Spring 2017 at Lake Cahuilla

Monday, January 16, 2017

The first weeks of January have brought a variety of weather conditions. Most days have been warm and sunny, with clear, cool nights. Alternatively, a series of weather systems coming off the Pacific Ocean have brought some cloudy, windy, cool, and/or rainy days. Generally, the storms coming in from the Pacific drop the rain on the western slope of the mountains and snow on the higher elevations, with our eastern slope and desert remaining dry. We enjoy the view, driving around the desert with the snow-capped mountains to the west.

On two occasions, we have experienced a fair amount of rain, an unusual occurrence which generates excitement in the Coachella Valley. It’s almost amusing how the locals and news media get so concerned about an inch of rain. Understandably, some flooding and standing water is a nuisance, but on the news reports it sounds like a major catastrophe. With the storms sweeping on across the country leaving tornadoes, crippling ice and snow, and major flooding, we suppose that it’s all relative to what we’re historically accustomed to.

Yesterday, we had very low, heavy clouds, and rain that prevented President Obama and the former First-family from landing at Palm Springs for their vacation. The news media and well-wishers congregated and watched as the plane tried to land and finally the pilot decided to go to the March Air Force Base, at Riverside, and motorcade them back to Palm Springs.

Saturday

It’s cool and sunny today and that gives us a good work-day, however another storm is coming in tomorrow and we will be working again. Maybe traffic will be light to the park! Today, we have the Tour De Palm Springs bicycle charity event, so we will be very busy with all that traffic.

We both comment on how fast 2017 is progressing. We have been busy at the park and that seems to make the days slip by so fast. We mark-off the calendar in the Kiosk office in order to help everyone minimize mistakes on reservations, check-ins, and check-outs, by visually referring to the calendar for the current day/date. The computer reservation system keeps track of all that but when working with customers, we have to continually refer to the calendar. Anyway, this practice reminds us of how quickly time goes by.

In the New Year, I made a plan to read accounts (Kindle biographies) of historic California figures, chronologically, from the Spanish to statehood days. My first characters were Cabrillo, Drake, and Vizcaino. As plans go, because these initial biographies were “firsts”, I made a change of plans and read the biography of Jedidiah Strong Smith, the first American to enter California overland from the east. Now I’m overwhelmed with “firsts”! My next book was Portola, explorer and first Governor of Alta California. I’m currently reading a biography of Father Junipero Serra, the founder of the Spanish California Missions. This has led to Jaun Baptista de Anza and his expedition with Father Pedro Font. Now, I realize that I’ve opened a “can of worms” because each book is adding more historic characters to my list, so I’ll never read them all. These books are very informative and exciting, providing a written experience of life in early Alta California. Lots of fun!

A brief history of California (based on University of California material)

The Spanish Claim California

Spain sent several explorers across the Atlantic Ocean to conquer lands, find riches, and spread the Roman Catholic religion.

Hernando Cortes arrived in present day Mexico in 1519. Cortes set out to conquer the Aztec Empire. After initially being turned away, Cortes returned in 1521 with more soldiers and weapons and was successful in conquering the Aztecs. Cortes went on to capture more land and named the areas he took over as New Spain.

Spain wanted to find a waterway from Europe to Asia that would quicken the trade route they were using. They thought there was a waterway which cut through North America, which they called the Strait of Anian. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was selected to search for the strait.

Cabrillo had two small, poorly built ships: the San Salvador and the Victoria. Cabrillo entered what is now San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. After a week of exploring, gathering food and fresh water and meeting with the natives of the area, Cabrillo sailed north. In mid-October, Cabrillo's ships reached the Chumash area. He was told of a great river which flowed into the sea. His spirits were raised that this could be the Strait of Anian.

In early November, Cabrillo's ships reached present day San Luis Obispo. A storm hit one night and tore the ships apart. Using a smaller boat saved from his larger ones, he took his crew and sailed north and reached the mouth of the Russian River. There was no Strait of Anian though. Cabrillo headed south once again.

Cabrillo decided to stay in the Channel Islands (in Santa Barbara Channel), which are off the coast of Santa Barbara, to wait for better weather to set sail north again. While going ashore to help in a conflict between his men and the Chumash Indians, Cabrillo fell and broke his arm. He died from his injury a couple months later.

Bartolome Ferrelo took over for Cabrillo and led the expedition northward again. They may have gone as far north as present day Oregon, but still had not found the Strait of Anian. On April 14, 1543, the ships returned to Spain unsuccessful in their search for a strait that never did exist in the first place!

