The last day of our trip (and Pahranagat)

We awoke in Vegas, Charley and I had breakfast, and we pulled out by 11:30.  We stopped for a 3 hour break in Pahranagat NWR.  Charley toddled about and bird watched, Rod did the same, but separately.

Drawing in the dirt

From here we headed on to Ely, where we stopped again.  For Charley to play at McD playland (I've never spent more time in McDonald's in my life!) and to get groceries.  Then, home sweet home.  What a fun trip it was!

Anza Borrego

We hiked 3 miles to a Palm Oasis - an amazing sight in the middle of the hot arid desert.  We had several people stop us on the way, incredulous we would bring a baby on the hike, worried she was getting burned up by the sun.  I appreciated their concern, but our little babe was just fine!

See the palms, on the right?  Amazing.

We stopped to relax and rest and cool down.  Unfortunately, my camera battery died after this shot.

Luckily, a couple took these two photos with their phone and emailed me!

 People we encountered saw Bighorn Sheep.  We struck out.  We made it out by 4, had pizza at a little cafe, then headed to Vegas.  We stopped at a McD playland, and Charley played with 3 little Latino boys for nearly 2 hours.  We arrived in Vegas and crashed out.

Bye-bye San Diego, Hello Anza Borrego

Rod learned of Anza Borrego Desert State Park and decided he wanted to detour there.  So we cancelled our last night in SD an rebooked a place in Borrego Springs.  This morning we met the San Diego Audubon Society in Tecolote Canyon for an 8 am bird walk.  Nothing noteworthy, but a nice morning out.  Just as we got back to the visitor center, I learned they were having their once monthly story time!  So, Charley got to attend that.  Lots of singing/dancing, so she was happy.  We had Mexican lunch, then headed for Anza Borrego.  As we entered the park, Rod found a coachwhip eating a lizard and a chuckwalla crossed in front of us.

 We hit the visitor center first.

 We hiked the short nature trail around the center - it was HOT!  Then we went and had another Mexican supper - the only game we found in town.  We checked into our motel - a place that we discovered caters to off-roaders.  It was like a desert beach resort.  Then Rod went back out to night drive, and I tried to put Charley to bed.  Silly me.  They were having a POOL party that night, and about 8 pm the electric guitars, amps and drums started, and they had a 2 hour rock concert.  They finally quit sometime after 10 - and Charley finally then went to sleep.  Miserable.

Birch Aquarium and La Jolla seals

Rod had been scoping out good places to snake, and wanted a warm sunny day, and that day had come.  Charley and I dropped him back at San Diego NWR and headed to La Jolla, to the aquarium.  She loved the eels.

Always making friends

 After doing everything we could at the aquarium, some 2-3 times, we still had time to kill before picking Rod up.  The guy at the front desk turned me on to "Children's Pool", where seals congregate.  They are Harbor Seals.  It was amazing!  Charley also threw a fit after leaving here - apparently she really liked the seals!

We bummed around the park for a while, meandering back to the car

 These 5 little boys were playing in the sand in the park (NOT a sand box, but that didn't stop them!).  It was too cute - Charley sauntered over, they didn't even look up.  She crawled over one and sat on another in an effort to get in the  middle of them - again, they acted like she wasn't even on the planet.  She started playing among them, and they never batted an eye!

We picked up Rod at 6 - he'd struck out.  :(  We had our third Indian supper of the trip, returning to the place we'd eaten on our first night.  After I got C to bed, Rod stayed with her while my high school friend Qiana picked me up at the hotel.  She toured me around downtown, then we sat at a restaurant and caught up.  It was nice.

Refuge Day

We started the day at the Chula Vista Nature Center in the Sweetwater Marsh NWR.  Technically, we started in their parking lot, waiting for the shuttle (the only way in), which upon being dumped off, Rod realized he forgot his wallet, so we rode BACK to our car and BACK to the refuge.  We got to know the driver pretty well!  They had a ray touch tank, sharks, sea turtles, nonreleasable raptors, the endangered light-footed Clapper Rail.  It was pretty neat.

There was a trash to art exhibit - whale bones

 We hiked some of the trails next.

 After finishing up, we decided to return to a different part of Tijuana Slough NWR for some more hiking.  We ended up hiking right along the Mexican border.  Border patrol agents were all around.  Here is a bull fighting ring in Mexico.  You can see the border fence too.

 Then we decided to return to a different part of the refuge, where we'd hiked the previous day.  That's still Mexico, behind Rod.

 He wanted to go off trail for a picture.  Big mistake.

Right beside a naval base - hundreds of helicopters, it was so loud

Cholla - oops

We decided to call it a night.  Rod finally got his Chili's dinner.