After we returned from our Thanksgiving week road trip up Hwy 1, we moved the APPLE to Doheny State Beach. This lovely park is located right on the ocean in Dana Point, CA. It is on the south edge of the LA metro area near San Clemente. The sunsets from our site were breathtaking.
We walked many miles of beach and enjoyed the singing surf. There were great places to bike, too, so we got our exercise! We even saw a seal playing close to shore.
Hundreds of birds populated the area--gulls, pelicans, gallinules, and sandpiper-like birds. Tom even saw the beach patrol (gulls) cleaning up a 3-foot thresher shark.
While we were at Doheny the earth moved. Yup, we experienced our first earthquake! It registered 3.7 on the Richter Scale. It shook the APPLE, and we also heard a loud bang. Nothing shook loose, and I'm glad it wasn't more serious!
The Dana Point harbor was adjacent to our park. Hundreds of sleek sailboats rested in the harbor. It was a treat to watch them sail in and out.
Our campground was only about 3 miles from the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. This is the mission that was made famous by the song "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano." The swallows weren't there right now. They leave every year on October 28th and return on March 19th (or so the legend goes). The original mission church was mostly demolished in an earthquake shortly after it was completed. A replica was built from the original plans and is used for worship today.
While we were in this area, we had several opportunities to get together with Tom's cousin Tim Robertson and his wife, Deb. It was really fun to get to know them. One evening Tim and Deb brought Tom's Aunt and Uncle, Evie and Harold Robertson, to our campground. We had a beautiful campfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Evie and Hal said it had been a long time since they had done that!
After the campfire, we all headed over to the Dana Point Harbor to watch the Parade of Lights. Over 60 boats were decked out with fabulous, colorful holiday lights and scenes. It was a very cool evening, but the Holiday display warmed our hearts.
Another evening we all went to BIOLA College "Celebrate the Son" Christmas event. We attended three events--a drama, the gospel choir concert and a worship/concert given by a group called Timber. What an enjoyable evening!
One more Christmas celebration we enjoyed while in the LA area was a fabulous production called "The Glory of Christmas." This is a full scale production of the Christmas story presented at the Crystal Cathedral. There were camels, horses, sheep, donkeys, kings, a brilliant star and eight flying angels who all helped recreate that glorious night when God's Son came to earth to show us the way of love. It was a wonderful reminder of the true reason for the season.
As mid-December arrived, our time was up at this lovely campground, so we started heading east into Arizona where we were meeting friends for the holidays. We pulled the APPLE to Benson, AZ, where we set up camp at the Escapees (SKP) Saguaro Co-op. A couple days later we were joined by our good friends, Ed & Marty Castro. They took us on a couple of adventures to Nogales, Mexico and Bisbee, AZ. We made a quick stop in Tombstone, too, where we clomped down the wooden sidewalks. It was great to spend some time with them before they had to head east.
A couple days later, our dear friends, Sandy & Ron Hunter, arrived at the SKP park. We had so much to catch up on that I think we talked for two weeks straight! On December 23rd we hiked the Echo Canyon trail in the Chiricahua Mountains. This area is also known as the Land of the Standing Up Rocks. It is a fabulous place to hike among the wonders of the natural world. As you can tell by our outfits, it was a cold and windy day. The temp was around freezing, but the winds made it even colder.
There were many unusual rock formations and balanced rocks. We walked through natural arches and narrow canyons. What a wonderful place to connect with the peace and awe of the season.
We celebrated Christmas Eve services in a small church near the park. Christmas Day was filled with friends, food and fun at the campground potluck. New Years Eve found us dancing to the melodious sounds of a 17-piece swing band at the park. As the end of one era approached, we set our intentions for the coming year--intentions to live in joy and in service as we experience the abundance of the new. Our wish for all of you is that you all choose to move into a new millennium filled with peace and love.
