"Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway ~~ We're the best of friends ~~ Insisting that the world keep turnin' our way…" Willie Nelson – Johnny Cash
Since we left Alberta in October 2023 we have been doing a lot of pet sitting for dogs and cats. We didn’t exactly plan it that way but that’s how it worked out. Right after Christmas we drove to Jacksonville in southern Oregon (near Medford) to spend two and a half weeks watching two big dogs, arranged through TrustedHousesitters. We had never watched big dogs before and we weren’t quite sure what to expect but it was a lot of fun. Willie is some sort of German Shepherd mix and Max is an Australian Shepherd mix. Max loved to play ball, even in the snow, and Willie loved running around barking at squirrels. The house was out in the woods on a fenced 10 acre property so they had the run of the place. Both dogs were well-behaved and affectionate, and they waited patiently while we slowly learned to respond to their communications. The town of Jacksonville was about a 10 minute drive away. It was a gold rush town in the mid-19th century but was largely abandoned with its buildings intact when the railroad bypassed the town and instead went through nearby Medford. Hence, downtown Jacksonville is full of beautifully preserved old buildings. We enjoyed several walks in the old town. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.
Max and Willie in the family room with Carrie.
Willie and Max wait for treats. Blurred tail photo shows rapid wagging.
Carrie knitted this Advent stocking during the month of December, one of Norwegians Arne and Carlos’ patterns.
Charlie and Max stand by an old railroad trestle in the hills around Jacksonville.
Another view of the railroad trestle across a ravine.
Wille doesn’t seem to mind the cold, snowy weather.
The first snowfall at the home in Jacksonville was light and fluffy.
The car was dusted with snow in the driveway.
Interesting old homes and yards seen during walks in Jacksonville.
Many deer were seen on walks in Jacksonville neighborhoods.
Jacksonville City Hall. The city is at a lower elevation and didn’t get any snowfall.
Old homes viewed in Jacksonville on walks.
Jacksonville park with an old steam engine and vineyard.
Closer view of the old steam engine.
Cypress garlands adorned historic buildings downtown for Christmas.
Old house is now an art/home/garden business.
Downtown picturesque Jacksonville.
Old buildings renovated to house retail shops.
Original City Hall in Jacksonville.
Heading south on I-5 in California, a view of Mt. Shasta.
After Oregon we returned to Tucson to once again watch Rox, the dog, and Tasha and Trill, the two cats. We have watched them several times so Rox gets very excited when we return. The cats not so much, but they’re cats.
View of the clouds coming to Tucson during the heavy California rains.
Tasha is a lap cat, for sure.
Rox is an exuberant cockapoo.
Trill loves to be petted, but definitely not a lap cat.
Sunset during neighborhood walk in Tucson.
Snow-capped Mt. Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains is visible from the west.
After we left Tucson at the beginning of February we had a gap in our schedule so we decided to spend two and a half weeks in Borrego Springs, a small and isolated town in the California desert east of San Diego. Along the way we made a brief stop at the Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden in Yuma, Arizona. Borrego Springs is one of eight international Dark Sky Communities – the first in California. We had taken a day trip to Borrego Springs a few years ago and we liked it so we decided to return. The town is surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California. Our house had beautiful desert and mountain views and we enjoyed walking in the nearby neighborhoods and desert.
A favorite travel activity is visiting various botanical gardens.
This demonstration garden in Yuma, Arizona, is tended by the University of Arizona.
Large agave.
The view from our VRBO home in Borrego Springs.
The mountains are between Borrego Springs and Palm Springs.
Recent rain has resulted in new green growth on the ocotillos, and a rainbow in our back yard.
Borrego Springs Desert Garden features local plants.
Another view of Borrego Springs Desert Garden.
Hiking in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
View of Borrego Springs from a mountain road in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Borrego Springs is home to a variety of giant rusty metal scuptures dotted throughout the desert.
Mammoths
Mythical sea serpent
The sea serpent undulates below the road and reappears on the other side.
A favorite neighborhood walk was among the houses at the De Anza Country Club.
Heart shaped rock arrangement in a xeriscape yard.
Almond trees in full bloom along CA highway 99, heading north back to Sacramento.
