Raining this afternoon and rather cool.  We’ve become hardened for Alaska.  Still we had one fabulously clear day traveling from near Mt. Hood to here at the foot of Mt. Rainier.  At first had the one snowball in our rear view mirror and later faced the somewhat ominous Rainier looming in front of us.

We are camped in the Pacific Northwest.  The natives complain that spring refuses to come.  Weather continues cold and rainy despite the cherry and tulip blossoms.  The rivers are flush and the ground soggy.  After a few days of gray fog I became depressed.  Then, arriving here after leaving Ashland OR the sun emerged and cheer returned.

Rain and more rain.  What gives with this California.  I should not complain.  It has been a week since the last rain-out day in Half Moon Bay.  Unfortunately the forecast is for wind and more rain tomorrow. 

April 9

In some ways similar to San Diego.  Lovely land, turbulent sea, splendid weather, and crazy traffic.  Enjoyed four nights in San Francisco proper with Alex.  Visited Golden Gate Park and the West End and admired Alamo Square from above.  The park remains closed but the sods we saw planted last fall are firmly established after a winter of rain.  The other hills, Bernal and Corona and those outside town are also brilliant green with hints of other color from the multitude of flowers.  The orange green and scarlet Allen’s Hummingbirds are zipping among the

Arrived last evening after a week in San Diego and a short two-day drive here.  Spent one night in Lost Hills in the Central Valley.  Watched a glorious sun rise at Kern National Wildlife Refuge near there yesterday and found our first American Bittern of the year making like a stick in the middle of a levee road. 

Hard to find much to complain about here.  San Diego is almost as different a place as is Pheonix to an easterner.  The traffic is awful, there are many quirks, and the desert is near at hand, but the weather along the coast is very pleasant, except when it is foggy or smoggy. 

We camp for a few days on wildlife management agency land.  No fee and splendid isolation.  Perhaps too quiet.  We worry a bit about security and would hate to return and find the rig trashed.  On the other hand there is silence as the sun sets across the lake and blackbirds come to roost. 

Yesterday in Patagonia we experienced quite a temperature swing.  28 degrees at dawn and 78 degrees at 3 p.m.  Layers do work, but the hike we took up a canyon started out freezing despite that. 

February 26, 2017 Rodeo NM

I sit in the low key but very pleasant college library here at Portales.  We stopped to use the Internet and to find out how we can see any Clovis artifacts despite the excavation site and museum being closed, closed, and closed.  We will probably get to see a few but only after lots of jawboning.