Joshua Tree

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Wednesday, May 09, 2012



I have not been writing in my journal. I have really not had the time. I thought this trip would have a lot of down time but Debi and I are up with the sun and eat dinner well after the sun goes down. We both just can not get enough of the magical places we are visiting.

Well to up date: We left Yucca Valley early on Sunday after doing laundry and getting restocked. The campground was only 6 miles from where we were staying. We stayed at Black Rock Canyon campground. Our campsite was perfect, completely isolated and with views of the canyon and desert from every window and opening of the tent trailer. Yes, Joshua Trees National Park does have Joshua trees. They range from thick forests to isolated patches. They are shaped from simple spikes to complex designs. Surprisingly, the park is not about the trees. It is about the rocks and the high desert. All through the park there are massive granite rock formations formed deep in the earth 80 million years ago and now are exposed for us to see. Unlike the granite in the Sierras the processes that created this beauty, fractured the chunks of granite into every shape imaginable and then the slow erosion process had exposed massive piles of stone. Intertwined in rocks is the high desert. Debi and I had to stop every minute or two to examine blooming cactus, yucca and wild flowers. We had only half a day to explore this park and we regretted that we had not allotted more time. We hiked near hidden valley for a few hours and waited for the beautiful sunset. We ate dinner by headlight and lantern. By the way, our meals are getting very simple. We got up early (Debi’s suggestion!) to watch the sun rise over the mountains to the east of us.

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