The English became interested in finding the same passage that the Spanish wanted to find. They called the passage the Northwest Passage rather than the Strait of Anian. England sent Francis Drake to find the passage in 1577. Drake raided Spanish settlements in the Indies and filled his ship, the Golden Hind, with 60,000 pounds of stolen silver. He had to find a place to land or risk his ship sinking with all the extra weight on board. He landed at a place we now call Drake's Bay which is northwest of San Francisco on the Point Reyes Peninsula. Drake named it Nova Albion, or New England. He stayed for six weeks and repaired his ship, which had been damaged during storms. England saw Drake as a hero, but to Spain, he was nothing but a thief and pirate.

Trade between New Spain and the Philippines was important. The Philippines offered valuable silks, jewels, spices and pottery. The return trip to New Spain (LaPaz Mexico) was dangerous and time consuming. Therefore, New Spain wanted a harbor where the ships could dock and supply the sailors with food, fresh water, and safety after a long voyage and then send the ships on to Spain. Sebastian Rodriguez Cermenho was the man put in charge to find the safe harbor.

Cermenho left the Philippines on July 5, 1595, and reached the coast of California in early November. He landed around Cape Mendocino. From there he was to explore the coast of California. He reached the same bay that Drake had found 16 years earlier. Cermenho eventually found Monterey Bay using a small boat after his galleon had been smashed in a storm. Spain, however, never did find the safe harbor it was looking for even after sending another explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino, out to look. For over 150 years after these early explorations, Spain largely ignored California and left it for the Native Californians.

Spain Settles California-Visit ranchos and missions

Jose de Galvez was an official of the Spanish king and arrived in New Spain (Mexico) in 1765. Galvez was an ambitious man who wanted to settle Alta (north)California for Spain and bring riches to the Spanish empire. England and Russia had both shown interest in the California area and Galvez reminded the king that each of those countries might take control of the land if Spain didn't. Galvez decided to set up missions in California to settle the territory and spread the Roman Catholic religion (the cheapest solution). He turned to a padre (let the padres do it) named Father Junipero Serra to help him.

Father Serra was a missionary who believed it was his duty to convert the Native Californians to his religious beliefs. Galvez asked Father Serra to build a chain of missions in California where he could bring Christianity to the Native Californians and Spain could gather riches and glory.

Galvez lead an expedition to San Diego. The expedition was split into several groups. Two groups traveled by land and three more traveled by sea. The land journey was difficult. Father Serra had trouble with his leg but he continued onward, eventually healing due to medicine usually used for mules. The six week journey saw members of the expedition starving and suffering from scurvy. Finding food in the environment was a challenge. When the land travelers reached San Diego Bay, the two ships had arrived and were waiting, but only half of the ships' crews had survived the trip. One of the ships in the group had been lost at sea. With the surviving members of the expedition, it was time to create settlements.

Gaspar de Portola was selected to lead a group up the coast to Monterey Bay to begin a settlement there. One of the ships from San Diego was sent back to New Spain to gather additional supplies that would be used to help the settlements get started. Father Serra stayed in San Diego and founded California's first mission: San Diego de Alcala.

Portola took Father Juan Crespi with him to find Monterey Bay. The group was relying on the words of the explorer Vizcaino to find the bay. Vizcaino had described Monterey Bay as a "fine harbor sheltered from all winds." Portola did not recognize Monterey Bay as such and continued northward. He reached (discovered) San Francisco Bay which the group described as a "very large and fine harbor" big enough to hold all the warships of "all Europe". The bay was so large that the group couldn't get around it and returned to San Diego unsuccessful in its effort to recognize Monterey Bay when in fact, they had actually found it.

The San Antonio arrived with more supplies and Portola made another attempt at finding Monterey Bay. This time, he recognized the bay he had seen before as the one about which Vizcaino had written. Father Serra founded California's second mission at Monterey Bay and called it San Carlos Borromeo.

Settlers from countries such as England and France were coming into California. Spain continued to build missions along the coast of California as a way to settle the land and spread the message of the Roman Catholic Church. A total of twenty-one missions were created with Father Serra having started nine of the missions. Each mission was about one day's walk from the next one, and the missions were connected by a dusty road known as El Camino Real, or The Royal Road. At the larger missions, more than a thousand Native Californians lived there while the smaller missions had only a few hundred. There were two priests at each mission and a half dozen or so soldiers. Soldiers enforced the rules of the mission and breaking the rules was met with severe punishment such as beatings or death.

The Spanish needed to protect their settlements from other countries who might want to take their land. This caused the Spanish government to build presidios at some of the missions. Presidios were forts where about 60 soldiers lived. These soldiers also protected the missions against attacks by Native Californians who were angry at the way the Spanish were treating them and in some instances, were leading revolts at the missions.

