We took a daytrip, north on the 395, to hike the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. On the way, about 15mi north of Boulder Creek RV Resort, we passed the Manzanar National Historic Site. We were in no hurry so we stopped. I was aware of the history of Japanese-Americans on the Pacific Coast being sent to internment camps after Pearl Harbor. The US was fearful of anyone who might be sympathetic to Japan, pose a “public danger”, and be potential spies. So anyone with Japanese heritage was sent here or one of nine other camps for the duration on the war. Most lost their homes, businesses, farms, and personal belongings. In addition to Manzanar’s informational displays, the National Archives has more information. This site can affect you when you read the many stories of Americans of Japanese heritage. Myself, the son of a WWII Army Sgt & Japanese mom, became more emotional than I expected. It hit really “close-to-home” – if our family started during the war instead of after. My family & I, most likely, would have been interred here.
I saw a post about the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower on Instagram. One of the best places to see this event in California is Joshua Tree National Park, a dark-sky area. But Joshua Tree is 105°F during the day in August. Regardless, all available campsites at Joshua Tree National Park were booked. Our last trip to Joshua Tree was the same way, so we stayed at TwentyNine Palms RV Resort. It’s located 3mi from the north entrance and usually has available sites with full hookups. Until we install or buy a RV with 12v A/C, we prefer to stay at a place with electrical hookups when it’s that hot. We do not want to run a gas/propane generator for hours to stay cool. Since we arrived before sunset on Friday Aug 11th, we drove into Joshua Tree to find a location to photograph the Milky Way. The Perseid Meteor Shower was already happening but peak viewing was Saturday, the next night. I wanted to photograph the Milky Way with Joshua Trees. So we stopped at Cap Rock and I found a Joshua tree foreground for my Milky Way photo along the southern trail. On our way out, we stopped at Skull Rock to watch shooting stars for an hour before heading to the RV. Since Saturday night was forecast to be peak viewing of the meteor shower. I focused on getting a Milky Way+Joshua Tree photo Friday night. Saturday, I’d spend photographing shooting stars with a star tracker.
As we were leaving Joshua Tree NP Friday night, we noticed many people had chairs & recliners that made star gazing more comfortable. So Saturday, our mission was to find two zero gravity recliners in Yucca Valley. We found the last two on clearance at Home Depot. Tip: definitely invest in zero gravity recliners if you plan on spending any serious time star gazing. Saturday, I wanted to do a hike before we setup for the meteor shower viewing. The temperature that evening was cool enough to hike the Heart Rock and Arch Rock Trail before it got dark. Turns out the area around the Arch Rock Trail parking lot would work for meteor shower viewing. Especially since we were lucky enough to grab one of the last parking spots. The lot was full and people were already setting up for meteor viewing when we arrived before sunset. Little did we know how CRAZY crowded Joshua Tree National Park would be tonight.
We saw an amazing display of shooting stars but not the hundred per hour predicted. I set up my Move Shoot Move star tracker and shot 2 minute exposures of the northeast sky and straight-up. After 3 hours of exposures from 2200-0100, ~90 frames, I was disappointed that the many shooting stars we saw were not in frame. This was my first try at star-tracked astrophotography and I was successful at polar alignment & tracking the stars. But successful astrophotography images are the result of practice & patience and I definitely need more of both. I didn’t want to interrupt the interval to check for successful capturing of what we were seeing. I thought the 14mm focal length was wide enough to catch the meteor trails. We packed it in a little after 0100, after 3 hours of star-gazing. Our RV park is still in the dark area so if the meteor shower improved at 0200. We could still watch from outside our RV. As we left the park, the line of cars to get in stretched the 3mi to the main road. Crazy that hundreds of people were just arriving at 0100. Regardless, we had a great time and were glad we got there early – the zero gravity recliners were a wonderful, comfortable way to star gaze. We’ll definitely make it a point to visit Joshua Tree at night often.
