Have I said it before?

Here we were at about 4055 ft elevation.  I am looking East over a valley to the mountains at Mt. Laguna

I love my daughter Tricia's job.  I am glad she likes it too.  This weekend, Stan and I were able to fly to San Diego. 

We rented a car and headed out of the city.  We wanted to see the country.  We went East towards the Arizona border and then North up into the mountains.  It was very interesting to see the differences in the mountains in comparison to the mountains in Washington.  In Washington, we have very sharp and craggy mountains.  Here we found so many different types and formations.

This picture was taken in the Anza Borrego Desert.  Loved the cactus.

Also in the Anza Borrego Desert.

We headed East on Hwy 8 to Escanso then headed North on 79.  We immediately took another highway East that connected to S1 which took us North past Mt. Laguna to Julian.  From Julian we headed East again to the Salton Sea. We drove North along the Salton Sea.  I was really saddened by what I saw there.  Total and abject poverty. I commented to Stan that much of the area looked like the slums in Tanzania looked like. It broke my heart to see people living in the conditions I saw there.  Some of the little towns along the sea were completely deserted.  Just shells of homes standing behind chain link fences.

Pelicans on the Salton Sea.

We continued North past the Sea to Indio and then East again on I 10 to the Joshua Tree National Park.  Because we wanted to make it to our friends house on Saturday, we only ventured in as far as the Park Ranger Station.  About 10 miles.  We then returned South to a town called Mecca.  Again, nearly a ghost town. Very depressed.

Joshua Tree National Park.

At Joshua Tree

In a canyon going through the Orocopia Mountains to Mecca

The sun setting behind the Santa Rosa Mountains and the Salton Sea 

After visiting our friends in Niland Saturday night and returning West to San Diego on Sunday, we once again crossed a mountain range.  I am not sure which one it was, but we went over the Tecate Divide.  It was just pile upon pile of rock.  Some of the most interesting configurations I had ever seen.  Huge rocks piled on on another.  Looking like they were fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle.

More tomorrow.  I must say though that this was a trip both Stan and I needed.  We both enjoyed the time away.
      Thank you TRICIA and Alaska Airlines:)