Catalina Island Reunion

Most of you know that Nancy lived in Japan from 1964 – 1966 and spent her Sophomore and Junior years at the American School in Japan (ASIJ). In October the class of '66 (Nancy is class of '67) sponsored a reunion on Catalina Island, and as with all their reunions, all the classes of the 60's were invited. Their last reunions was their 50^th in Tokyo. (See Resent Posts: Tokyo Reunion)

Since Nancy didn't get in her usual fall backpacking trip in the Olympics, she decided to research hikes on Catalina. To her delight, she learned of the Trans-Catalina Trail, a 38.5 mile hike across the length of the island, a good substitute.

Her plan was to do 26 miles of the trail, a three day, two night hike. Catalina Island is a Conservancy, all camping must to be booked and paid ahead of time, and there are only two campgrounds along her route.

Four days before the reunion she flew into Los Angeles, spent the night in San Pedro, then took the morning ferry from San Pedro to Two Harbors on the NE coast of the island. Upon arrival in Two Harbors she immediately began the hike. A mile up the trail, Nancy took the two mile roundtrip side trip to the Cat Harbor overlook before continuing the additional 5 miles to her first campsite at Little Harbor.

Nancy, who found the first day a challenge, didn't feel bad after talking to other hikers who agreed. The night was very windy and she could hear things crashing all night, and twice the tent completely leaned over. In the morning she discovered the campsite littered with palm fronds that had blown off the surrounding trees. Luckily, none hit the tent. Those who camped near the water had to move their tents in the middle of the night due to the wind.

In the morning Nancy continued the hike from the beach up the hill towards the airport when she ran into a small herd of bison, lying in the middle of the trail. There wasn't a safe way around, so she waited and soon was joined by a young male hiker. Eventually the bison moved off to the side and Nancy and her new hiking partner, Justin, continued up to the airport. The bison were brought to Catalina, once owned by the Wigley Family, in 1925 for a movie. They are now managed by the Conservancy.

The airport is a favorite hiker stop, known for it's great burgers and salads. Not being in a hurry, Nancy and Justin spent the afternoon eating and relaxing before continuing on the two miles to their next camp at Black Jack campground. It was a pleasant evening visiting with other hikers.

Nancy was the first out of the campground the next morning, wanting to get into Avalon by early afternoon so she could get a shower before the reunion gathering that evening. It's 11 miles from Blackjack to Avalon with ups and downs until the final two miles which are all downhill. She ran into Justin (actually he ran into her) several times during the day and last saw him at the campground in Avalon as she headed to her hotel. It was a nice hike overall and running into the bison was a treat. In addition to the bison she also saw two foxes. And of course, the weather was perfect.

The next two nights were spent in Avalon for the reunion and Nancy shared a room with her ASIJ friend Anna who lives in Portland, OR. Anna let it be known that Nancy had done the hike and was approached by the '68 class agent to do a presentation of her experience. She's not comfortable speaking to crowds, but when she was told it would be only the class of '68 luncheon, she finally warmed up to the idea and gave a short talk with photos of the hike. Afterwards she got many compliments saying how interesting her talk was and how much it was enjoyed. Her hike was something most of her classmates would never attempt.

After the reunion Nancy and Anna took the ferry into Dana Point and had another reunion with Nancy's friends from her softball days in Laguna Beach. Always a fun time when they get together.

 

Big Bend National Park

Nancy has long wanted to go the Big Bend National Park, located in southwest Texas . But the region can be very hot most of the year. Mark, always ready for another major road trip, would be leaving for Alaska at the end of February, so we decided to go immediately and departed on January 2, 2023.

The main objective was to visit Big Bend, explore more of New Mexico and visit Mark's friend Ted in Los Cruces, NM. We made a reservation in a concessionaire hotel for two nights in Big Bend NP, and planned the rest of our time around that stay.

In the course of our many road trips, we have driven on ninety percent of the roads in Nevada, so we took an alternate route and started out moving fast along the Columbia River, into Idaho, then finally south into Nevada from Twin Falls. We spent the night in Caliente, NV to enable Nancy to get an early morning hike in Cathedral Gorge State Park. But the extensive atmospheric rivers passing over California and Nevada were bringing rain to an area normally quite arid. When we got to the parking area the next morning Nancy talked with a Park Ranger and learned that the trails had turned to gumbo-like mud bogs. Indeed when she went to check them out, after 10 steps her boots were thoroughly caked in mud. With many alternatives to choose from, we just moved on to the next.

We wanted to avoid the Interstate highways as much as possible, so we headed east to northern Arizona, just south of the Utah border, through the Vermilion Hills then along the Navajo Wind Talker highway into New Mexico.

On our way south to Las Cruces , we stopped to visit Fort Craig National Historic Site. Established in 1854 by the 3rd US. Infantry Regiment, the fort played a significant role in 19th century New Mexico. Situated on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the 1,200 mile Spanish Colonial trail from Mexico City to Santa Fe, it was intended to protect travelers and settlers along the trail from attacks by Apache bands led by notable Apache leaders Geronimo, Victorio and Nana. During the Civil War the fort played an important role in repelling the efforts of what was called the Confederate Army of New Mexico in the Battle of Valverde. Though the Confederates held the battle ground, the Union maintained control of Fort Craig. This stalled the effort of the Confederates, preventing them from capturing vital supplies they needed as they marched north towards Albuquerque.

