Wild Donkeys and Wildflowers

Carma pets a donkey that became friendly after an offering of carrots. 

Travel does not always have to mean going far. This year, 2026, I am doing mostly local travel. Instead of spending a huge chunk of savings on a one- or two-week trip somewhere exotic, I am spending more time in California, mainly within 100 miles of my home. 

Yesterday, we went for a Spring hike on Two Trees Trail in Box Springs Mountain Reserve. The trailhead is located at 430 Two Trees Road, Riverside CA (Maps). There is a small parking area, free. This trail gets very steep in parts. It is sandy and some steep slopes can be slippery. Wear good hiking shoes. It's a good cardio workout! The trail goes up and down hills covered with boulders and wild native plants. The wildflowers here are mostly yellow. 

The wild donkeys of Riverside are beloved, docile creatures. Some have been injured, even killed, by motorists, because they often graze near roads where people who mean well have offered them food from their car windows. DO NOT DO THAT. It causes the donkeys to lose their natural fear of traffic. Instead, go to one of the many trailheads in the area. Here is the best entry point to visit donkeys. 

If you want to pet a donkey, you are going to have to give them a reason to come near you. They really like carrots, and carrots are a healthy treat for them. I have also given them celery and apples. It works best to cut these treats into bite-size pieces. Otherwise, they take a bite and the remainder drops into the dirt. I'm sure they do not like chewing on grit any more than we do. 

The young donkeys have a hard time with big chunks. 

Although some of the donkeys will come to people, having learned that some of us share treats with them, most of them are skittish and keep a safe distance. They are in fact a wild herd. Nobody owns them. Locals love and care for them. We have street signs cautioning people to drive with care in areas they are known to wander. 

Since they have such a strong preference for carrots, next time that is the only treat I will bring. I buy a big bag of whole carrots and chop them into pieces. Next time I will do more small pieces for the young donkeys. 

After treats, some will usually stick around to be petted.

There are hundreds of trails all over southern California. November-February is the best time for desert hikes. July-September, the hottest months, is the best time for coastal hikes. March is the peak time of year for wildflowers. Please don't walk on wildflowers! Stay on the trails. We get millions of visitors from all over the world. Too many have trampled wildflowers to death. So please don't take selfies in a field of wildflowers. Keep to the groomed trails! Help us manage to keep our ecosystem healthy!

Do not feed wild creatures junk food! Processed foods have an unnatural, crazy high amount of salt and the kinds of fake fats that are bad for you and everything else. 

For birds, the best thing to offer is birdseed or raw unsalted sunflower seeds. Bread and cereals are never good for birds of any kind. 

When you see signs that say DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE (or any specific birds, fish, or animals that are cared for in a protected sanctuary), restrain yourself. Just don't do it. Please. Many creatures are close to extinction because of human error. Inform yourself and do what is best for the wildlife. Thank you.

September in Wildwood Canyon

Autumn in SoCal

Oak Loop Trail, Wildwood Canyon

Autumn hike, Oak Loop Trail

Deer on Oak Loop Trail

Autumn in SoCal

Autumn is different in SoCal. We do not have hills covered in trees that turn red and gold. Our colors are a unique palette of pastels and muted earth tones. Our landscape is a kind of desert. We do have sand dunes out in the middle of the Mojave Desert and in Death Valley, however, most of our sandy slopes are covered with mesquite, sage, Joshua Trees, cacti, ice plant, and other drought-tolerant native shrubs and blooming trees. 

Joshua Tree National Park

Bladder Sage (Scutellaria Mexicana)

Cholla Cactus Garden

The above purple and white paper-like balloon flowers are among the most fascinating discoveries made during a visit to the Joshua Tree National Park, west of Coachella. 

You may have heard of Coachella -- a huge, outdoor, weekend music festival held every year, attracting tens of thousands of music lovers and kids out to have a good time! Stay hydrated, my friends 😁

Closer to the southern exit/entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, which connects with Redlands Fwy I-10 and Pinto Road, is the lesser known Cholla Cactus Garden on Pinto Basin Road. 

So far, I have missed the peak blooming season in this national park! The blooms do not last long on most cacti. 

Death Valley National Park is still on my list of places to visit in the winter. Maybe next year! 

Lastly, while on the topic of winter hiking in sunny SoCal deserts, I leave you with the Slot Canyon Trail. If you roam the world in search of interesting trails through wilderness, this is a fun one! It is not too hard to find and only costs a few bucks (cash) to park. This pays for public restroom maintenance and trail management. Rain and wind loosen boulders. Hike with care! The Slot on CA-78, southwest of Borrega Springs (Maps). 

Slot Canyon Trail

Ola! Hallo! Bonjour! Hei!

Favorite Places - Pacific Northwest

Bull Elk in Hoh Rain Forest, 2016

Forests are my happy place. And a rain forest is the absolute premium experience for greenies like me. That's why in 2016 while thinking of a great vacation, I suggested the Pacific Northwest to my husband. 

