I'm slightly miffed - tried posting this post earlier but it vanished.
Here goes, once more....
Have recently returned from a holiday in California, visiting relatives. Part of the trip was a stay in Yosemite National Park. We were sooo lucky, the park reopened, after the government shutdown, just days before our visit. Here we had sightings of the steller jay (related to the blue jay); the American kestrel - beautiful colours; and mule deer, so-called because of their huge, mule-like ears. The mountains were breathtaking - no waterfalls, due to the lack of rain. We climbed Glacier Point to a vista point at 7,214ft for a 360 degree, panoramic view of Yosemite valley - and the day was clear, words cannot describe...
Then we travelled west to San Francisco to visit my niece. She took us on various tours including a morning at Muir Woods - home to some giant redwoods and Bohemian Grove, a summer meeting place for US artists, musicians and dignitaries. Also, Pier 39 which is a natural sanctuary for sea lions that arrived there after the San Fran earthquake, in 1989. There were some sightings of pelicans too, along the bay.
Finally, we drove south down the Pacific Highway to my sister-in-law, 60mls south of Los Angeles. Stops at Monterey and more sea lions and pelicans. No whales though, which can be seen here from April through to December.
Then a detour along the 17 Mile Drive through Peeble Beach and some famous golf courses. Stunning scenery, and a squirrel-like creature, amongst some rocks, we have yet to identify.
Where my sis-in-law lives is really desert, surrounded by hills and mountains, and everything is parched at this time of the year. She kept saying how beautiful it was in the spring, after the rain. But driving back home from Heathrow it was wonderful to see the green again of our lush countryside.
Both my sister-in-law and niece have bird feeders and visiting hummingbirds. We tried to get pictures but the hummers were too quick!