We left Alberta in October and traveled west across the Rockies on the Trans-Canada Highway into British Columbia. We passed through three Canadian National Parks – Yoho, Glacier, and Mount Revelstoke. All are beautiful, and Mount Revelstoke hosts an old ski jumping venue that was used for competitions in the first half of the 20th century. We then passed through the Okanagan Valley, BC’s principal wine region, and we crossed the international border into eastern Washington. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.
Charlie is setting up for lunch at a scenic roadside rest area in eastern British Columbia.
Major Albert Bowman Rogers discovered a gap in the Selkirk Mountains in 1881, and the Canadian Pacific Railway was built through this pass, finally connecting British Columbia to the rest of Canada.
The construction of the rail line led to the establishment of Glacier and Yoho National Parks in 1886.
Cannons were used to trigger avalanches to control avalance danger in the pass.
View from Rogers Pass.
Rogers Pass rest area.
Rest area stop at historic site: last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885.
Picture commemorating placement of the last spike.
100 year old Men’s ski jump platform on Mt. Revelstoke.
Women’s ski jump platform was at a lower elevation.
View of the town of Revelstoke from Mt. Revelstoke, with Columbia River in the distance.
Revelstoke and Columbia River view.
Helpful road sign builds suspense…
Tada! Mt. Rainier in the distance.
We made our way through Washington, Oregon, and California en route to Paso Robles to sit for one of our favorite cats, Purrkins. We were watching Purrkins last year when we were stranded when the road washed out during a big flashflood. But this time we had perfect fall weather and a relaxing visit.
There are plenty of deer near our friends’ home near Paso Robles.
After Paso Robles we traveled to Roseville, just outside Sacramento, and watched a cat named Arcy, arranged through TrustedHousesitters. Arcy is a very vocal cat and she has the loudest purr ever. It is interesting how each cat has its own personality. We then headed south to Tucson in mid-November to watch a dog and two cats that we had watched before. But on the way we took a couple of extra days to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, along the Mexican border in southwest Arizona. We spent a couple of nights in the nearby town of Ajo, once a copper mining town but now a sleepy artist and tourist town after the mine shut down. We stayed in a very interesting hotel, recently converted from the old elementary school in town. Each classroom is now a hotel room and the play yard is now a courtyard with desert landscaping.
Eating at In-N-Out when the USC Marching Band arrived on their way back to L.A. after their last Pac 12 football game in the Bay Area, ever. Thus ended the yearly Weekender tradition.
Arcy seems to enjoy roosting on this foot stool.
Arcy sometimes agrees to share the footstool with Carrie.
Arcy is not normally a lap cat, but Carrie is a cat whisperer.
Dry Creek in Royer Park, Roseville, CA is one of C+C’s favorite places to walk.
This duck floated into the sunlight on the water just so Carrie could snap its picture.
View of the historic school bulding in Ajo, now converted into a conference center with motel rooms, and low-cost housing for artists living in Ajo.
The former elementary school playground has been converted to a garden with native plants and places to sit.
More plants in the garden.
Plants and art in the garden.
Outside wall with all the windows was an elementary school, now converted to motel rooms.
Walking through a breezeway entering the courtyard.
View of the courtyard and former classroom halls.
Interesting architecture in the town of Ajo.
Several of the buildings in downtown Ajo have murals and art painted on the exterior walls.
Art in Artists’ Alley.
More art…
Shadows from street signs cast upon the art.
Teddy bear cholla grove in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
The most organ pipe cacti are found on south-facing hills to take advantage of the most heat.
90 foot arch along Arch Canyon Trail.
Long distance view on Arch Canyon Trail.
Saguaro and organ pipe cacti share the environment. Organ pipe cacti cannot tolerate freezing temperatures.
Carrie with a cholla cactus.
Paved nature walk at the visitors center at Organ Pipe Cactus NM.
Beautiful Sonoran Desert scenery.
We spent Thanksgiving with Andy and Heather in Oakland. Then, in early December we were back in Paso Robles for an early Christmas celebration with close friends. While there we all visited the Cambria Christmas Market, an annual holiday event with lots of Christmas lights. We spent Christmas with family back in Camarillo.
Lights at the Cambria Christmas Market.
Close friends of 40 years at the Cambria Christmas Market.