During our two nights visiting Ted, Nancy got in a hike at Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument. At the Dripping Springs trail-head is La Cueva (the cave) formed in the volcanic tuff, one of several volcanic rocks that make up the Organ Mountains. She was surprised to learn that the Monument had about 6,000 resident onyx, native to Namibia. Unfortunately they range on the east side of the mountains and are rarely seen except during an open hunting season.

SW Texas is known for its clear, open skies and two of the the towns enroute to Big Bend, Marfa and Marathon, attract visitors with their clear and brilliant views of the night skies. Unfortunately, the moon was just waning and its light obscured the millions of stars that would have been visible with a new moon. On our return route we stopped at the McDonald Observatory built outside Fort Davis, TX because of the region's clear sky. Built in 1939 the observatory pursued leading-edge research and was one of the top 3 observatories in the world at the time.

It's still conducting world-class research by a consortium of The University of Texas, Austin, Pennsylvania State University, Lüdwig-Maximilian-Universität at München, Germany and Georg-August Universität, Göttingen, Germany.

We had debated what camping gear to use during our stay in Big Bend, but decided that as the park would be the only place we'd camp, it would be impractical to carry equipment for such limited use. Instead we decided to stay at the Lodge. In order to maximize our time in the Park we spent the night prior just outside the Park in Alpine and entered the park early in the morning thru the Persimmon Gap Entrance.

After checking into the Park at Panther Junction, we proceeded to the east side of the Park where Nancy hiked the short Boquillas Canyon Trail along the Rio Grande. There were several Mexican citizens from the small village of Boquillas del Carmen (just across the river) selling their hand crafted items along parts of the trail. We soon learned that there is a legal Port of Entry crossing, open only during the day. Villagers provide boats to cross the river and, if you don't want to walk the half mile up to the village, you can rent a donkey or car. Unfortunately, Nancy didn't bring her passport ID card or we certainly would have taken the journey across. The village of Boquillas has a modern solar farm that provides all electrical needs for its 260 inhabitants. There are two restaurants and reportedly it's possible to spend the night if one wanted to. Its isolation along the border reminds one of a time when crossing the border was easy and pleasant.

Chisos Basin, where the lodge is located, rises 2,000 ft above the desert floor, transiting from the arid desert to cooler mountain habitats. Casa Grande Peak and the mountains surrounding the basin have been formed by volcanic eruptions. Nancy hiked the two most popular trails: The Window, thru Oak Creek Canyon to the Window pour-off, and Lost Mine Trail, with views of Casa Grande and Juniper Canyon.

We spent an afternoon driving the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to Santa Elena Canyon where the Rio Grande cuts thru the limestone of the Sierra del Carmen Mountains. The road also passes thru Castolon Visitor Center. Castolon was settled in the early 1900s as people began to live and farm along the banks of the Rio Grande, downstream from Santa Elena Canyon. From about 1912 to 1920, revolution raged in Mexico and many Mexican families moved north of the river to avoid the bloodshed and bandit raids.

In response to a later revolution (the Escobar Rebellion of 1929), the U.S. Army Air Corps established a landing field at nearby Johnson's Ranch. By the early 1920s, La Harmonia began farming cotton. Though a not-so-prosperous endeavor, it nevertheless continued for two decades.

We exited the Park west ward into Terlingua, then north to Alpine. If we were to do it again we would definitely spend four or five days in the park, exploring the many desert trails, and not miss crossing the Rio Grande to visit Boquillas del Carmen.

Leaving Big Bend, our original plan was to return to New Mexico through the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and on to Carlsbad Caverns. Instead we decided we wanted to spend more time with Ted so returned to Las Cruces via El Paso for a few more days. When we left Ted's we headed east by White Sands, which we had visited a few years ago, then over the Sacramento Mountains to spend a night in the town of Carlsbad.

The following morning we visited Carlsbad Caverns which are quite spectacular, the largest caverns either of us had visited. Because we were so close, we just had to visit “Area 51”, so after visiting the caverns we headed north to Roswell, NM for the night. The whole town caters to the alien theme, including our motel.

We had received a text message from a friend about Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge where sandhill cranes, snow and Ross's geese, and fifteen species of ducks winter over. With such an abundance of prey, bald eagles and red-tail hawks are numerous as well.

So from Roswell we drove west towards Sorocco to visit the refuge. Unfortunately the best we could do photographically, not having a large lens, were the wild turkeys walking down the road. Normally the sandhill cranes take off at dawn to fields to glean remaining seeds and grain, then return at sunset. However the day we were there was very windy, and the huge flocks of sandhill cranes were staying put, with only a few small flocks flying within the refuge.

Nancy had noticed the three historic sites of the Salinas Pueblo Missions on our way south that she wanted to visit as we drove north. We visited the Albo Mission site, its pueblo established originally by the early Ancestral Pueblom and Jumano group. The mission was established in 1625 by the Spanish Franciscan missionary Fray Francisco Fonte.

