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Published: July 11th 2009
Beware of Deadly Cactus
We would have been afraid if it wasn't the Teddy Bear variety. Couldn't it be called something a little scarier like Widow Maker Cactus.Today we had a relaxing day at the Joshua Tree National Park. The park is located in southeastern California. A large part of the park is designated to wilderness area; some 2,367 km². Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. Below 3,000 feet the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the southwest edge of the park. Its not that far from LA so we won’t have to rush to return the car by midday, all part of the plan.
We entered the park from the southern entrance and proceeded to drive north through the park. Our first stop was of course the visitor centre to collect our last cloth badge and park map. From there we stopped at the Endla Cactus Garden. It was filled with very dangerous cacti mostly of the Teddy Bear variety.
We then crossed from the Colorado Desert to the Mojave Desert, its an ecological melting pot where two great deserts blend together in a vibrant landscape, featuring plants and animals representative of both.
We then stopped at two campsites, White Tank and Belle, and had a look around. At both sites there were people rock climbing and boulder jumping, there were also people camping and having fun over the weekend.
The next stop was Key’s View, it has an elevation of 5,185 feet and you can see the expanse of the valley and mountains and desert. We could see the San Andreas Fault; it is a continental transform fault that runs a length of roughly 1,300 km through California. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate as well as Palm Springs. On a clear day they say you can see the Mexican/USA border but unfortunately it was a foggy day.
Time was getting on and we decided to head straight to Barker’s Dam. Barker's Dam, also known as the Big Horn Dam, is a water-storage facility located in Joshua Tree National Park in California. The dam was constructed by early cattlemen, including C.O. Barker in 1900. It was raised in 1949 by rancher William F. Keys. It is situated between Queen Valley and the Wonderland of Rocks near the Wall Street Mill. It is
a gathering place for desert wildlife, including many species of birds and Desert Bighorn Sheep. From there we headed to the Hidden Valley which is a rock-enclosed valley rumored to have been used by cattle rustlers.
We left Joshua Tree in the late afternoon. Since we had to return the car tomorrow and we were going back to carrying our packs, it was time to repack, reorganise and work out how to fit the cowboy boots in! Since we had been basically living in the car for five weeks it took some time; there was stuff everywhere throughout our little red Pontiac. It had been a great car and we were very glad to say it survived well over the 10,000 miles we did in it.
We're not too sure what Los Angeles will bring, what adventure awaits us.
Til next time.
Love Michelle and Stephen.
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