Golden State Warriors after victory parade 2015

I don't really do crowds thus I went out after the parade passed.  Our office was on the far corner, thus never did get to see the real parade.  Going out after everything passed and getting some cleanup pictures was fun.  Here are a few pictures of the great cleanup.  Also notice that one of the pictures shows how the confetti was sticking to the side of the building 3 stories up.

People where still having fun and the wind created by the buildings where stirring things up.

Scotty's Castle 2015

What is there to say about this place.  This is a place built upon stories and the park service gives the tours with stories.  So yes there may be a lot of hype about the place but never the less, it was a fun place to visit.  Also being in the middle of nowhere does not hurt.  (If you like urban legends, then you would like this place since Scotty and his reputation was built with them.  And I think that is why some people do not like this place.)  Note: There are two short books about the place and the man, easy reads and they explain a lot of the man and the people involved.

So let's start with some pictures of the place.  This is version 2 and I really do like it.

Now lets head through the gates.  The big sundial and weather vain where nice features.

So Death Valley Ranch is its real name, not Scotty's Castle.  Either way a very nice place.  Now let's go inside.

The kitchen.  I guess now is the time to explain a bit more.  (I will not give the whole story but Scotty built this place with someone else and that person was an insurance executive.  Why these two got together is an interesting story in itself but this place was really the executives summer home but no one really knew, everyone thought it was Scotty's place.)  So the kitchen has the latest in features.  Indoor running water and piped in gas.

This place also had electricity years before any electrical service was run to the area.  The executive loves his pipe organ and installed a series of Edison batteries in the tunnels under the house.  They where charge by the water generator in the back building.  Oh the house had a natural spring which provided the indoor running water.

Now most of the house was finished but the pool was never done.  They where still deciding on what to do when the economy turned bad and the exec lost his job.  They did have enough money to finish but only enough.  There was also an issue about a survey error many years ago, thus the property was actually on government land and not private.  Yet another story, but the short answer is that it was turned over to the park service and Scotty lived out his days still at the ranch.  Thus the picture of the pool as it stands in its drained unfinished format.  One thing you will notice, there are glass windows that would be under water.  (Oh, yes the underground spring has enough pressure and volume to fill the pool and keep it full, even today.)

Now lets go back into the tunnels and see what is on the other side of those windows.  The bright areas are the same windows from the above picture.  The other pictures is the tile that would have been used to build the pool.  They had purchased the tile many years before deciding on its design.

I also mentioned that the tunnels ran to the bunk house but why tunnels?  Well it was a means to get from one building to another without going outside.  It also provide storage and maintenance help.  Here you see that the sewer lines actually ran in the tunnels, which made them easy to maintain.

So Scotty never left the place.  When he died, legend has it they buried him on the hill overlooking 'his' castle.  This is his view and you will also notice in one picture what looks like a lot of railroad ties.  Well they are railroad ties, that is what they used as firewood.  They got a good deal on them.  (I'm pretty sure they where untreated at the time.)

Joshua Tree 2015

Well Joshua Tree was actually the first place my daughter and I stopped on our little vacation.  Weather was nice.  Warm and not too hot and we where luck to visit right between the major spring break visitors and Coachella Valley Music Festival.

Ok, Joshua Tree is basically, animals (mostly lizards), flowers and soft spiky things.  They really look soft but are not.

Animals.  Many of these, my daughter spotted first, a couple she almost stepped on.

Non lizards.

Ok, that last one is not a llama.  These guys where crossing the road.

Now onto flowers.  We happen to just miss the spring bloom but there was still many flowers blooming.

And the spiky.

This is the 'soft' spiky that my daughter just had to touch since it looked so soft.

Lastly, the views and rocks and rocks.