"Zero Days"

It is May 6th, and in hiker terms, we are taking a few "Zero Days", which means we are doing something fun.  We had breakfast at the Julian Lodge and had a nice conversation with the manager and fellow travelers, a couple of motorcyclists from Arizona.  We then toured this great little town, went to the local wildflower show and then to the outdoor store for a bird book.  Want to know what we are looking at, and thought we needed a book of Western Birds.  We were right.  There are a lot of differences in the birds you see out here.  We then went to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park where we got a campsite (after we had another piece of pie).  Spent the next couple of days touring around by car and seeing an old gold mine, and an old mission.  On Saturday, the 8th, we drove over to Ramona to go to a bluegrass festival, which was advertised on a poster in Julian.  However, when we got there, it was so sparsely attended, that we decided not to spend the $30 each, and had a nice Mexican lunch instead, for half the price.  Took a very scenic drive back to camp, stopping at the park visitor center to see the display and learn about the area.  As we were parking the van, someone pulled into a non-parking slot next to us, rather hastily, and just as I am about to say something to John about the other guy's driving (and parking), they get out and usher an older woman (even older than I am!) out and holler for help.  She had been bitten by a rattlesnake and her leg had swollen up rather quickly.  So much for my being judgmental. 

On Sunday, May 9th, we left Cuyamaca Rancho and went back to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which I really wanted John to see.  He is nursing some very sore feet, so this has been a good break.