Joshua Tree Nat’l Park (02-28-12)

The Joshua Tree is to the Mohave Desert what the Saguaro Cactus is to the Sonoran Desert.  That’s what it said on the sign. The Joshua Tree is actually not a tree, its a Yucca plant.  They only grow about an inch a year, and can grow to be over 40 feet tall.  I have seen these trees before, but I never realized they were part of the Mohave Desert System.

Hidden Valley trail

What was most impressive to us, in Joshua Tree National Park, was not the Joshua Trees, although they were plentiful and interesting to see, but the boulder configurations.  Every where we turned there were huge rock formations.

 

We checked in at the Visitor’s Center to get a game plan together for the day. We decided to walk several trails- the first one was the short Hidden Valley Trail, where the boulders were so inviting, it was difficult to resist climbing. Somehow, it feels like a Disneyland for adults, although most of the boulders would require some serious rock climbing experience to climb.



The San Andreas Fault line from Joshua Tree



Driving to the top of one of the several mountain peaks within the park,  our view of Coachella Valley was impressive. The San Andreas Fault, which is over 500 miles long and reaches across the state of California, is clearly visible as a line of raised earth along the center of the picture.  It’s a little spooky to realize that the valley is growing by about two inches a year, due to the action of the Pacific Ocean Crust sliding past the North American Crust.  That action is what causes many of the earthquakes in this area.

Lost Horse Mine

Our second trail was longer, 4.5 miles, to the Lost Horse Mine.  It was named the Lost Horse Mine because a cowboy was looking for his horses that had disappeared overnight while he was camping in the area,  when he came across a sign post marking a gold claim.  He bought the claim and over the years, 10,000 ounces of gold were taken out of this area.  There are actually over 300 mines in Joshua Tree National Park, but very few produced any gold.  What we’ll remember about this trail is the fact that we froze our butts off.  At this elevation the temps were in the mid 40’s and the wind chill was probably in the 30’s because it was pretty windy!



time to turn this sucker around



For our next adventure we decided to stay in the truck.  We headed down a road called Geology Trail Rd., an 18 mile auto drive that shows off some of the unique geologic features of the area.  4 wheel drive is recommended, so off we went down the sandy, one way, unpaved road. Unfortunately, the box with the brochures that explain what we would be seeing, was empty, so we took the tour without the information.  Almost halfway through, we realized the sign should have also said “and if you are a dually, don’t bother!”  The road got so narrow, we definitely added some “Texas pin striping” to the truck.  That’s when the shrubbery intrudes so far into the “road” that it scratches down the side of the truck.  When we found a wide spot in the road, we turned around and carefully made our way back to civilization.

All in all we saw a lot in one day, and will try to extend our stay where we are so we can do some more hiking in Joshua Tree.  After doing a drive by one of the campgrounds and hearing Elaine’s opinion about the National Park campgrounds, we have decided that no matter what they say, we don’t fit in their sites.

Vacation mode (2-26-12)

                                                     

     As I type today’s date in the title,

it reminds me that 22 years ago today,

my daughter was born.

Happy Birthday Jess!

What makes this week more of a vacation mode is the RV park we are staying in.  Well, actually, first of all, we are staying in the Palm Springs area, so it just sounds like a ritzy vacation, right off the bat.  As we travel, we usually try to stay in State parks. Not to save money, because a lot of times, the state parks are actually more money than the commercial parks, but more to support the park systems, so they will be able to stay open, and also because we don’t really need all the amenities the other parks offer.  But this week we are staying in a park with 2 pools, 4 hot tubs, tennis courts etc etc. The water for the hot tubs is taken from a hot spring and continuously moves slowly from one spa to the next, as it cools, so each spa is a different temperature.  They do the same with the pools.  At one end of a pool the water enters and as it cools it is pushed to the other pool, so they are also two different temperatures, and the water is always fresh.

