An outing with friends, wind, and a critter...

Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


I slept well last night even though the wind was still pretty strong, and I even slept through sunrise. I can tell you it didn’t bother me too much as I’m tired of listening  to the wind howl and I could hear it so I knew it would be cold outside anyway. It was after 7 when I got up, Miss Riley was already heating the water for our drinks. It’s very rare that Riley’s up before I am. 

Walking the slot canyon again, Sonya, Riley and Joshua..

We enjoyed our drinks, chatting, reading and just kind of getting ready to start the day. It doesn’t take us long to get up and moving when we decide to do it. So heading toward 9 am we started collecting ourselves and getting ready to head out with Sonya, Joshua and Jack (the dog) for a repeat of the slot canyon we found. The wind was blowing hard enough to make it difficult to keep the door in hand while exiting the Igloo and one had to be most careful with the Dogsled doors as they are pretty heavy and could easily hurt you if they were caught by the wind.

I love the high walls here....

 

 We were a bit early and I had a few things to check anyway. We have a rodent in the cubbie and I set two traps, he or she cleaned them both without getting caught. One is an old type with the bar you put in the slot, and one is a new type that allows the bar to snap down quickly when they move the little door to the food tray. I also have some pellets out as well. I reset the traps and if that doesn’t work tomorrow I’ll put out a glue trap and try that. I’m sure it’s due to the storage of our garbage in there over night a few nights ago. I didn’t want to keep it inside and should have put in the box of the truck but well, it doesn’t matter now. 

The canyon is a bit wider here....

We packed our hiking bag and Riley put her brand new very nice walking sticks together and tried them out. Thanks again Aunt Janet and Uncle Dennis. They work great and Riley loves them. I can see many more hikes in her future now that she has such fancy sticks.

Heading back to the Dogsled...

Pretty soon Sonya, Joshua, and Jack appeared, since we hadn’t met Joshua before we took care of that little chore, then we climbed into the Dogsled and headed out to Box Canyon Road to our slot canyon trail. They hadn’t been through Box Canyon Road yet so we opted to take a drive out and have a peek at the Salton Sea. A very nice drive indeed. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of that drive. Turning around we headed back to our walking area. We found it again without too much difficulty and we were the only one there again.  We took turns leading and bringing up the rear. It was a nice leisurely walk but we were very aware of the glass shards every where and Jack’s unprotected feet. He however was very adept at picking his way around them. Although he did from time to time come up with a sticker of some kind in his paw. He would pull it out pretty quickly and be happy to continue onward. Jack is pushing 9 years old but did very well on this little excursion.

L to R: Deb, Riley, Joshua, Sonya.

It was the perfect temperature for walking in the canyon, and we had very little wind once inside. We chattered and walked getting to know each other a bit better and the talk flowed easily. A couple of rests along the way allowed us all the opportunity to take in the amazing sights.  The slot canyon was just as fun for us this time as it was the last time. Near the end of the skinny slot there is a tight spot that caught Sonya a bit off guard, stopped everything for a minute or two however once through the narrow tunnel she was fine. Jack reacted when Sonya reacted but it all worked out fine. We walked a little further than Riley & I walked the other day but not much. 

See the dust or haze in the air?

The walls of the slot canyon fascinate me as lower down they are as smooth and hard as can be,  but further up are a bit crumbly to the touch. They tower majestically over head and almost demand attention but yet silently applaud us for passing by without disturbing them. They wind and twist further into the area and while I would love follow the path to it’s end, I doubt I will do so. The slot canyon area is not very long, it widens out a bit but as far as we journeyed it didn’t widen out like the other canyon path. It was still single file walking with sloped sides and gravel bottom, no large boulders that I could see at least. No evidence of people other than their footsteps in the sandy bottom. The wider area allowed more sun and heat, with just the hint of a breeze but not the wild winds of the open areas.

I love the way the sun is shining through the cactus spines...

We eventually turned around and headed back toward the Dogsled once again taking our time and enjoying the adventure. This time passing through the skinny spot was no issue, Joshua lead the way out with Riley a close second bringing Jack along with her, Sonya next and yours truly bringing up the rear. We had to ensure that Joshua didn’t get too far ahead of us so that when we came out of the slot canyon he didn’t turn the wrong way. Joshua travels with his mother, for much the same kind of reasons that Riley travels with me. 

