Rode to the Brown property in Hellhole on Sunday

We rode to the brown property on Sunday and met up with some neighbors who were hiking with friends from LA. There is fresh beautiful tagging at the old foundation. There is also a very recent giant oak tree that went down on the trail, but it's easy to get around it.

Hellhole Jambalaya for Two

 I created a new favorite at dinner time. Hellhole Jambalaya for Two -

Serve with jasmine or basmati white rice and port wine (start drinking the port wine in a little glass while you're cooking)

•  7 or 8 jumbo shrimp - trader joe frozen with tails on worked fine 
•  1 ear corn - slice off the kernels 
•  1/2 red or orange bell pepper - diced 
•  1/2 cub shredded red cabbage 2 celery stalks - diced 
• several basil leaves - minced 
• you can add 1/4 cup minced onions, but this household is not fond of onions so I left it out 
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut for flavor: 
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce 
• cayenne pepper 
•  salt 
•  pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow curry 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons water, coconut water or coconut milk

First start your rice in a medium pan and while it's cooking melt butter and coconut oil in another large to medium stir fry pan

Next add all veggies and spices including water but not lemon juice and stir fry for a few minutes until soft and sizzling -

Lay shrimp on top and cover

After a few minutes turn shrimp and cover again after another few minutes

Finally, stir everything together and add lemon juice over the top turn off heat and cover

Serve with a small fresh salad, rice and more port

Cooler Weather

Cooler weather has come at last to Valley Center. The Preserve is open again this month (accept don't forget it's still closed Tuesdays through Thursdays) due to County budget cuts. Our next hike is this Saturday the 19th at 9:00 am. Meet at the staging area parking lot. I just checked the forecast and temperatures will be up again by Saturday, so don't forget your water, a hat and sunblock!

Pine Grove Hike

First I wanted to say that we were riding on Santee Lane last Friday and spotted a Bobcat around 2:00 in the afternoon. He was curious and came towards us and then hid in a sycamore grove. On Saturday we went with 10 neighbors and hiked 3/4 of the way up Mt. Rodriguez. It was fantastic. Here are a couple of pictures. Not good ones, but as soon as I get some better ones, I'll post them. We saw this surveyor's marker, an indian shelter, and lots of stone work by whomever planted the pine trees up there.

Rode the Canyon Today

Sharon Murphy and I headed out early this morning for a ride through the canyon. It was a little humid out but it made for a nice cool ride. Blossom was great going through the water....Savannah was a little reluctant to cross the water, but on the way home she went right through it!!! We tried to find the trail that goes through the Brown property..but of course we got lost :) We then headed back up to the main trail and then we saw a large rattlesnake!!! Since we were in his territory we turned around. The ride up out of the canyon was nice...although I think our horses would prefer that we took up hiking!!

GoodSearch

Friends of Hellhole Canyon just got listed on GoodSearch.com - It's a good way to raise money for your favorite cause. Just start using GoodSearch.com as your search engine and online shopping mall. Every time you search the Internet use GoodSearch and be sure to put Friends of Hellhole Canyon as your designated donee. GoodSearch then makes a donation to Friends of Hellhole Canyon and it's powered by Yahoo! so you get great search results.

Skyhunters

Nancy Conney from Skyhunters came to the Valley Center library and gave a talk to Friends of Hellhole Canyon members and board members. She brought a screech owl, a kestral, and a barn owl that had been wounded and because of various permanent injuries could not be released back into the wild. It was very exciting and informative. Did you know for example that a screech owl doesn't screech? It sounds more like a song bird. The amazing and exotic looking barn owl grows from a tiny baby the size of a thumb to a full grown one pound owl in just thirty days. The kestral has black mustache like markings on the sides of its face to cut down on glare. The same way that a football player puts black under his eyes to help him see the football. Did you know that the large raptors can reach speeds up to 200 miles per hour during a dive? Nancy told us that these raptors need lots of room to hunt and encroachment from development makes it harder and harder for them to thrive.

Details about the Hawk Talk - June Newsletter is Here!

Get Your June Newsletter!
Friends June 28th Program on Birds of Prey
Saturday, 10am at VC Library
Nancy Conney, a member of Sky Hunters, a non-profit group dedicated to informing the public about raptors, birds of prey, and promoting raptor conservation, will be the featured speaker at the Friends June 28th Annual Meeting. All are invited! Nancy is an educator with the San Diego Natural History Museum and Vice President of the California Counsel for Wildlife Rehabilitation. Nancy’s talk will feature a rescued screech owl, a kestral and a barn owl, raptors that cannot be returned to the wild but are used to community education presentations like the one she will be giving to the Friends. Please come to the meeting and learn about these noble birds up close!

Sky Hunters, is an all volunteer organization located in Descanso that rescues and rehabilitates about 300 raptors, hawks and owls a year. Sky Hunters keeps in Descanso about 20 non-releasable raptors. She will be talking about her group and their work, as well as the laws we have in California that protect birds of prey and the behaviors of hawks, owls, falcons and eagles. She will also advise the group about what to do if one of us were to encounter a sick or injured bird needing rescue, and share information about the rehabilitation, lifespan and diets of the birds.

The Friends meeting will begin at 10am on the back viewing patio of the Valley Center Library, Nancy’s talk will begin at 10:30am. For more information about Sky Hunters please visit their website at www.skyhunters.org.The Annual Meeting will also feature Board elections and organization updates. Please come and contribute by your participation to the future of the Friends!

General Meeting

Don't forget the Friends of Hellhole General Meeting is coming up Saturday June 28th at 10:00 am at the Valley Center Library. This meeting should be a lot of fun. It's a "Hawk Talk" See you there! If you want to be updated on what the Friends of Hellhole Canyon are up to, sign up for our Yahoo Group It's very hot today at the Canyon - nearly 100 in the shade. That reminds me, if you are planning on visiting the canyon this summer, do it this month or next because they close the preserve for the month of August due to the heat. Don't forget water, sunscreen and a hat!

First Post

Hi All,
This is a brand new blog for the Friends of Hellhole Canyon. We have a general meeting which includes a "Hawk Talk" coming up on June 28th at the Valley Center Library at 10:00 am. We held our first annual native plant and art sale last Saturday - June 7th and we had a lot of fun. We hope more people can make it to the next one. If you haven't heard of Hellhole Canyon Preserve in Valley Center, CA, please check out our web site at http://www.hellholecanyon.org - The Friends of Hellhole is a great environmental group working to preserve and expand the preserve. Thanks for stopping by and check back often.
Debi McSwain