Fallbrook Fire Caught on Film

On May 15, 2014 a fire broke out on the outskirts of Fallbrook, which is a small town in North San Diego County, California.

We happened to be right down the street, after hearing of SIX major wildfires in San Diego County burning at the same time. These included the "Bernardo Fire" near Rancho Bernardo, the "Tomahawk Fire" on Camp Pendleton, "Poinsettia Fire" in Carlsbad, "San Luis Rey Riverbed Fire" in Oceanside, "Cocos Fire" in San Marcos and the "Highway Fire" in Fallbrook/Bonsall.

Dubbed by the news media as "San Diego's May Firestorm". By the time it was all said and done a total of 9 wildfires broke out, over 29,000 acres were scorched, the trail of destruction spanned from the coast to inland cities and the county estimated $60 million dollars worth of damage

We witnessed the start of the "Highway Fire" from Interstate 15 and Highway 76 in Fallbrook. The flames started as a low rumble over the hillside and threatened the nearby Rancho Monserate Senior Community. Accelerating in speed and ferocity, the flames quickly spread over the hillside, down into the creek and then shot up into firenado's that were seen for miles. These tornado's of smoke and fire were a sight to see and I was able to capture a few photos of these "Twisters of Fire" as well as the quick response of CalFire planes.

I was tweeting the pictures, when the Weather Channel saw the photo and asked to use it on their broadcast. Later that day, I saw my name and photos on TV (ironic that hubby is the photographer and yet my picture was on TV...neener neener)!

I have included the Google Map that shows the location of the fires throughout the county. Many thanks to CalFire and the local fire agencies for working tirelessly this month! https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z2vmEWbf1lFA.k4IKPtjk6YJ4

Circling the fire to make another drop

I kept snapping and got a whole sequence of the plane's fire retardant drop

The infamous Smoke-Firenado photo!

Hiking Palomar Mountain

High above the city lights, Palomar Mountain majestically watches over North San Diego County.

At 6,142 feet elevation, it is dwarfed by the nearby San Bernardino and Riverside County mountain ranges, but it is nevertheless a quiet escape for many San Diegans.

Well known for it's winter wonderland and summer camps, we chose to visit over spring break and enjoy the tranquil landscape, green fields and blooming flora and fauna. We were also greeted by wildlife and "oohed and ahhed" over a herd of deer that were grazing right in front of us.

We trekked "over the river and through the woods" and had a picnic at the pond (where the birds stole a cookie from my lunch bag....man, I really wanted that cookie). We hiked over, under and across fallen tree branches and found a multitude of trees riddled with woodpecker holes.

Palomar Mountain is also known for it's 200 inch telescope and Observatory, but on this adventure, we stuck to the great outdoors! www.palomarsp.org

Welcome to Palomar Mountain State Park!

Sing with us... "Over the River and Through the Woods...."

This enormous fallen tree branch spans the entire forest floor, making it's own bridge

Steady Now....Hiking across the "bridge", it's a lot higher up than it looks!

Fascinating hollowed out tree branch looked like a carved out canoe

Our Little Log Climber

When Wood Peckers Attack!

Hungry herd of deer don't seem too bothered by us watching them

We call this one "Cirque De Hungry Deer"

Arroyo Tapiado Mud Cave Exploration

I am not sure if the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are one of the best kept secrets of the park, because many people I run into have never even heard of this magnificent place!

Granted, you feel like a lost sheep wandering the vast desert to find them but they are "totally" worth it!!

The drive to find the mud caves, is almost as much fun as the mud caves themselves. The trek in makes you feel like you are a million miles away from everything. There are no city lights, no freeways, no stop lights and no one around for miles.We kept playing the "Indiana Jones" theme song in our heads while traversing the desolate dirt roads! Every twist and turn made us hold our breath wondering what was around the corner. The rock and mud formations along the way were a sight to see and left us wondering "what was back there"? At every corner we wanted to get out and hike and explore the area, but we kept onward to our mud cave destination.

There are no neon signs, no "Welcome to the Mud Caves" billboard and no physical way to see that these mud caves exist from the road. The only way you know where they are is if you follow another motorist in, someone is parked down near the area, or if you have been there before. This anonymity adds to the mystery and anticipation of exploring these natural wonders.

The name Arroyo Tapiado derives from the Spanish language meaning "walled wash" and the Arroyo Tapiado canyon is full of 22 known mud caves and 9 slot canyons! These mud caves are the most extensive mud cave systems in the world with some of the caves extending over 1000 feet! These are not claustrophobic caves either, some of these systems are cavernous with ceilings 80 feet tall and 325 feet wide.

They were formed by fluvial erosion caused by periods of heavy rain fall. When the heavy rain occurs it cuts channels into the mud hills which causes erosion and forms canyon with undercut walls. Some channels deepen and some cave in. The mud of the collapsed walls dry and adhere to other portions of the canyon thus forming bridges, archways and even natural "skylights" in the caves.

It's truly a natural wonder and you can spend days there and not see everything that Arroyo Tapiado has to offer.

Some notes of interest and words of caution:
* 4WD is recommended to traverse the dirt roads in.
* Make sure you bring water and snacks (you are a long way from civilization and it is dry and hot out there).
* The mud caves can be unstable, so use caution (it is also recommended not to walk on top of the caves for fear of cave ins). People have lost their lives in these areas, so use caution and common sense (this is not rock, this is unstable MUD)!
* Bring lights, i.e.: flashlights, lanterns. Once you are in the caves, there is no light and it becomes pitch black.
* Don't leave your trash please, let's keep it nice for many generations.

***On a side note, we recommend doing that while in the cave...gather everyone around and simultaneously shut off your lights. The blackness is astounding and the quiet is deafening!!***

Our taxi to the great unknown!

Even my parents came to explore the caves...it was a family affair! 

                                    Three Generations of Explorers!

The entrance to the cave is a back breaker, but looks like fun doesn't it?

Equipped with lanterns and Camelbak's we are ready for adventures

There is no greater skylight than God's skylight!

Taking a break and eating some lunch perched at the mouth of a cave

Papa and little one went off exploring on their own 

Wedged into a narrow slot and passageway

Oh No, look who the tour guide is?!

Hubby and I walked right up on this perfectly coiled and perfectly camouflaged rattler...that will give you a moment of pause!

Con Bro Chill Concert- Party Like a Neon Rock Star!

Let me first preface this post by saying that the "Totally Trailer Family" loves music! We love all kinds of music! Little one and I can regularly be spotted singing along to all of our favorite songs (or just about anything that comes on the radio). Hubby and I love to dance in front of her and embarrass her (because that's what good parents do best) and overall we like to make sure little one stays well rounded, so we make sure she is exposed to all genres of music (cue the teenage eye rolling)....

Hubby started following a new band called Con Bro Chill, and their catchy "get up and dance" sound and fun/upbeat lyrics. Their videos are well produced with lots of crazy neon outfits (they call themselves #NeonArmy). The videos made us all gather around the computer to laugh and dance along. When he found out that Con Bro Chill was coming to our area, we naturally couldn't pass up the opportunity to take the family on a neon outing! We hit up a local WalMart and bought every piece of neon clothing we could find (which was surprising a lot)! Everything from neon tights, scarves, shirts, shoes and glow-sticks....we were set. The venue was small, but due to our outfits and the outfits of other concert goers, I am sure you could have seen us from space. We even got pictures with some of the band members after the show! What a fun experience for all of us!

We made our own Neon Army (the 80's called and want their clothes back)!

Our concert flyer

Con Bro Chill rocking out in full costume on stage

Glow Stick Girl

Performer stopping to sign autographs and pose for pictures

The video that started it all and kept us laughing 

Ringing in the New Year with AAA Towing

While most people on the West Coast were singing "Auld Land Syne", watching the ball drop on T.V. and toasting with their friends and family....we were sitting in a parking lot in the middle of El Centro, CA waiting for our tow trucks! The lyrics of "should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind" were making us want to forget this experience!

On our way back out Interstate 8 to ring in the New Year in Arizona, our trusty Suburban decided she was done traveling for the winter. We stopped in El Centro to refuel and upon re-entering the freeway, we noticed we had no momentum or power to accelerate and we lost one of our gears.

We pulled back off the highway to take inventory of what was happening. Of course it was nighttime, nothing was open and it was New Year's Eve....so, an immediate repair, fix or assistance, was not in the cards for us.

Pulling into a grocery store parking lot, we called AAA and requested (TWO) tow trucks because we had to head home. Both our truck and trailer made the long and SLLOOWW 150-mile haul back that night on the back of tow truck. Our tow vehicle, was officially being towed home :(

Once the holiday passed, we had a new transmission and we were back in business......We love new adventures and never knowing where the road may take us, but in this case the road sent us limping all the way home!

Suburban on one tow truck and the trailer behind another ...this is how we party on New Year's Eve!