Desert weeds in the setting sun's rays...

We reached the Dogsled with no issues, resting a bit and posing for a group photo. Sonya was interested in the holes/footsteps in the huge rocks she had noticed upon our arrival and I offered to take her just around the corner to the beginning of the dead end canyon we had tried first when we walked here before. Sonya, Joshua and I headed the few yards around the corner only to be brought up short by a car parked sideways at the mouth of the canyon. In the center of the opening a tent, a chair and some people effectively cut off the entrance. I explained that we just wanted to look around the corner at the big rock and the fella waved us on saying it was fine. Joshua turned back and returned to the Dogsled. This gent in the canyon mouth had a long gun across his lap. Two little girls with their heads sticking out of the tent giggled and he spoke to someone around behind the rock. At first I was hesitant but he assured us it was fine. We stepped around the corner, disturbing a young boy and his mother as nature called them. We quickly took our pictures and headed out, again apologizing for interrupting and thanking them for letting us have a look. The fellow was very gracious in saying it had been no issue, not a problem, etc. He was very non threatening and neither Sonya nor I at any time felt unsafe. Once back at the Dogsled I heard the gun going off, and I think he was target practicing. 

This well lighted dune buggy was heading down the roadway tonight...

Now that I think about what I actually seen, they weren’t set up for camping.  They weren’t there when we left the Dogsled on the way in. There was no evidence of ‘settling’ or setting up camp such as bbq, toys, tables, lawn chairs and such stuff. As I passed by the tent I remember just the little girls, no bedding or other things, just the empty floor. No coolers, or evidence of anything except a quick place to allow the children to get out of the sun, wind and have a place to play. I’m certain now that he blocked the canyon so no one could get hurt while he was target practicing.

Gamble Quails feeding...

We arrived home within 15 minutes, parting company with Sonya, Joshua and Jack for the day but we will meet up again in the morning for another little outing. We’re looking forward to it! Sonya and son Joshua will be leaving this area shortly heading off to met up with friends again from the Quartzsite area at a destination further south and at a lower elevation.

As you can see the rigs are plentiful here tonight...

Back home it was noon and an early hour for us to eat but we were both hungry. Riley cleaned up the left over stir fry and I made myself a large salad and finished off with a fresh grapefruit. So now the fridge is empty of left overs, yeah. After that we both kind of just fell down on to our beds and the afternoon rushed by while we relaxed with deep breathing exercises. Okay we may have checked out the inside of the eyelids as well but I’m happy to report that no holes were found in any eyelids and the deep breathing exercise was a success. We feel more rested now!!

Allen's orange Jeep no longer has the flu and appears to be roadworthy once again...

It was shortly after 4 pm before we finished all of that checking. I immediately took the camera and headed out for a walk, determined to catch the sunset and get a bit of exercise as well. I managed to put in around a mile in each direction before dark. I snapped pictures here and there along the route and enjoyed my time alone. I didn’t enjoy the wind though but it seems to have died down a bit and hopefully will do so for a while. 

The desert looking southeast.....

Back home I edited pictures, and worked on this post. Riley is off doing whatever she does in her end of the Igloo. It’s pretty quiet, only the click, click of the keys on her computer. Of course now that the wind has died down there is only the tick tock of the clock and the click, click of my computer keys as well. It’s truly quiet for a little while. How wonderful is that?(As I get ready to post this the wind has again picked up, the Igloo is rocking, the wind is whistling once again)

Looks like something has taken a few bites out of this cactus....

So there you have it, nothing exciting but a fun, entertaining day for us. Spending time with some new friends and once again visiting a place that we enjoy. It was a great day for us and we hope tomorrow will be as well.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your time here. Please feel free to leave a comment, I enjoy reading them.

 

The moon made an appearance this evening...

Until next time… take care, be safe, 

Good night from Joshua Tree National Park BLM.

Deb

 

Another great day with Janet, folks from Saddle Mountain, great gardens....

Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


An excellent sleep last night. Even after my nap late in the afternoon I was able to drop off to sleep very easily just shortly after 10 pm. I stirred once and when I looked at the time it was 6:15 am. Time to get up anyway. Out the door within a few minutes I caught a very nice sunrise this morning. I chatted with my sister Jan this morning for a bit, catching up on all the gossip. We'll be happy to see her again when we finally make it home to our summer location.

