----The latest Information as of August 25, 2010----

Field Trips Judith Sparhawk eMail Judith

Field Trip Corner

Huntington Library Field Trip

The Huntington Library Field Trip will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010. The Huntington Library has several museums, housed in old and original buildings from the Huntington estate. The gardens surround the museums, and are beautiful places to photograph. There is a great cactus and succulent garden, a Japanese garden, the Chinese Garden, and many other areas specializing in specific flower types, such as the rose garden. There are many statues, ponds and streams throughout the area.

The hours are 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. I wish we could get in earlier, but we can't. We can use tripods in the gardens, not inside the buildings. The entry fees are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors. There is a self-service café with a wide range of hot and cold food items, even hamburgers and hotdogs, sandwiches, salads, etc., at fairly reasonable prices for this type of place.

It is about 55 miles to the Huntington. It is in the Pasadena area (1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 92208 - 626 405-2100 - www.huntington.org). It is easy to find: Go west on the 210 to Pasadena, exit on Allen Rd, go left (south) on Allen, until it deadends into the parking entrance of the Huntington. Parking is free.

Carpoolers should meet at 9:00 am at Coco's in Redlands, planning to leave by 9:15 am. The box office (and restrooms!) are open prior to the 10:30 opening, so we can buy our tickets when we get there, and meet nearby that entrance area before going in. See you there!

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** Update Joshua Tree National Monument-Keys Ranch Trips Update**

The dates have been finalized for the two field trips planned for October to Keys Ranch in Joshua Tree National Monument. The Thursday, October 7th trip is filled, and there is one space left on the Saturday, October 23rd trip.

These trips must be pre-paid to me as Field Trip Chair, as I have already had to pre-pay them on my credit card. So anyone on the list who has not paid, please make it to the next meeting and do so. Let me know if you want to go on the Saturday trip, as the remaining space will fill up soon.

This is a time change: Please note! They are early morning trips. We are required to be at the gate for Keys Ranch at 6:45 am, and our guide will take us in at 7:00. Our shooting time is 7:00 to 9:00, and our twelve participants will be the only ones there, other than the volunteer guide. We can have tripods, which are not allowed on regular Keys Ranch tours.

We will have opportunities to shoot old buildings, farm implements and equipment, old stuff, desert landscapes, and who knows what else. It's a good time to use wide angle and close up lenses, depending on what you like to shoot. It should be a fun trip, and since we are done by 9:00, there's still time to shoot in the rest of Joshua Tree.

We should carpool as much as possible, as there's only so much space to park at the gate. Also, we have to pay entrance fees of $15 per car, for those not having an annual pass or Golden Access Pass (for us old codgers). I will be in contact with the groups about working out carpooling.

It is about 80 miles from Redlands to the Keys Ranch gate. When I did a dry run for time and mileage, it took about 1.5 hours. Early morning may be faster, but I would allow a little time, just in case. Carpoolers should plan to meet at 4:45 am (yikes!) at the latest, to leave by 5:00 at the latest. Coco's has been a good meet-up spot in the past.

Directions: Go east on I-10 to Hwy 62, going north toward Joshua Tree and 29 Palms. Continue on 62 into the town of Joshua Tree, and turn right on Park Street, following the signs to JTNM. Continue on Park, passing the entrance kiosk (paying if they are open), and stay on the same road, past Hidden Valley Campground, to a fork in the road. Go left toward Keys Ranch, following the signs. There is a locked gate with parking. We will be met there by our guide. Be there by 6:45! Once our guide takes us in, if you aren't there, you can't go in on your own.

Field Trip Chairman


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