The missions needed more food to keep all the people in good health. The solution was to develop pueblos around the missions. Pueblos were towns which would largely grow food for the missions. The alcalde was an important person in the pueblo. He was the mayor and judge for the town. As time went on and the settlers learned farming skills, the pueblos grew to be successful. They eventually became cities that we know today such as Los Angeles, Monterey and San Francisco.

Spain Loses California

New Spain continued to grow. As time went on, the people began to complain about the way they were being ruled. They disliked being ruled by people who lived in Europe while they were in North America, and there were laws that they thought to be unfair. The citizens of New Spain decided to fight for their independence from Spain. They began a war in 1810 which ended in 1821. The people of New Spain were victorious and had won their independence. New Spain built their own government under the name of Mexico.

The Mexican government took control of California and change followed. Mexico's rulers felt the missions had too much power and that they treated the Native Californians poorly. In 1833, the new governor of California, Jose Figueroa, developed a plan to close the missions. The priests could stay and run their churches; the missions, though, would lose their land. The land was to be divided among the Native Americans and Mexican settlers. Many of the Native Americans did not receive land, however. Of those who did, many sold the land to Mexican settlers. Some Native Americans tried to return to their old ways of living, but they had been in the missions so long that they no longer had the skills of their ancestors in surviving in nature. Many of the Native Americans simply ended up working for the Mexican settlers and their life away from the missions didn't change a great deal.

The mission lands were given away as land grants. A land grant could be applied for in writing and any Mexican citizen could apply. Not all got land grants though. The presidio soldiers and wealthy land owners received most of the land. Many of the lands given in land grants were developed into ranchos which were huge ranches that primarily raised cattle. The pueblos continued to grow since many people still lived there and more were coming to them.

Russia also had become interested in California. Russia is a cold country and the people were very interested in the sleek, waterproof furs of seals, sea lions and sea otters. Hunters from Russia traveled to an area north of Bodega Bay and built a settlement named Fort Ross. After the extensive hunting left few animals in the water, the Russians left the area in 1841, selling the fort to Johan Sutter.

Many traders began coming to California. When Spain ruled the land, trade with other countries was not allowed, but the Mexican government encouraged trade with other countries. This not only brought goods from all over the world, but new ideas, people and cultures as well.

The United States and California in the pioneer days:

Trappers also began coming into California. There were many beaver in the San Joaquin Valley and a pioneer by the name of Jedediah Smith encouraged other trappers to join him there for hunting. These trappers tended to be mountain men who lived from the resources of the mountains and traveled from place to place. Jose Echeandia, the California governor at the time, felt that Smith was a spy from the United States and put Smith in jail. Smith was released after promising to leave California. Smith continued to trap beaver thinking that the area he was in was not part of California. Smith's journeys were important because they showed people from the United States that there was a way to get to California by land.

People from all over the world were coming to California by the 1840's. A man named Johan Sutter came from Switzerland after he had many failed business ventures. In 1840, Sutter became a citizen of Mexico which allowed him to request a land grant. He was given 78 square miles of land in the area where the American and Sacramento Rivers came together. He then built a large settlement which he called New Helvetia (New Switzerland). This settlement was established in present day Sacramento and would help many people who came overland into California from the United States. The goal in overland travel to California was always to get to Sutter's Fort.

The desire for the United States to stretch from the East Coast to the West Coast was strong during the 1840's. The United States felt it had the right to take over other countries' lands in order to do so. This idea was known as Manifest Destiny. President James K. Polk wanted the United States to gain Texas, New Mexico, and California. Texas was an independent country which had already broken away from Mexico, and California and New Mexico were the property of Mexico.

John C. Fremont was an officer in the United States Army. He had lead journeys through the American West in the 1840's. In 1845, he came to California with 60 armed men and met with Colonel Jose Castro at Monterey. Fremont and his men were ordered out of California. As Fremont left, he spread rumors to other American settlers that they would also be sent out of California. Fremont crossed into Oregon but sent his men back to California. The settlers in California were happy to see Fremont's men return as they were nervous that they would be sent out of California. Fremont encouraged a group of about 30 people to rebel against the Mexican government and take control of the area.

The rebels surrounded the home of Colonel Mariano Vallejo in Sonoma. Vallejo was an important citizen of California and actually was one of the friendliest of the Mexican officials. On June 14, 1846, Fremont ordered Vallejo taken prisoner. The rebels then declared California an independent republic-free from Mexican rule. A flag of a star and grizzly bear with the words "California Republic" was hung in Sonoma. This event was known as the Bear Flag Revolt.