We packed up and departed 29Palms at 11am. Unfortunately, all the other thousands of people who came to Joshua Tree for the meteor shower were also heading West at that time. It took a few extra hours to get home because of the traffic.
Our itinerary in Tokyo was full thanks to Sean & Melissa’s planning. This was their first family visit to Japan so they wanted to make the most of it. May 14th was Mother’s Day so Melissa wanted to see the Kanda Matsuri Festival. This is an important cultural Shinto event that she wanted to experience.
“Kanda Festival, is one of the three great Shintofestivals of Tokyo, along with the Fukagawa Matsuri and Sannō Matsuri. The festival started in the early 17th century as a celebration of Tokugawa Ieyasu‘s decisive victory at the battle of Sekigahara and was continued as a display of the prosperity of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Additionally, the current form of the festival is also held in honor of the kami of Kanda Myōjin (Kanda Shrine). The festival is held on the Saturday and Sunday closest to May 15, but since it alternates with the Sannō Matsuri, it is only held in odd-numbered years. On these years, the festival takes place at Kanda Shrine as well as in surrounding central Tokyo districts. Its prominent parades involve over 200 mikoshi, in addition to musicians, dancers, and floats.”
Kanda Masuri Festival
Kanda Matsuri FestivalKanda Matsuri FestivalCarrying the shrine outShine at Temple
Sumo Tournament
With all the visits I’ve made to Japan, I’ve never experienced a Sumo Tournament, other than on TV. It is another wonderful cultural event that expresses the Japanese culture. Sean bought tickets from the US well in advanced and we had seats above the front of the ring – Dohyo.
Sumo TournamentSumo TournamentSumo Tournament
Tokyo Skytree
I’ve visited the Tokyo Skytree on previous trips but missed much of the shopping & restaurants, just going up in the tower for panoramic views of Tokyo. This trip, we were there at night and enjoyed the city lights at night. Then walked through the mall & had Japanese fast food – ramen.
There is so much to see in Tokyo and you can just hop on the train and/or walk to many sights. But if you want to visit certain venues or businesses, many require a reservation. Japan has many animal-themed cafes where you can visit dogs, cats, hedgehogs, pigs, birds, and even snakes/reptiles. They offer animal companionship without the burden of maintaining pets in an urban environment. Our granddaughter chose the mini pig cafe since she had a cat cafe birthday a few months before. We made an 11am reservation and we all had a great time. The pigs were sweet and cuddly, loving to nap on our legs/laps. Some bickered with each other and the cafe hosts were quick to snatch-up the troublemakers.
Tokyo Dome Giants Baseball & Tokyo Dome City
If you love baseball or even if you don’t, you’ve got to experience baseball in Japan. It’s quite a different experience – it celebrates the game as only the Japanese can. The left & right outfields have two separate cheering sections for each team – think Friday Night High-school Football amplified. The two sides below the panoramic score board are dedicated, opposing cheer sections. They are loud and enthusiastic. Coordinated cheers, especially when a popular player is coming up to bat, results in a lot of noise throughout the game. The Tokyo Giants, although wearing the same colors as the San Francisco Giants, are the ‘New York Yankees of Japan’. The Tokyo Dome is an amazing place to watch a game and it is always packed. But tickets can be had if booked far in advanced or through various ticket agencies. Tip: on a previous trip to Japan, we bought two last-minute Tokyo Giants tickets at a nearby Lawson convenience store. They had a ticket vending machine in the store. This trip’s tickets were reserved online from the US well in advance. Surrounding the Tokyo Dome is Tokyo Dome City, acres of shopping, restaurants, gardens, and amusement rides. It was a wonderful place for the grand-kids to get ice cream, ride the ferris wheel, and expend their pent-up energy from sitting during the game.
We started our two weeks in Japan in Tokyo. Staying at the Hotel Edmont that’s walking distance from the train station. This location was a great base location for our destinations around Tokyo. Sean & Melissa had planned most of the activities for us, buying tickets etc. It was great traveling to Japan with our kids and grand-kids since their viewpoints are so refreshing.
