Jan 1st - 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Drove 6 miles SE of Hemet to the James Simpson Park. A great place for walking, boulder climbing and mt biking. The trails are hard pack single track with lots of climbing & fun downhill with hundreds of twists and turns with some rock (granite). No tree roots, trees, stumps or logs!!! Apparently, poison oak in some sections you have to watch for and not the season for rattlesnakes but they are definitely around once mid to late April comes around. We cycled with "Jen" who was on her own and never been in the area either, so we could all get lost together.

Prickly pear cactus; edible pads (removing the spines in hot water) high in fiber and used in salads raw or cooked. Also used as a source of red dye and can grow 12' tall and 12'wide. This particular one was approximately 6 feet tall.

Saguaro cactus, native to SE California, S Arizona and NW Mexico, one of the slowest growing cactus. This plant is capable of tolerating cold temperatures up to -4C. It can be only 6" tall after 10 years of growth and can live centuries - up to 150 years old. They can reach heights of 45-50 ft tall, depending on precipitation. The plant can store gallons of water in the ribs and various creatures feed on the plant, including bats, bees, butterflies, mice & rats. Woodpeckers have been known to build nests deep into the flesh of the plant - the plant builds a calous around the 'wound' the store the water inside it's veins.

A group of Mexicans taking some newbies out on the trails helped us to not get lost. A gorgeous view of Diamond Lake (the man-made reservoir) in the background.