On May 13, 1846, the United States went to war with Mexico. President Polk had hoped a quick war would add California and Texas to the United States. Fighting had broken out in Texas along the Rio Grande River. On July 7, the war reached California. The Bear Flag Rebels joined the American forces during the war.

The fighting continued until February 2, 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. The treaty brought peace to California. In the treaty, Mexico agreed to give to the United States more than 525,000 square miles of land. The treaty also promised to protect the rights of the Mexican citizens living in the land now governed by the United States. California had finally become property of the United States of America and the dream of the country stretching from one coast to the other had been realized. No one knew, however, how the soon-to-be state would be forever changed because of a simple discovery by a carpenter in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains!

Our plan to make a circuitous route to visit Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu City (round trip)

Mesa Verde CA: Trailer Park

Blythe, CA: The Blythe Intaglios or Blythe Geoglyphs are a group of gigantic figures found on the ground near Blythe, California in the Colorado Desert.

Last Lake, CA: Colorado River Resort

Earp CA: Mines and home of Wyatt Earp

Parker, AZ: Parker Valley/Parker Dam and Colorado River Resort

Lake Havasu City, AZ: Lake Havasu Island/London Bridge/Colorado River Resorts/Tourist attractions

Needles, CA: On Route 66 at the Colorado River/River Resorts/Needles pinnacles at the Mohave Mountains

CA 62 back to Coachella Valley

Colorado Aqueduct: 242 miles of canals, tunnels, and conduit, bring drinking water from Lake Havasu’s Parker Dam to Southern California

Rice: Shoe Tree and fence/old Rice Army Air Base

Desert Center: Ragsdale/Patton/Kaiser steel

3-20-2017

This week we decided to make a trip over to the Pacific Coast. We took CA 74 across the Santa Rosa Mountains, over to Dana Point. As a result of the winter rains, the mountains were in an exceptional spring-bloom, with breathtaking color and terrific scenery. The mountain air was invigorating and we were glad we brought long-pants and jackets, as the mornings and evenings were cool on the mountains and along the Pacific Coast. We stopped-off at the Rancho Mission Viejo Reserve, the 23,000-acre wildlife reserve, within the huge Rancho Mission Viejo.

At Dana Point, we enjoyed seeing the “Pilgrim”, a full-size replica of the trading brig, immortalized by Richard Henry Dana’s American seafaring novel, “Two Years Before the Mast”. The “Pilgrim” brought Dana and his shipmates on their 1834-1836 voyage from Boston to the California coast and described their experiences in the voyage, and the hide-trading business with the Missions and ranchos along the California coast. I enjoyed reading the book and it was a real treat to visit Dana Point (named for Dana) and to see the “Pilgrim” replica.

Nearby, San Juan Capistrano was loads of fun, exploring some of the off-the-beaten-path sights, around the historic district. We saw some beautiful historic homes, gardens, and landmarks from the Mission days. Touring the San Juan Capistrano Basilica was a special treat, with its art, furnishings, and the awesome Grand retablo.

We did not visit the old San Juan Capistrano Mission, as we had toured it on past trips. We did look for the Cliff Swallows but did not see any, being told that the Swallows now come to areas along Trabuco Creek which provide better cover and food.

Our next travel-segment was over to Riverside, California, in the Inland-Empire, and seat of our Riverside County. Along the way we enjoyed splendid views of Lake Elsinore, from the high mountain road. We also drove past the numerous, large Holstein dairies around Perris and the Perris Valley. The “Farmer Boys” chain began in Perris and the valley is home to the Perris Valley Airport’s “skydiving capital”.

Riverside had the most splendid “wildflower-bloom” that we encountered on this short trip. The hills were covered with green and the colorful wildflowers which presented a view like a giant “Monet”. We visited the California Citrus State Historic Park, at Riverside. It’s situated in the middle of thousands of acres of blooming citrus groves and the citrus-blossom fragrance was overwhelming, all over the valley. Riverside is birthplace of the “naval orange” and produces every type of citrus product imaginable.

The historic old Riverside downtown is situated adjacent to Mount Rubidoux and the Santa Ana River. By far, the most impressive Spanish Mission Style architecture in Riverside is the Mission Inn, a European setting in downtown Riverside.

Next, we headed over to the Desert Hills Premium Outlets shopping center, just one hour east of L A, and home to the largest collection of luxury outlets in California. They’re dog-friendly, and Daisy enjoyed shopping the stores as much as we did.

Now, we’re headed back to La Quinta and the end of our short Palms- to-Ocean tour.

With the end of March fast approaching, we’re making plans to end our winter in La Quinta and head back east for the summer.