everybody had to pass through a metal detector. It took another twenty minutes to get up to the screening area. So out of our pockets came all our stuff. I had my folding knife and got it out as well, figuring to be up front about it. Nope. No go. Take it back to the car.

Back past the line we trudged to the car. At this time we were treated to a major aerial show as the headliner, the F-22 "Raptor" was going through it's paces. It is really hard to believe how agile and responsive these planes are. And how loud when the afterburner kicks in.

The pilot was definately putting on a show for the crowd, coming in low from the left, then pointing it skyward and hitting the juice taking it straight up. Then, just as quickly, he was dropping out of the sky straight down toward the deck, when he hit the juice and pulled out into a series of snap rolls. The pilot really put that plane through its paces for almost half an hour before breaking off and landing. It was really cool watching this plane being put through its paces!!

After the F-22 demonstration was over we decided that we really didn't want to spend another half hour getting into the show grounds with only another few hours of flying left so we headed out for the freeway and the drive back to Hemet. Returning to the coach we took the kids for a long walk, Tina made spaghetti for dinner and I went into town to Great Shot Billiards (http://www.greatshotbilliards.com/) to get my two cue sticks re-tipped. I played a little pool then came home. By ten o'clock we called it a night.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Visit with Joe and Marsha

Saturday May 1st

Today (again) we got up early, 6:30 AM, with the recently re-set alarm system. The sun was out and it looked to be another great day. With all our morning activities completed we took the kids for one more walk, set the A/C, checked their water and closed the bedroom door.

That done, we got in the car and headed for Long Beach for a visit with our friends, Joe and Marsha Ganem. Florida Ave W has been getting a workout lately as it is our gateway to points west and north. By 9:15 AM we were on the I-215 headed north to the Ramona Expy exit where we could pick up Cajalco Rd for the cross country run past Lake Mathews over to I-15 North.

We only needed to be on I-15 for a few miles so we could get on the CA-91 freeway over to the CA-55 freeway, finally getting on the CA-22 freeway to Long Beach. Eventually CA-22 became 7th Ave and ran right into LB. With a turn towards the bay on Alamita Ave and right onto Ocean Blvd we pulled into Joe's Condo, offloaded the bikes and parked the car.

We went up to Joe and Marsha's place for a visit the, taking all the bikes outside we mounted up and headed for the bike path along the beach. The route took us past the Long Beach Aquarium which Tina and I visited four years ago, past the restaurants and onto the trail. Long Beach is working hard to become a bicycle friendly city and they are putting a lot of money into facilities, marking on-street bike paths and generally making it easier to get around by bike.

We ended up on 2nd Street in Belmont Shores where we stopped for lunch at the "Open Sesame Mediteranean Grill" (http://www.opensesamegrill.com/. Joe ordred up a couple of really scrumptious appetizers, Fried potatoes, sauteed with cilantro, garlic, roasted chili and lemon juice and Kibi, A shell of extra lean ground beef and bulgar (crushed wheat) filled with a sauteed mixture of roasted pine nuts, onion, ground beef and special herbs. Served with wild cucumber pickles, tomato, lettuce and a yogurt sauce.

Tina and Marsha ordered Chicken Tawook which is skewered cubes of marinated, charbroiled chicken breast, served with hummus, garlic sauce and pita ;with agreek type salad. I hat the Chicken Shwarma, tender marinated chicken breast and thigh cooked on an upright spit then thinly sliced, served with hummus, garlic sauce, wild cucumber pickles and pita, also with a small salad. Joe had Kafta, skewers of ground top sirloin and lamb mixed with parsley, onion and spices, charbroiled and served on a bed of basmati rice with a side of baba ghannouj and salad.

Everything was wonderful and we sat around with a demitasse of turkish coffee for another half hour talking about family and such. Then it was back on the bikes and following a meandering route through small quiet streets we toured several small communities for a really nice return to home base where we repaired to a poolside table with iced tea and discussed the state of the world, US politics and business.

But eventually we had to leave, so we loaded the bikes up, said our good-bye's and headed back home. The return trip was about half an hour longer due to traffic, so we arrived at the coach around 5:30 PM to greet a very happy pair of puppies. Amazingly they had been very good and even though we'd been gone over eight and a half hours, they'd managed to hold everything until we got home. GOOD Kids!!

After taking the dogs out for a long walk we headed over to Wendys for a burger then spent the rest of the evening taking it easy.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski