Hi Everyone:
On Wed. Oct. 28, we had planned to hike Idyllwild, but the winds were not cooperating. Linda called me to let me know that the wind gusts were up to 40MPH on the mountain. Not fun with that much dirt and debris flying around our faces. We were disappointed as now Idyllwild trails are closed until June. Linda decided to stay home for this one, but Jan and Carrie and I decided to brave a local hike close to Temecula (I had all that salmon marinating). We hiked over Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet. It turned out to be a pretty nice day even
though the winds were kicking it. The mountain lion warning signs did not deter us, and we noticed a huge jack rabbit jumping through the terrain, so we figured we were off the hook. We walked mainly on the blacktop edge over the lake to keep the dirt away from our faces. We walked about 2 miles over and 2 miles back. The 2 miles back turned out to be a difficult walk as the winds pushed at us in that direction, but we did it! The view of the lake and the mountains was spectacular. We were the only hikers we could see probably due to the high winds, so it was really quiet and serene. We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
Dinner was great. My salmon marinated with T.J's chile sauce, Jan's mixed fruit and foccacio bread, Carrie's Mediterranean vegetables, and my raspberry tart for dessert made it a great meal. Oh yes, great Gewurztraminer wine.
