Poppies And Cats And Twenty Mule Teams

 

I have spent the last few months in various types of deserts. Yes, there are different types. From the scrubby New Mexico deserts to the hard-core sand deserts of southern Arizona to the sage brush type of desert of southeastern California, I have enjoyed experiencing each type. My plan was to continue up the east side of California, thru the Mojave Desert, into Death Valley. One morning I woke up and said 'Enough! I need to see trees and water.' I decide that I should head to the coast – see the ocean, find some greenery.

California is a hotbed of Elk Lodges and as a Elks member I have been taking advantage of their facilities as some of the Elk Lodges allow RV parking. A lot of them even have hookups which is always nice. Most of them have dinners several times a week and some of them have some really good chefs. I have to say, you won't find a more friendly group of people than the Elks. I settled into the Elks Lodge in Lancaster, a town that is halfway between the eastern and western California borders.

The Cat House (EFBC/FCC) – dedicated to the protection and preservation of the world's most endangered felines

Located in Rosamond. They are “involved in cooperative breeding projects with other zoos and facilities throughout the world. The majority of EFBC's cates are not abandoned pets as you would find at a rescue facility. Cats at the EFBC/FCC are registered within Species 360 and the Species Survival Plan ….and contribute to species conservation.” You tend to think of exotic cats such as leopards, tigers and lions. I had no idea that there were cats such as the Sand Cat which weigh 3-11 pounds. Tiny little guys. It was breathtaking seeing these beautiful cats and also it was also sad. The fact that they are all endangered plus the fact that they spend their lives in these cages is dis-heartening. Interesting note: The Cat House claim that 90% of all dollars donated to them go to the care of these animals and their breeding programs.

North Chinese Leopard
He had the most vibrant spots

Sand Cat
Looks like his mug shot, doesn't he?

Look at that face!

I am of a certain age where, as a child, I watched on TV (in black and white, of course) Death Valley Days. This show told true stories of the Old West and was sponsored by Twenty Mule Team Borax. I always knew Borax as a laundry detergent, but it is so much more. Borax(Boron) is used in the fiberglass/glass, insecticides, semiconductors, magnets and medical industries. In the town of Boron is the largest open pit mine in California. The Borax Visitor Center sits on top of a large hill with the mine spread out below. The docent said that from the Visitor Center down to the bottom of the mine was two miles and a mile and a half long. This is where they use the giant trucks to move rock – the trucks are as big as a two story house. The company, back in the olden days did use twenty mule teams to move the rock – although that isn't exactly true – it was 18 mules and two horses. I asked why the two horses and they really couldn't tell me a good reason. That didn't stop them from calling it Twenty Mule Team. I felt lied to.

Twenty? Mule Team

I think it would be fun to drive one of these beasts. 
 Who am I kidding, I can barely manage my pickup truck.

Evidently Musical Highways are a thing. The roads are constructed so that if you drive over them at a certain speed, you hear a tune. I was on one in New Mexico which played America the Beautiful, although it was missing some notes. There is one here in Lancaster which plays part of the William Tell Overture. They say to drive it at 55mph, but I found 60-65 was much better sounding. Some of the notes were a bit out of tune, but it was still fun to do it. I actually did it three times because it made me laugh so much.

The California Poppy is California's state flower. Outside of Lancaster, there is even a state park dedicated to the poppy. I got all excited when I heard about that the poppy bloom begins in February and lasts for several months. For once, it looks like my trip timing is going to be spot on. Upon further research, I discovered that this is not a good year for poppies. They need warmth and spring rains. Because of the drought, there has only been .18 inches of rain here, not enough to support a massive bloom. I still went and although spotty, I saw more poppies than I have ever seen in my life. Did I mention that when it gets really windy, the poppies close up? The day I was there, there was a wind advisory with gusts up to 50 mph. I soldiered on though, but standing upright on top of a mountain in a gale force wind did take some doing.

Poppies were a little sparse

But there were little pockets of poppies

A doctor saw a house like this in Europe and decided he needed to build one like it to house his pediatric/adolescent medical clinic .