Yes, that would be me! I have finally gone gray, or white or silver...whatever. No, that would not be my teardrop trailer. My friend Cindy Keirsey came down from Washington in her brand new tear drop trailer to go camping with me in Joshua Tree National Park! Way to go, Cindy!
This National Park Service link for Joshua Tree National Park, will give you all the info you need to enjoy your stay in this land unlike any other. Very little vegetation, mostly scrub, Joshua trees, a few piñon pine, some desert trees and yuccas. But its the rocks that are to die for!
The blue sky and white clouds enhance the beauty of the dry landscape. If you do plan on visiting Joshua Tree, try to get a campground reservation at recreation.gov as it has gotten so crowded in recent years. There are several first come, first served campgrounds that do not require reservations, but they get taken very quickly. It's also a good idea to arrive early at the entrance Kiosk, as there can be a long line of cars waiting to get in.
Even people like me who are not experienced rock climbers, go there to climb all over the boulders and enjoy the scenery. My friend Cindy loved it, although she didn't love the 34 degree temperature at night and the cold wind that blew with it.
This isn't exactly the season for flowers in the desert, but we did find this one yucca bloom that looked so pretty. In the spring, lots of wildflowers, cactus flowers and the Joshua Trees all bloom. Makes it quite the place to be!
Cindy on the left, me on the right, out hiking in Hidden Valley. Ive known Cindy since the 80's and have enjoyed our friendship over the years. Together we've hiked at Mt Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park and now Joshua Tree National Park!
Growing up, I didn't really like the desert until 2005 when I started camping in the southwest. So many wonderful places to see like Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Joshua Tree National Park. Camping and hiking in these beautiful places in the southwest has opened my eyes to a whole new world.
One big fat boulder, perched on several other big fat boulders. Wouldn't you have loved to watch that baby fall into place?
Skull Rock, a nice place to hike to. A bit strange, but fun.
On our second night in Joshua Tree National Park, just as the sun was starting to set, we climbed up the rocks behind our campsite in Jumbo Rocks, and looked down on our campsite.
The sunset was spectacular. From our campsite, you could look down from the rocks and watch the sky turn glorious shades of orange, red and yellow. The amphitheater is the structure you can see in the distance.
Every sunset lasts such a short time, so if you don't move quickly you will miss out on God's magnificent handiwork! So amazing.
One lone camper up on the rocks doing the same thing we were doing.
My faithful little orange tent, nestled in the boulders to keep some of the wind out. However I will not lie; I froze my little behind off all through the night. I had on every stitch of clothing, my down sleeping bag, an inflatable ground cover, a hat, gloves, and two extra blankets over me. How I wished for my warm fuzzy slippers my sister Judy had given me. But unfortunately they were at home and I was at Joshua Tree freezing my butt off. Cindy offered to share the warmth of her tear drop trailer but I insisted on toughing it out in the cold. Good night to one and all. May your nights be warmer, and your days filled with joy and adventure. Susan Little.....the camping queen.