After a leisurely morning in Sharon's fantastic condo, we headed out for another full day of desert delights.

The film was a huge success and has long been recognized as an important work that transcends the Western genre. In 1995, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry.

John Wayne is the movie star most mentioned on my blog. I have a connection to him through my Dad. They were both born in Winterset, Iowa, though my Dad was born when Marion was going off to college. (Ironically, next month would be my Dad's 100th birthday.) Both men had the nickname of Duke. I have no idea if Mr. Wayne was the inspiration for my Dad's moniker or not.

During a 1998 road trip across America, we detoured to the birthplace of these two incredible men. Winterset was also the setting for the 1995 film The Bridges of Madison County so I just had to follow in the footsteps of Clint and Meryl.

A return to the desert, with an overnight with Sharon, gave us two days to really play. It gave me the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do... attend the Palm Springs Film Festival.

The first year's Festival, in January of 1990, was an immediate success, drawing more than 17,000 filmgoers in the course of its five-day run, and generating positive press coverage from publications including the Los Angeles Times, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.

On one of the most beautiful January days, Lori arranged for us to get a fantastic dose of Vitamin N (Nature). This was my first visit to San Jacinto Wildlife Area. I was incredibly impressed!

I have to include the history. It's just too interesting. The San Jacinto Valley has long been locally recognized for its many water resources, rich soils, and large amount of native wildlife. In 1775-1776, a Spanish Expedition route passed through what is now the wildlife area. The area was part of six land grants given to the San Luis Rey Mission in 1798. After the successful revolt of Mexico against Spain, the Mexican government seized the properties. The land grant that included what is now the wildlife area was given to the Pedrorena family in 1846 (one of the signers of the California Constitution). The site was used for agriculture and ranching and changed ownership a few times.

With the development of Los Angeles, an aqueduct was constructed in the 1930s to transport water. The aqueduct depleted most of the water resources within the ranch and adjacent lands, and by 1938 most all of the water was gone. Because of the water loss, the lands were mostly leased out for cattle grazing until 1960, when they were converted into a facility for testing rocket propulsion systems. Rocket-testing activities ceased in 1974, and the land was kept vacant to retain the option of continued rocket testing. In the years following, grazing and farming was allowed on parts of the land, and the rest was left for fallow succession. All farming operations ceased when it was determined that the Stephens' kangaroo rat was present on the ranch lands, primarily within the designated and utilized farming areas. However, grazing throughout the ranch remained in operation.

Apart from the ranch lands, many settled near the San Jacinto River and the ephemeral Mystic Lake. Although seasonal flooding provided plentiful water for use, flooding created continuous frustration and hardships for the residents. As a result, the San Jacinto River has been channelized with earthen levees in many sections over the past century.

Due to the abundance of wildlife, the area was once considered a sportsman's paradise. Families and friends would often visit the area for vacation and social gatherings. According to signage, it is still a sportsman's paradise which freaked us out a bit!

Being as this was all new to me, I had no idea what to expect. I was blown away at the variety and quantity of birds here. What a birdwatcher's dream.

According to ebird.org, this month's birding total, already, has been an amazing 109 different species. A total of 316 various species are seen here throughout the year. I shared two of my photos with Jenny and she identified them as a Black-Necked Stilt and a Common Yellowthroat. I'm excited for her to see this post and identify them all. I wish I had my bird whisperer with me. That said, Lori and I did our best.