"It's the only rain forest in North America!" I really wanted to go to Iguazu Falls on the Argentine-Brazil border, but I was afraid. Afraid of international situations that might arise involving corrupt officials, kidnapped Americans, and other risks that world travelers shrug off. Why am -- was I so terrified of international travel? In my twenties I worked with an insurance advisor and saw policies protecting companies who employ Americans in foreign countries against kidnap/ransom situations. I never forgot that. It probably isn't as high a risk as I feel it to be, but obviously that made a hard impression on me. 

Oliver at Lake Quinault Lodge

The internet makes it so easy to plan the perfect trip! I searched for rain forests and discovered Hoh in what is known by modern European-Americans as the Olympic Peninsula. To the indigenous people who lived in the region thousands of years before Columbus got lost on his way to India, there are many names for the areas: Hoh, Makah, Quileute, and Quinault. I booked a room in a cottage at Lake Quinault Lodge for a week in early October 2016. I wanted rain. 

In general, I prefer traveling during off-peak seasons to avoid the clutter of tourists and kids who need a nap. 

We took an Amtrak bus from Santa Rosa to the Stockton train station and went north from there via train, passing through parts of northern California I had never seen before...Sacramento, Oroville, Redding, Mount Shasta. I love trains.

I love that you get to see the landscape up close and in sumptuous detail. There were still plenty of gold leaves on broadleaf trees in early October. 

Oregon has been my favorite place in the world since I lived there briefly at age seventeen. I spent three months in Dexter and Eugene, and just prior to that a month in Malott, Washington, picking apples. It was unforgettable, the peace and quiet of walking in a misty forest. The ground soft with damp pine needles. The scent! I have always wanted to go back there, to live there, but I don't know anyone, and I guess I was afraid to move to Oregon on my own and make a go of it. I didn't know where to begin at that age. The internet makes migration and exploration so deliciously accessible! 

I had visited Seattle in 2012 as part of a work-related trip and had fun exploring the downtown area for a day with a colleague. Her name was Jill. She and I had a fantastic day at the Chihuly Glass Garden, and I wanted to see it again and show it to my husband. It was that exquisite. 

We picked up a rental car near the Olympia train station and spent a night in a motel near Aberdeen, arriving at Lake Quinault the following afternoon. 

The cottage room was cozy and quaint. I have very simple needs. A clean bed, a good shower, a mini fridge, coffee maker and microwave. It's the natural scenery that makes a vacation everything I need it to be: a serene break from city life. 

The Hall of Mosses in the Hoh Rain Forest beckoned and I aimed to gaze upon it. To feel the silence of a sacred place. Some people sit in old cathedrals, and I've done that, too, but it's not the same. It's not the magnitude of feeling that I get from standing in the midst of ancient giants draped in green velvet shushing my city mind. There's nothing else on Earth quite like a rain forest. 

And then there are these magical, unexpected, unforgettable moments. You take photos, but really they live in your heart much stronger than the images we share with the unfortunate souls who do not have the luxury of experiencing such places. 

It was really big and something big took a big bite!

Woolly Bear Caterpillar in the forest surrounding the Lodge

Museums can be interesting, too:)

Fun junk art sculptures in a lot adjacent to Peninsula Foods Store in Quilcene

Last day at Lake Quinault Lodge

Finally you have to say goodbye to this glorious preserved wilderness and sit on the train tracks for hours staring at the industrial grime of a city, and you tell yourself you'll never take the train again. But eventually you forget that and years later you're on a train, loving the scenery of an exotic place. Vacations are like that. 

❤

Odds & NZ

Arriving at AKL

 I spent ten glorious weeks in New Zealand. This is a collection of photographs of NZ culture, moments of amusement, curiosity, delights and wonders. 

 It was worth every cent! 

Auckland Airport

The signage on the airport window was my first clue to how deeply I would fall in love this place, these people, their ways. I soon wished I could live here for the rest of my life! 

NZ currency (click on image to enlarge)

One of the first things one does in a foreign country is to obtain a little cash for those occasions when a credit card is not an option. NZ is part of the UK and thus the currency features the monarch, but mostly it features what NZ is famous for: birds unique to these islands. 

Molloy's MEGA Antique Centre

On my first walk to the nearest grocery market to stock my kitchen for the week, I passed an antique shop with this eye-catching creation on display outside. So many questions! I could have gone inside and asked them, but chose rather to continue in the pleasure of the unknown. To wonder. To amuse myself with imagined stories of how this came to be the iconic mascot for an antique store.

Ripe Deli at Smales Farm

During one of my trips to downtown Auckland, I walked to and from the Smales Farm Busway Station. Ripe Deli was not open during the holiday week, but the sign posted in their window amused and delighted me. These are my kind of people. 