Day 1: “G-Day”
Shinjuku Godzilla Head, Toho Theatre
Just a short scavenger hunt to find Godzilla in Shinjuku. Rising over the Toho Theatre there, is Godzilla, well just the head & neck but a fun place if you are a Godzilla fan.
Gotokuji Temple: Toyko’s Maneki Neko ‘Lucky Cat’ Temple. I expected to see live cats at this ‘cat temple’ but in hindsight I guess that’d be silly. According to atlasobscura.com: “Legend has it that during the Edo period, the final era of traditional Japanese government, a cat under the care of a priest at Gotokuji Temple led a feudal lord to safety during a thunderstorm. The cat beckoned the lord and his servants inside with a waving gesture—hence all maneki-neko statues have one paw raised.” The thousands of white ceramic waving-paw good luck cats will be very familiar to those seeking good luck & good fortune.
A hard-to-get ticket in Tokyo is the Ghibli Museum but Sean managed to secured tickets for all of us for 4pm, the last entry time of the day. Like Disney in the US, the Ghibli characters, such as Totoro, are Japanese animation’s most beloved characters. The museum describes & archives the humble beginnings and rigorous process of creating these amazing characters & animating them. The analog processes are described in detail through the many displays and authentic work-spaces. (Tip: ask the information desk for an English language guide since all the descriptions are in Japanese.) Unfortunately, photos inside the museum are forbidden so I could only photograph the rooftop garden & exterior spaces of this magical place.
After spending the morning at Center of the World, & lunching in Yuma, we drove an hour to the Imperial Sand Dunes. We couldn’t find the turnoff for Ted Kipf Rd to North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area so we stopped at the Hugh T. Osborne Lookout. There are restrooms and a large parking lot & it was busy. This is the ATVs & ORVs meet-up place with large parking spots for their support vehicles. The dunes south of highway 78 are etched with tire tracks so not the best for sand dune photographs. It’s an epic place to offroad w/ friends & carve up the dunes, or take photos of such activities. A permit is required to operate vehicles on the Imperial Sand Dunes – permit info here; area Map pdf here.
North of the 78, is the beginning of the BLM protected wilderness area where motorized vehicles are prohibited. We parked at Osborne Overlook then hiked across the road (78) where the Wilderness Area begins and no vehicles are allowed. There were some photo-worthy dunes so I made the best of the afternoon light. Hiking the dunes is challenging and be sure to bring water.
I wanted to find the road to the North Algodones Dunes which google maps outlines so clearly. It turns out Ted Kipf Rd is a barely marked, easy-to-miss dirt road that turns north off highway 78 at Glamis. After hiking the nearby dunes and the busy morning, we decided not to navigate Ted Kipf Rd. I was okay with the few images I took near the Overlook – below is a mix of north & south dunes. I will definitely be back to explore the North Algodones Dunes at sunset & Milky Way season.
We stayed at Encore Pilot RV Resort in Winterhaven, CA ~10mi from Yuma, AZ. It’s an Encore/Thousand Trails RV Resort in southeastern California on the Arizona border. When searching for places-of-interest in the area, the Center of The World Museum came up. It was right across the freeway from our RV resort. Since I wanted to photograph the Imperial Sand Dunes in the late afternoon/evening for the best light. We spent ~90mins exploring the Center of the World, early in the day when it was cooler. It’s a really interesting, unusual, unique place in the middle of nowhere. Located in Felicity, CA, this ‘History of Humanity in Granite’ outdoor museum covers several acres. It reminds me of the roadside attractions we would drive by on our family road trips when I was young. It’s hard to describe all that is notable – the Pyramid, Chapel, Maze, Eiffel Tower Stairs, and multi-subject Granite Etchings. The historical panels, laser-etched in granite, have intricate detail, and information in English, French, & Hebrew. Each array of panels cover different, eclectic subjects and records significant moments in history, art, music, and biology. The founder, Jacque-André, was French with an affiliation with the French Foreign Legion and there are sections devoted to their history. Will these be 21st century petroglyphs in 4000yrs? Time will tell. Highly recommended if you enjoy unusual roadside outdoor museums – admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 5yrs & up (as of mid-2023). Is it really the ‘Center of the World’? Probably not but there are some credentials, given to the founder, innovator & builder, that say it is recognized as such. Read more if you are curious about its creation by Jacques-André Istel.