  The weather here has been hot for this time of year, so we took off for the San Jacinto mountains and the small town of Idyllwild. The temperature difference was awesome, making the day perfect for exploring and shopping. Even though there was a lot of snow on the ground, the weather was perfect for a picnic. It wasn’t great for hiking though, so we didn’t get to do any of that.

Idyllwild  seems like a typical mountain chalet town with a lot of places to stay, small shops and restaurants, and an active town center area.

The views from the top gave us a great overview of how the nearby Palm Springs area is nestled among all the surrounding mountain peaks.








Yesterday we headed for the hills again, but this time we took the Palm Springs aerial tram, and we were accompanied by Paul’s brother and sister-in-law, and their friend Chris.  Each tram holds up to 80 people and I was definitely jostling for a good position so I could get some pictures.


The floor of the tram actually rotates so by the time the 10 minute ride to the top was over, I was able to see a full 360 degrees around me.  Pretty cool.
There are two trams that run at the same time, one going up while the other is coming down, so they counter-balance each other.

 

Once we got to the top there was plenty to do.  There are several restaurant options, hiking trails, and sledding opportunities for the kids.  We walked for a bit on one of the trails but mostly they were snowy and icy, so we didn’t go too far.  It’s the first time I’ve ever seen people actually hike with snow shoes.

 

Of course a few snow balls were thrown, but mostly at the trees.

Before saying goodbye, we all went back to the trailer for Enchiladas (and possibly some Margaritas).

Meandering around Arizona (02-20-12)

Well, Sedona was disappointing, but only because the weather was so cold we didn't really see it. Pretty much every morning there was fresh snow on the nearby hills. We spent one day driving over the mountain to visit my aunt and cousin, and passed two snow plows headed in the other direction. There were some icy spots but not too bad at that point. However, by the time our visit was over, we could see the precipitation that had already started again in the higher elevations, so we took the slightly longer way home and avoided it.

We gave up on waiting for the weather to warm up and left earlier than planned. We had plans to meet Elaine and Robert in Quartzsite on Saturday, which gave us two days to kill, so we went to an Escapees park near Wickenburg AZ. It was somewhat warmer there, due to the lower elevation, and we were able to explore the town of Wickenburg.



 We happen to hit it right for their Gold Rush Days, which is like a local county fair. There was a classic car rally, numerous craft booths and carnival rides. The local ice cream parlor had live music, so we listened as we ate. Wickenburg is pretty historic but the admission fee to the local museum was too steep so we took the cheap way out and wandered around looking for the strategically placed mannequins. Each one "tells their story" via an audio box that you push a button to activate.
Saturday we landed in the desert at Quartzsite and waited for our friends to arrive. They found us with no problem, and in no time we were sitting around, catching up on the latest news. It doesn't take too long to set up in the desert, with the wide open spaces you just stop where you want to be, and there is nothing to hook up. We just have to disconnect the truck, which doesn't"t take too long.

Paul has wanted to check out a place called Palm Canyon, that sounded intriguing to him, so the next day we all packed a lunch and took off. These palm trees are in the crevices of the rock and the sun only hits them for a short time during the day. Luckily we happened to be there when it did. In the end, it was a short hike into an interesting canyon, and a pleasant way to kill a day. We also walked around downtown Quartzsite a bit, investigating the venders that are still here. 

After that excitement, we spent the next day relaxing, doing nothing but talking. Elaine and Robert have never been to Quartzsite and wanted to see what it is all about, and actually, sitting around in the middle of the desert socializing all day is a pretty good idea of what people come here for.  Of course there are the vendors and the RV show, but mostly I think people come here for the friends and the camaraderie.  Naturally, we did go to Silly Al’s for pizza, but then we came straight back and got a campfire going.

Paul and I were originally going to head to Joshua Tree National Park with Elaine and Robert, but we made a last minute change.  We are in Desert Hot Springs for a week so I can get some physical therapy.  In the meantime we are getting our mail forwarded so we can get our tax information sent off.