Sunrise this morning at Joshua Tree National Park....

Back inside for hot drinks and a quick light breakfast we loaded up the Dogsled with a change of clothes from heavier stuff to lighter stuff as it’s usually warmer in Indian Wells than it is out here in our little neighbourhood. That proved to be the case, in fact it was 10 Fahrenheit degrees warmer there when we arrived. We were sitting at 54F/ 12 C and they were resting comfortably at 64/17C at 10 am. They also had no wind compared to our very windy conditions.

It's up and starting work, it had a lot of work to do today here with the windy conditions....

As we were getting ready to head out Riley asked if I remembered Sonya and her son Josh along with dog Jack from Saddle Mountain, Arizona. Of course I did. She said she was pretty sure it was them in the Camper Van a few spots over. It’s been here for a number of days now. I didn’t think so, and we debated since I was certain it was a man and his dog, that’s all I’d seen around there, but she insisted it was them. She was certain she’d seen the lady outside. So with a closer look at the van I agreed it  very well could be and in fact I was convinced by that time. 

Riley and Aunt Janet at Sunnylands garden....

I was outside tossing a few things into the Dogsled, when I looked up sure enough it was Sonya outside doing a few things. I walked over and we chatted for a few minutes. Since we didn’t have a lot of time it was a short chat but we’ve made a few plans for tomorrow. Riley & I are looking forward to spending a bit of time with Sonya & Josh.

Beautiful infinity/reflecting pond, various cacti, and the famous president bench in the back right corner...

We climbed into the Dogsled heading off to see Janet again for the day. It was very windy but as we started to drop into the Coachella Valley the wind lessened greatly. In fact there was very little wind at all. We found our way once again, using different directions that we remembered from leaving last week, much less ‘city’ traffic. 

Beautiful gardens with multiple plantings of each variety, some mixed beds as well.

We arrived exactly at 10 am. How perfect was that timing? We sat inside enjoying our coffee while Riley opened her birthday gift. A very nice set of Walking Sticks with changeable feet for different terrain. We then discussed the rest of the day.

Mixed varieties of cacti in this garden....

We once again let Janet be the driver as she knew where to go and I was once again blessed with being able to gawk and stare around. We went to an amazing garden called Sunnylands. Long story short, the grounds are stunning with cacti gardens, green space, infinity ponds and a small art/museum center in a very large glass encased building. The various cacti were planted in waves, with some beds containing only one variety and other beds a mix of varieties but always more than a single plant of each kind. You’ll see by the pictures.

This little hummer and a bee on the same plant, but different buds...

From there we headed off for lunch at Tylers, a very famous burger joint in Palm Springs. It’s a very small place with a number of tables and the only inside seating is at the ‘bar’ area which is very small with only about 10 stools. Not fancy stools either, but inexpensive looking yellow four legged stools, no backs. A very small kitchen area no more than 15 X 6 open to viewing by anyone at the bar, plus about 20 tables outside. Very busy, you sign your name and wait for a table. The food was excellent and very well priced. We each had a burger, we shared cole slaw and fries, Riley & I had a strawberry milkshake as well, plus Janet surprised us with an Ice Cream Sunday complete with a candle for Riley’s birthday. It was a very nice lunch and we truly enjoyed it. Thanks very much Janet & Dennis. 

Moroccan cactus, aren't they cute?

From there we walked around the area known as Walk of Fame where famous folks have their own star on the sidewalk. Very cute little stores dotted the sidewalks, with some very southwestern flavour showing. Clay tile roof, adobe buildings, bougainvillea’s every where, in full bloom with their amazing red/pink flowers. Some places had covered sidewalks, cobble stone streets and cacti in various places. Palms of course lined the streets everywhere, well trimmed, with numerous flowers blooming everywhere you look. It was an amazing sight. We wandered around a small museum in the area, it showed the early times in Palm Springs, the many movie stars and big name entertainers that graced the area with their presence back in the day. Some faces included of course Bob Hope, Desi and Lucy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Dinah Shore, Rock Hudson, Elvis Presley, etc. Also were numerous pictures of presidents Eisenhower, Regan, Clinton, both Bushes, Kennedy, Obama, and probably a few I’ve forgotten. 

I love this knobby looking cactus..

