Tortoises again

We paid another visit to the Desert Tortoise Natural Area (DTNA) today. We were last there on May 25, 2009, at the end of the spring season, right before the tortoises were going to go down in their burrows for the summer. It was hot and dry and we didn't see any tortoises.

Today it was sunny, a bit cool, and unfortunately windy, and we didn't see any tortoises. They don't like wind.

Last May we pushed the babies along the sketchy trails in their BOB stroller. Today we thought we'd just put them on their leashes and let them walk. This proved to be a mistake. Rocket Boy has one arm in a sling due to a broken elbow, so he can't really carry anybody, and Baby A has an ear infection, so even though he's been on antibiotics for a few days, he's a little fussy. So guess who got to carry Baby A on the entire hike? I put him down each time we stopped at a trail number, but when I would start to walk on he would scream and I'd have to pick him up again. The problem was that he also screamed when I held him. It wasn't a fun walk for me or for him. RB and Baby B had a better time.

Wildlife seen: two lizards, a large black beetle, and several birds. Also, the plants that had been just dried up husks last May were covered with green leaves and tiny flowers.

The trails began and ended at a cement shelter that functions as an Interpretive Center, with benches to sit on and panels showing the animals and plants that can be found at the DTNA. I ran the last few hundred feet of the trail, carrying Baby A, who was screaming. When we got to the shelter I set him down and collapsed onto a bench. Baby A immediately stopped screaming, walked over to a panel that had a photograph of a desert tortoise on it, and said clearly "What is dat?"

We decided the problem had been the sun and/or the wind. As long as he was under the shelter he was just fine. Sigh.

After our hike we went to the trailer that functions as a little museum and visited with the DTNA naturalist, who we had met last year. He's a student at the University of Arizona and particularly likes snakes. We remembered him from last year, but the odd thing was that he also remembered us. He remembered that we lived in Ridgecrest and didn't like it. I said, "we like it less the longer we live there." He said, "People say that about Tucson too, but I don't understand it, they have the whole Sonoran Desert right there to explore."

I felt bad. Here I am with the entire Mojave Desert to explore, what am I complaining about?

In the trailer there was a green balloon, part of a display illustrating how long various man-made items last. Baby B spent his time lunging for the balloon, shouting "Ball!" The naturalist brought down some tortoise shells, and Baby A examined them thoroughly. "You've got a budding scientist there," the naturalist said. "Ball!" said Baby B, lunging for it again. "And a budding balloon man," I added.

We asked the naturalist if he had a recommendation for a place to eat lunch in California City and he thought for a moment and then said "No." So we went to McDonalds. The babies had Happy Meals with chicken McNuggets, apple slices, milk, and plastic two-headed dinosaurs. "Apple" is one of their new words. "Apple!" said Baby B, thrilled at the sight. "Apple!" said Baby A, also thrilled. "Apple!" said Baby B. And so went lunch.

After lunch we went to Jawbone Station to visit Mr. Bob the 110-year-old tortoise who lives there, but the lady behind the counter said he hasn't come out of hibernation yet. I went in with just Baby B because RB had to stay in the car with Baby A who had fallen asleep, but the lady recognized me anyway. "Oh, you have another one the same age, don't you?" she said. "And you have such a nice husband."

Our cover blown, we drove back to Ridgecrest.