We read that Saguaro National Park West is more popular than the East so we visited here first. With winter rains generating large patches of wildflowers in California and Arizona. Our first stop was just over the ridge dropping into Saguaro National Park West valley on W.Picture Rock Road. The Cam-Boh/Ringtail trailhead was covered in Mexican Poppies and a colorful start to the trail. Further along, the wildflowers densities faltered, mainly concentrated in the shadow of Mt. Picture Rocks. So we cut our hike short after taking some wildflower photos. We had just started and wanted to head further into the valley.
Oddly, as you continue west on W.Picture Rock Road, you exit the park. Entering from the east on W Gates Pass Road or the south on S Kinney Road are probably better ways to enter the park. W Gates Pass Road take you past the scenic overlook and both roads take you by Old Tucson. W Picture Rock Road skirts the northern edge before you head south to the Saguaro National Park West (aka Red Hills) Visitor Center. There isn’t a lot of infrastructure in this national park. There are restrooms at the Visitor Center and Sonora Desert Museum, which also has a cafe. Fortunately, we stopped at a Speedway gas station w/ Subway sandwich shop & grabbed a sandwich before our hike. Most of Saguaro National Park West is in the valley west of Tucson. There are hills surrounding the park carpeted with Saguaro and other cacti. Apparently, the density of Saguaro is a lot lower than when the park was founded but they are still abundant. We picked the short Valley View Overlook Trail to see the panoramic view of Saguro National Park West. It was an easy hike with only ~50ft elevation gain.
With unpredictable weather north of Phoenix, we decided to head south to Tucson. Our bucket-list of visiting all the national parks did not have a check mark next to Saguaro National Park. Plus the weather and driving conditions were noticeably better heading south. We book three nights at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA primarily for its location. Saguaro National Park is split into east & west sections about 30mi apart, separated by Tucson. The KOA was about midway so we planned to visit the west park Tuesday then hike the east park Wednesday. The easy, scenic drive from northern Phoenix to southern Tucson was a ~2.5hrs. We passed Picacho Peak State Park, surrounded by wildflowers, and added it to our list of places to visit next time. It’s midway between Phoenix and Tucson and it’s distinctive peak has some challenging trails. Plus it’s in a ‘dark-sky’ area so would be great for astrophotography. March is a great time to visit Tucson and Saguaro NP but it was overcast with scattered showers two of the days we were there. The Tucson/Lazydays KOA is huge with a variety of RV sites ranging from covered pull-thrus ($110+/ni) to small back-in sites. There’s actually a BBQ restaurant-bar on-site so after we pulled-in and setup. We stopped there for BBQ & beer.
We had time to catch an Arizona sunset so an hour before, we headed to Gates Pass Scenic Outlook towards west Saguaro National Park. This is supposed to be the best place around town to catch the sunset. Being popular, it was recommended we get there early so we could find a parking space in the overlook’s small lot. With the overcast skies, we were not predicting a spectacular sunset. But the clouds were clear at the horizon so I hoped the sun might break through before disappearing behind the mountains. Not spectacular, but the sun did shine through for a short time just above the horizon.
Heading to Peoria in March has become an annual Spring getaway. Except for the Covid year off, we’ve made it tos see Padres Spring Training the last several years. This year, we decided to combine our usual long baseball weekend in March, with a RV trip. Since we are in Arizona, why not spend some time exploring in our RV after Peoria. As mentioned, our plans shifted due to the continued bad weather in northern Arizona and southern Utah. The three days of baseball were fun and we got a chance to see this year’s roster up close and personal. Although Fernando Tatis isn’t back into the line-up till April 20. He is playing & practicing during Spring Training.