We had hoped to head north towards Farmington, NM, then west into eastern Utah making our way back to the Pacific Northwest. But a series of storms moving across southern Utah, northern Arizona and Albuquerque forced a change of plans. To the north, snow storm warnings had been posted. Without designated snow tires on the Subaru the threatening weather made us elect the alternative to avoid the storms and make for southern California via southern Arizona, the Cochello Valley, then finally north on I-5.

As we passed Mt. Shasta we knew we were back in the Pacific NW.

 

Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia

By Nancy:

 

I have long been fascinated with wild big cats, and have wanted to spend time close to them. About 20 years ago I had read about Lauri Marker, the founder of Cheetah Conservation Fund, CCF, who was working with cheetahs in Namibia. I had written down the name on my wish list. About three years ago I was watching an adventure travel show. The host was visiting CCF in Namibia. I quickly got out my wish list and saw it was the same place. That began my effort to volunteer at CCF. Originally I was booked and ready to go in March of 2020, but three weeks before departure Covid appeared and all my plans were canceled. I spent the next two years waiting for the virus to wane, then for vaccinations, and finally a booster. By January of this year the time seemed right, and I confirmed that CCF could take me. I re-booked my flights.

 

 I was scheduled to arrive at CCF early in the afternoon, but due to flight delays I arrived in Windhoek at 6:00 pm. My CCF driver was waiting for me and we drove the 3.5 hours mostly in the dark, and arrived at 10:30 pm at CCF.  My first cheetah experience was viewing one of the two wild cheetahs that were wandering the campus, crossing the road near my lodging.  A great start to my one month stay!

 

CCF has about 30 cheetahs that it keeps in captivity.  Most come as small cubs who have lost their mothers and never learned the necessary skills they would need to survive on their own.  This means they can never be released into the wild.  The Namibian Government has made breeding cheetahs illegal in Namibia and sale of cheetahs outside of Namibia illegal as well.  Cheetahs can only go to other parks or preserves within Namibia.  This means that most of the young cheetahs that are brought to CCF, usually when they are less than 6 months old, will never be released to the wild, and will remain in the country.

 

In addition to rescuing abandoned or injured cheetahs, CCF has a guard dog program.  Anatolian Shepard and Kangal dogs are bred with the purpose of providing the dogs to farmers to protect their livestock and prevent the need to kill a cheetah.  Cheetahs, mostly solitary hunters, are easily scared off and the presence of a large barking dog helps keep them away from livestock.  CCF also has a Model Farm, raising goats.  Their Dancing Goat Creamery produces cheese and ice cream.  (I put in request for a new flavor, Coffee, which they made and was a big success!) After being weened the puppies are raised with the goats, and when placed on a farm they learn to bond with the herd.  You can learn more about these programs on CCF's website, cheetah.org.

 

The question I got asked most before my departure was what I'd be doing while at CCF.  I didn't know, but I was soon to find out.  I woke up my first morning to the loud songs of birds outside my door.  Breakfast was at 7:00 am at the outdoor "Hot Spot" where all meals were served.  Each evening the next day's duties for each of the Interns and volunteers are posted.  I had two main duties; either helping feed and walk the dogs and/or feed the captive cheetahs.

 

 

Visitors to CCF are offered three cheetah activities:  Cheetah Run where guests can experience close-up the cheetah's magnificent speed as they "hunt" a specially made lure; Cheetah Drive through one of the large enclosures to meet cheetahs; and Cheetah Feeding of nine of the cheetahs who are kept close to the main area and fed in enclosed pens.  I loved observing the cheetahs after they are fed and just laying around - I'd close my eyes and listen to them purr and meow - just big pussy cats.

 

Besides feeding animals, I especially liked going out with the Ecology group to check on cameras placed at watering spots, and I participated in the CCF game count which is done at the end of each month.  Each of these activities involved getting away from the main campus area and seeing animals roam through the thousands of acres CCF owns.

 

Periodically a staff member arranges a night drive for staff, interns and volunteers. During my stay I was able to go on three night drives.  Some animals are only visible at night, but I found that the opportunities I had to go out in the field provided me with more opportunities to view the wildlife.

 

The average age of the interns and staff is 20 - 30 years old.  The first two weeks that I was there I was the only volunteer until two others arrived, each staying for a two week period.  Half of the interns are from other countries and are working on programs through their university.  The other half of the interns are Namibian, who are offered a free intern program.  I especially enjoyed meeting the Namibian interns and staff, who always had a greeting with a smile, and learning about their culture.

 

In 2020 I had a few short trips planned within Namibia before and after my stay at CCF.  But when my flights were canceled and I was unable to travel I lost the money that had been prepaid. I decided when making my plans for this departure that I would only stay at CCF and not make any other travel plans within Namibia.  But a schedule change in my return flights delayed my departure by an extra day.  

 

After being at CCF for three weeks I began to think about maybe leaving a few days early to visit Etosha and Waterberg National Parks.  Both within a few hours drive of CCF.  It was the off-season for both parks, and I was able to see animals that I had not seen while at CCF.