From the little museum we moved to the little General Store where  the exhibits were collected by one single man. Many were still in original UNOPENED packages. Popcorn in the popcorn maker from 1950, pickles in a crock that were 80 years old, and so on. It was an interesting collection to say the least. The lady also had a small 9 week old dog. Very cute and cuddly.

Bougainvillea plants are in bloom everywhere we looked..

From there we headed back to the car, heading home we passed Bob Hope’s Palm Springs home way up on the hill. We also passed numerous sights that are too many mention. 

Bob Hope's Palm Springs house, high on the mountain.

Back at the house we enjoyed a few minutes chatting with Dennis and heard about his golf day. Always nice to chat with Dennis, he has some interesting stories to tell. The sun was down behind the huge rock wall behind them and it was time for us to head out. Hugs, and well wishes with tentative plans to perhaps see Janet in a couple of weeks when she’ll come visit us in the desert. I hope those plans work out, it’ll be such fun to be host next time. After picking some fresh grapefruit from their tree,  Riley & I headed for the Igloo at 4 pm.

Looking North in Palm Springs....

Looking south in Palm Springs....

We headed straight home arriving just about 4:30 pm. We unloaded the Dogsled and spent a bit of time doing a few little things. Grabbing the camera I once again headed outside to catch the sunset. It was a pretty nice one!! 

Riley and Aunt Janet picking fresh pink grapefruit just outside the front door...

Back inside to edit pictures, and write my post. It’s now shortly after 7 pm. We have had a fantastic day with Janet. Truly a wonderful lady, we love her dearly. Thanks for the birthday gift, wishes and lunch!!!!

Nine very fresh grapefruit...

It’s been a long day and we’re both going to sleep well tonight. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit, feel free to leave a comment, always interesting to hear what you have to say. We hope where you are and whatever you’ve been doing that your day has been a good one as well.

The sun has finished working for another day.....

Until next time….. take care, be safe, 

The reds in the sky are stunning....

Deb

Teddy Bear Cactus, Joshua Trees, and Twentynine Palms.....

Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


A lazy morning for me, I didn’t get out of bed until just before 7 am, I was outside in time to catch 3 sunrise pictures. I was tired last night and slept very well. It was cool this morning but not as cool as it has recently been, I managed with just my fleece sweater this morning and not my heavy jacket. We’re at between 1700 - 1900 feet above sea level. So it’s a bit cooler due to elevation. 

Sunrise this morning...

Riley and I enjoyed our morning drinks, discussing our plans and getting ready to head out. Today is a tour day and we are planning to tour Joshua Tree National Park and head over to Twentynine Palms on the other side of the park, which is about 40 miles away. We once again had all things necessary just in case we wanted to hike a trail or two.

Skid marks in the sky, it was black, I've never seen that before...

We were in the Dogsled by shortly after 9 am, but returned about 9:05 am because we’d forgotten the camera. Now I ask you  how is that possible, we’re going sight seeing? Oh well, it happens to the best of us. Back on the road we enjoyed the short drive to the Ranger station at the first campground, Cottonwood Springs. We slipped inside as the Rangers are now back to work, we paid our fee, $25 for 5 days use of the park, grabbed some literature, asked a few questions finding out that it is a $5 fee to use the dump station in the park.

The sun is up.....

Back on the road we headed northerly and enjoyed the sights of the park. Various rock types  all side by side, looking out of place but being naturally there. It’s odd to see. Flat split rocks,  huge boulders, solid rock faces, gravelly looking mountains, and so on. Amazing sights with various exhibit areas that are placards giving information about what you’re seeing, the plant and animal life, and some history. The park road is single lane traffic each way with pull offs  every so often, some paved, some not, also various trails and sights along the way are marked and parking lots are provided. 

The road winding along the valley floor.....

From home we had climbed upwards for a while only to fall down again into the valley floor. It’s vast and gently sloped in many areas, but not what I would consider to be flat, always a gentle slope as you can see in the distance when you look ahead. The road winds across the valley floor in a meandering serpentine thread going through numerous named washes such as Smoke Tree Wash, Porcupine Wash, etc. The vegetation on the valley floor is pretty consistent and nothing overly large grows there although some of the Smoke Trees would be considered pretty large bushes. Small Joshua trees are evident here and there, various forms of low growing bushes, such as sage, mesquite, etc dot the views. A few Teddy Bear Cactus are also evident but not overly abundant. 

A Joshua Tree....oddest things aren't they?