Merry Christmas from Catalina State Park (Totally Trailer Style)

We celebrated Christmas, Totally Trailer style in Catalina State Park. Christmas Eve we each baked and decorated cookies for baby Jesus and awoke Christmas morning to blue skies, saguaros, an excited kid, homemade quiche. a festive trailer and lots of love!

The stockings were hung in the trailer with care....

Christmas Eve cookie making

Our own holiday masterpieces 

Christmas morning look of sheer shock and excitement

Tears of joy on Christmas morning 

Horseback Riding in Saguaro National Park

Christmas Eve was a special day for the Totally Trailer Team; we went on a leisurely horseback ride through the Saguaro National Park!

Houston's Horseback Riding Company led our journey through the spectacular saguaros. Thousands of unique saguaros as far as the eye could see. Some had bird nests at eye level to peer into, some were crested (very rare....1 in every 3,000 have this rare mutation). We saw one very large hawk perched atop the tallest saguaro, we saw one of the oldest saguaro's in the world, a big-eared jack rabbit, baby saguaros, twin saguaros and so much more. It was a perfect day to mosey through the park naming these funny cacti and noticing the different characteristics each plant had. Some had outie belly buttons and some had handle bar mustaches, while others looked like they were hugging or dancing; Magnificent creatures!

Our horses were very mellow and we rarely had to motivate them or even pull on the reins. I rode Neil, hubby had Sterling and our little one rode Lulu (named after Honolulu where she came from).

Awesome scenery, perfect weather and gentle horses made for a memorable Christmas Eve!

Houston's Horseback Riding in Tucson, AZ

The gateway to our scenic ride

All lined up for the start of our 2 hour ride through the Saguaros

Little Cowgirl riding Lulu  

 Handsome hubby riding Sterling

 Infant Saquaros

The epitome of a true Arizona Saguaro (as seen in all cartoons)!

Pit Stop for Lulu

Me and my shadow

Neil and I doing some bonding

 Totally Trailer Team wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from Tucson

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Next stop in Tucson....The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum located not far from Old Tucson Studios. After passing this up last year, we made a point of visiting this time and we were glad we did! The highlight of the day was the Raptor Free Flight show, this surpassed all of our expectations. They sent out 4 different birds and had them land right in front of us, swoop down (narrowly missing our heads) and sit atop saguaro cactus. The were let out in the vast open desert and although they were free to swoop, soar and even go after a mouse in the field, the handlers always brought them right back to us. What a sight to see as they communicated and "played" in their natural habitat mere inches away from us.

Another amazing sight was a majestic mountain lion! This young mountain lion (2.5 years old) was rescued and taken in by the museum. At the time of the rescue, this beautiful animal was in bad shape. They nursed him and brought him back to perfect health and now he loves coming out and watching all of the visitors. Every person that approached, he watched carefully and made eye contact. He was not fearful or shy and posed quite nicely for many photographs! This was a special treat for us, since we rarely get to see one out and about (normally they are shy and stay hidden from visitors).

So much to see at this beautifully maintained park! Little one fell in love with the Hummingbird enclosure/aviary, they had an adorable Ocelot that was taking a "cat nap" on a warm rock, hilariously photogenic prairie dogs, reptiles, big horn sheep, otters, Ancient Arizona display, Earth Science museum and an aquarium! Truly a magnificent place to visit and interact with many animals in their own environments. You can check our more info on their website: www.desertmuseum.org.

Christmas time in Arizona means decorated Saguaro's. This Santa Saguaro welcomed us at the gates of the museum!

 Gray Hawk was the first to take flight over us. At only 17 inches, he is considered a small raptor

These Gray Hawks are considered a threatened species in Texas and Arizona

Next up was the Barn Owl. Although he flies virtually silent, his screech was unmistakable and we heard him coming, long before we saw him. He was by far, the most talkative of the group.

The Raptor Free Flight show takes you to the middle of the Arizona desert to watch these majestic birds take flight!

The social Harris Hawks were up next. Typically very social birds, they hunt in groups of five and we got to see all five in action!

Harris Hawk taking flight to join his friends

Four out of the five Harris Hawks pictured here. The leader is clearly calling the fifth hawk to join them

These hilarious prairie dogs came right up to the glass and happily posed for us. Apparently, this was his "good side"!

Look how regal this Mountain Lion looks with his paws perfectly crossed; such a gentleman 

Big kitty yawn!

Up close and personal, nothing but glass between us and this sweet face 

This sleepy Ocelot looks like he found a perfect place to rest his adorable little head

Inside the Ancient Arizona museum were rare fossils found right there in Pima and Maricopa County. I was fascinated by the perfectly intact bird nest.

 

 The Totally Trailer Team