Four Years of Mood, Magic and Mystery

It has gestating for months, it has been under construction for many more months and it has been re-edited for yet another month or so, but finally it has arrived!

I have rounded up the most meaningful images I have acquired over the fours years hiking, playing and simply enjoying the times I have spent in the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and it's adjoining Covington Park.  This oasis with it's velvet green soothing interior echoing the songs of dozens of birds who flit around in the cooling shade is  relatively unknown to the thousands of tourists who pass daily, literally within a quarter of a mile of it's gates, on their way to the much more famous Joshua Tree National Park.

The oasis has more to offer than the serene green canopy and gently flowing water.  Within 5 minutes of walking the shade gives way to rugged barren hillsides with brittle sharp desert foliage, rocky trails and brilliant desert sun.  Hiking trails lead up above the oasis and where the view takes in Mt San Gorgonio, Mt San Jacinto and the Morongo Basin.

This 50 page coffee table book of mostly photos, but a little text here and there, is a gift to myself.  Something I can revisit whenever the peaceful core of my soul gets a little turbulent and I am craving the serenity of the oasis.  I showed the finished book to a couple of friends and the orders have started coming in.  I knew I wasn't the only one who loves the Preserve but, even so, I am startled and thrilled by the interest shown in my book.  I've had several more printed and am being encouraged to do a book signing at the Art Colony of Morongo Valley's 52nd Anniversary this weekend.  I am donating a portion of the proceeds back to the Preserve.

It can also be purchased at the Cactus Mart, in Morongo Valley.

The "New" Historic Warren Homestead of Morongo Valley

As our group arrived for our Monday morning hike through Covington Park and the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve we stood for a moment, stunned.  A new road had been blazed through the dense brush of what we had thought was a protected wildlife area, an internationally recognized birding site, for heaven's sake, toward a stand of cottonwood trees on the far side of the park!

Hikers winding down the trail into Covington Park, Morongo Valley.

I am very protective of our wild areas and was feeling quite jittery.  I can only imagine how the bird watchers were feeling. However, before I lost my composure I wanted to know what was going on.  I knew the area had a rich history and rightly so, as this is one of the few areas of permanent water in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

History is a peculiar beast at times.  Getting a definitive fact seems to be only authoritative until I find someone who disagrees.  This is a fairly accurate, if brief, time line of history of Covington Park and the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve.

The Morongo Clan of the Serrano Indians were the first settlers I know of, however, they succumbed to small pox when the  white settlers arrived. The survivors moved to Banning in the 1860's.

About 10 years after the arrival of the white settlers the Warren Family arrived and set up a cattle ranch and also provided supplies for travelers passing through.  They built a fairly big home for the time and lived at the oasis for around 35 years before selling to the Covington family in 1912.  In 1968 the Covingtons sold 80 acres to the Nature Conservancy, and soon after the County of San Bernardino purchased a further 160 acres which became a wild life preserve. It is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Barbed wire from the ranching days.

So why had a trail been ploughed though this protected and very beautiful wilderness area? The answer was much more benign than I'd feared.

Descendants of the Warren family had needed the access to excavate the family homestead.  They wanted to create a lasting monument to their pioneering forebears and set the archaeological remains up as permanent Historical Site, further protecting the area for the enjoyment of future generations.

Park visitors taking in a history lesson.

The area where the cabin stood in the foreground.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and adjacent Covington Park are only a 25 minute drive from Palm Springs in the town of Morongo Valley, on Highway 62, the main drag to Joshua Tree National Park. Highway 62. Green, scenic, cool with many hiking trails and now an Historic Site, it is well worth stopping by for a relaxing hour or two.

Being Open to Opportunity Is One Thing

Being ready to act on it is quite another.

That is the message I received today as I strolled through my much loved local park.  As is usual for me I had my camera and my dog, and, as is also usual for me, I get my best insights when I have the camera to my eye.  This park I frequent, Covington Park, is adjoining the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, a world renown birding site, so there's always a great chance rare birds can be seen in this dog friendly park next door.  I was inviting whoever wanted to show up to pose for me as I walked along.  I saw a Red Tail Hawk in the distance, too far away to photograph, but so thrilling to watch as it soared, dived and circled.

My dog and I slowly wended our way back to the parking lot enjoying the shade of the bare cottonwoods when I was urged to glance up.  A beautiful Red Tail Hawk was gliding in to land right above me!  It's glorious red tail was glowing like embers in the setting sun as it braced itself for landing.  I had inadvertently wandered under the very tree in which it was building its nest. By the time I saw the hawk and snapped a couple of pictures it was too close to me for the lens I was using.

Red Tail Hawk bringing in nesting material.

Mmmm...there's one stick poking me in the you-know-what....

There was my message: when I send an invitation to the Universe stay awake for the the answer!
Getting the camera up and getting the picture would help, too.  Of course, it wasn't lost on me that this is a good philosophy for most aspects of my life, too.

I'm linking this to Nature Notes at Michelle's Rambling Woods Blog.