White Tank Mountain park and the "Say Hi! Before You Die" Reunion

Feb. 3 - So, we were in space #28 for one night, then we pack up and move "all the way across the road" and up one space to #25. It sounds like a "piece of cake", but in reality it's almost as much work as moving all the way across the park! 

All settled in to space #25 now, it's our home for the remainder of our stay in this area. We've a beautiful view out across the desert toward Glendale and Phoenix, where the city lights sparkle like diamonds at night. 

Last year's posts on the campground and the petroglyphs provide more information about the park itself so I won't repeat all of that. You can find them here. . . . 

White Tank Mountain Regional Park  and, Petroglyphs 

Once settled into the new site we headed back into Glendale for the remainder of the reunion activities. We left the pups to guard the trailer again. We don't usually leave them alone for very long, but this will be a few hours, so we want to know how they're doing. We have a Ring camera set up to keep track of them (and to be sure they aren't barking) when we are gone, so no worries about annoying the neighbors. It seems they both enjoyed a healthy nap all the time we were in town. Other than their dinner being a little late a couple of the days we were out I don't think they cared too much about our absence. 

The reunion was a huge success. 

It was a slightly larger group than last year, and our host and hostess had arranged everything to perfection, right down to the cookies sent home with us as souvenirs of the gathering. (Not only beautifully made, they tasted good too!)

These folks all worked together in California, for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, starting back in the late 1960's. 

It's great to see them connect each year and swap remembrances of the work they did, and everyone enjoys the clearly embellished versions of stories re-told each year when they get together!

Once the reunion activities had concluded we scheduled the necessary errands and some time to enjoy the park. 

The wildlife in the park is plentiful. We caught the motion of a couple of chipmunks scuttling beneath the shrubs, and during the early morning and evening walks with the dogs we hear coyotes celebrating their breakfast catch. One evening and again early in the morning we heard them singing in celebration of an early morning catch. It sounded like there were several in the group, including young ones. 

The birds are plentiful too. So far my Merlin app has identified the songs of Cactus wren, Curve-bill thrasher, Gambel's quail and House finch. 

Before the previous occupants of our site moved out I noticed that they had put up a black seed feeder, so I wasn't surprised when the Gambel's quail showed up every morning to continue searching in the fine gravel for those tasty seeds. I also noticed that one plump hen spent time up on the picnic table while the others searched for the seeds. Do they post a look-out?

In our walks around the park we noticed that the recent rains had brought forth a flush of seedlings foretelling of a good wildflower year. Not much was blooming yet, save for the ever durable creosote bush and one really ambitious mallow bush. Even without flowers, there is color everywhere, especially after the brief rain we had. The barrel cactus's pink thorns are almost as bright as flowers, and the variety of forms the saguaro take are always amusing. They almost look human!. 

Stepping out the door after the overnight rain we were met with the wonderful fragrance that can only be described as desert perfume. The moisture on the desert sage, mesquite and other shrubs activates their sweet scents and they blend beautifully. After enjoying this most of my life, I just learned there is a name for it. It' called petrichor  (pronounced peh-truh-kor)

Most of the landscape in this park is composed of granite of one type or another. 

Some is largely quarts, some contains more feldspar, each type is a different color so there is a variety of tones, especially after a rain when the moisture brings out the color. 

From black to white, and red to green, and then there are those stones filled with so much mica that under the bright sun they sparkle like gold. It's no wonder several Spanish explores went back to the king and told him there was "gold everywhere, just laying on the ground".  You may have to click on the photo to open it up in a larger size to really see the sparkle. The white sample lower right is what the "white tanks" in the mountains were created out of, through erosion, over time. 

There is no official "visitor center" as such here. There is a gift shop/nature center attached to a branch of the county library right at the entrance to the park. 

They have some information on the surrounding area, a few displays of snakes and other interesting desert dwellers and are able to answer questions. One unique display was the juvenile "speckled rattlesnake", this one was white, though they come in other colors.  

The Library welcomes visitors who would like to browse their collection, sit awhile and read a magazine while enjoying the view out their windows to the mountains, and they can also point toward useful resources for answer questions. 

Errands completed, sight-seeing and chores done, we packed up and prepared for departure. Next stop, La Quinta, CA, to visit family for a couple of days.