From the valley floor you once again begin to climb and the strangest thing occurs. Quite literally you drive into an area that is COVERED with Teddy Bear Cactus, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, they are on both sides of the parkway, tall, short, medium heights with the light green fuzzy looking tops and the long brown stalks below. There is a parking lot with at least 18 spots and it was almost full both times we passed by. On our way home we stopped in to have a look. There is a 1/4 mile loop that allows you to walk through some of these cacti, but warns of bees in the area , with a first aid kit chained to the fence  I’m certain it contains a few syringes full of medical marvel for bee stings in case of an allergic reaction. The funny thing is that as soon as you leave the Teddy Bear Cactus Garden and go around a huge rock formation, you no longer see ANY for a while, then slowly you see one or two off in the distance but nothing out of the ordinary. It is simply stunning to see this amazing carpet of Teddy Bear Cactus for such a short distance. 

I just love these boulders. Immature Joshua Trees in the right front, they look like Yucca's.

From the Cactus Garden you continue to climb again and this time the elevation reaches just over 4400 feet above sea level. Here the world changes. A few camp grounds dot the upper reaches as well as numerous types of huge rocks, with names like Jumbo Rocks, Skull Rock, White Tank Rock, Twin Tanks all having hiking trails or campgrounds with areas for parking. Here also you begin to see mature Joshua Trees, they are the strangest trees and literally take over the vegetation scene and can be seen every where. The road continues to wind around showing off mountains, behind more mountains, behind more mountains. The view is awesome. 

Snow capped mountains in the background and Joshua Trees in the foreground.

We opted to check out Hidden Valley, where legend seems to loom that the valley was used for grazing rustled cattle until the heat died down. The valley is surrounded by huge rocks, boulders, split rock walls, with a trail that winds, twists and turns in a circle with the valley as part of the trail. It’s very busy and the trails aren’t wide in some places so waiting for others to move along the trail is often necessary. The loop is a mile long and we managed it with little difficulty. We did take our sticks but Riley used her only a couple of times while I didn’t use mine at all. Back at the Dogsled we headed off to Twentynine Palms. 

Look at all of those Joshua Trees

The roadway starts to fall long before you reach the north gate Ranger Station on Utah Trail. You can see the town of Twentynine Palms for a vey long way spreading out in the valley below you. When we reached Twentynine Palms the elevation was reading 1850 feet at one point. So you know it’s a long way down from the top. 

Here they line the roadway in the park...

We found a Popa John’s pizza which we had for lunch. We also wanted to find a mailbox but no matter where we looked could not find a post office nor a mail box, but we did find a mail carrier and the nice lady took our post cards for us. From there we started back home. The GPS was not our friend today, she wanted us to go AROUND the park instead of through the park. She sent us off to the west. I told Riley we were going the wrong way and finally turned around and found the way myself. I’m not sure what’s up with that but it’s truly annoying. 

It was really windy here as you can see by my hair but you can see we are having a great time.

We were back to the Igloo by 2:30 pm and basically just relaxed from then. I even managed a little nap on the couch around 5 pm. I was just tuckered right out. The temps in the truck I noticed at one point was reading 63F/17 C but the wind made it much colder than that. The wind is always a factor here as it seems to blow pretty much every day. Today one needed a heavy sweater or jacket to be outside. Tonight the wind is still blowing quite strongly. 

Hidden Valley

Riley made herself some dinner as I wasn’t hungry but it smelled wonderful. I will admit I didn’t get the sunset tonight as I was napping but the sky afterward looked pretty special with lots of reds in it. Sorry I missed it but well, it couldn’t be helped. Napping was more important. 

We climbed along this trail to reach Hidden Valley

So there you have it, our day in the park. We managed to hike about a mile and a quarter today which was more than enough. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the park, along with the immersion into Twentynine Palms. A few of the trails we passed have beckoned me to come for a closer look and at some point I may just do that, or perhaps next year when we’re back in the area we’ll have a go at them then. One never knows. 

Entering or leaving the trail for Hidden Valley. This view is overlooking the parking lot in the front of the picture.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Please feel free to leave a comment, I look forward to reading them and hearing your thoughts. 

The Cactus Garden, see how they line both sides of the road way?

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

Look at all those cacti, this is just a very few....

A bit closer up, see them all? Just a few in this picture too.

The Cacti are starting to bloom....

Deb