Eat Ripe. Eat local. Eat wholesome. Eat messy. Eat in season. Eat leisurely. Eat vegan. [Well, that restriction is not for me. I prefer an omnivore diet.] Eat hand-made. Eat pie. Eat with friends. Eat with us. Had to capture that feeling. Snapped a pic. Wished they were open while I was in their neighborhood.

Public Toilet at Akoranga Bus Station

Most days, I walked the opposite direction and caught a bus at Akoranga Station via Route 26. It was quite scenic. Which brings me to another thing I love about NZ culture: their passion for artistry.  From the public toilet at this bus station to the planters on Route 26 near the Lake House Art Center (also closed for the holiday week). It was everywhere I looked. I was happy here. For a whole week. I had solitude, peace, the thrill of adventure and the joy of discovery.

One should be unable to pass mosaic works of art. They demand and deserve contemplation and appreciation. First of all, who doesn't love a succulent garden? These planters are huge. The mosaic is made with color bits of glass. Up close, in person, it is simply stunning. 

The passionate artistry of such creations could not go unnoticed and was worthy of photographs and mention. 

As mentioned above, NZ is famous for birds unique to these islands. On my way to Akoranga station, I encountered my first such bird. Its bright red beak and tall stance beckoned. I paused briefly to watch its awkward gait. What is it? I could ask Google Lens to tell me, but the answer would do nothing for me. It isn't a name or science lesson needed right now. No, what's needed on this day is a moment of awe.

Standing in the southern hemisphere of my home world. What's needed is to simply be here and soak it all in.

Early morning, Akoranga Station is clean and quiet. It is a holiday week, the days between Christmas and New Year. 

Signage at the station: Seeking anonymous crime stoppers. 

A reminder of why I chose NZ: its very low crime rate. 

Among the curiosities were little mundane things that are everyday occurrences in the lives of UK citizens. Such as the electric super-fast water heating "jug" and "plunger coffee"; aka a French press...neither of which I had ever encountered before and it took a bit of figuring out. There was no instruction; it was assumed everyone knew what these kitchen devices are and how to make coffee with them. 

My first clue was the word "plunger" on the little bag of coffee supplied by the lodge. And my first thought upon seeing "plunger coffee" on the label was what kind of crazy marketing ploy is this...who wants to think of a toilet plunger when making coffee??? It was such a hilarious cacophony accentuating my foreignness. I was determined to sort it, as they say. And I did. 

Now, I am expecting a jug for Christmas 2025. I have already purchased a "plunger" and find that boiling water takes too long. The jug heats water in a minute. It's amazing!

prestigerealestate.co.nz

How much does it cost to live here? This question occurred to me on Day 1. I snapped a shot of this advertisement, at the time, migrating to NZ seemed possible. It wasn't until months later that I knew for certain that it was not possible, not within their current immigration laws. At best, I could get a Retirement Visa and stay for two years. 

The sign indicates 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 garage spaces located in Northcote Point, currently priced at $1,390,000. Amazing. You could not find a place like this at a price like this anywhere else in the world. 

Assuming that is NZD, at today's exchange rate that amounts to $890,094 USD. It is doable with combined assets and purchasing power. If only I could get all of my kids and grandkids, my husband and his mother to go for it! 

I fell in love with their culture of kindness and inclusion. It is not merely one church sign. It is visible everywhere. From the Maori language and symbolism everywhere you look to the diversity of the population itself. 

The Brits here strive to live in harmony with the Maori people. They make an effort to respect the rights of indigenous people who lived here long before explorers came to these shores. 

They are working to restore these islands to their native condition, removing pine trees that were planted here, that have taken over the landscape. Removing pestilential mammals that have decimated the population of flightless birds and nearly caused the extinction of kiwis. 

The people of NZ are keenly aware of the threat of climate change. There is a gaping hole in the ozone over their region that has made skin cancer a leading cause of death in this small population. 

They recycle. They reuse. They reduce. I saw it with my own eyes. People walking to the grocery store, instead of driving a few blocks. Bringing grocery bags instead of requiring more plastic bags to be shipped here...and then where do those unused plastic bags end up and how do they get there? 

Laundry hanging on lines everywhere. It is uncommon for them to use a dryer to dry clothing. They are energy and water conscious. Litter conscious. And it shows. Their city streets are cleaner than any I have seen. 

They are diligent about having visitors clean their shoes before boarding boats to tour the pristine islands, as shown in this pest free sign. Each of us had to spray our shoes and then rub them back and forth in a scrubbing mechanism. 

I could go on and on about the beauty of NZ culture. 

I will end on a humorous note with a sign posted in a public toilet. Yes, that is what they call it...that is what it is...a toilet. When you need to go, ask where is the toilet? If you ask for the restroom or bathroom, Kiwis will look confused for a moment, and then, "Ah, the toilet?"