TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 & 10

TUESDAY& WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9 & 10:

      Easier traveling days. The New Mexico picturesque pastel landscape gave way to Arizona's sun-baked Sonoran desert,
                                                           

relieved by the ascent into Flagstaff, where the desert yielded at first to scattered Pinyon pines, Junipers, and scrub oaks, and then gradually to full forests of Lodgepole and Ponderosa pines,. We were grateful for the accompanying cooler temperatures, temporary as they were, until we descended back into the desert. Very surprisingly, we ran into scattered rainstorms during Tuesday afternoon, which became more pronounced during the evening. We stayed that night just outside of Kingman AZ at a nice campground and “Horse Hotel,” where you can obviously keep your horses and ride them in the area. Was a nice place, with very nice owners, and we would have enjoyed walking around the grounds that evening, but was sporadically raining, and very windy. We heard it rain off and on all during the night – hard at times. I'm sure the locals were grateful for the rain!

      We realized sometime on Tuesday that we had actually given ourselves an extra day and night to get to Oceanside. So we decided to break up the remaining drive by stopping at Joshua Tree National Park and spending a night there. We took secondary roads from Kingman through quintessential California Mojave Desert terrain – hot and dry and dusty and relatively barren. As we got closer to Twenty-nine Palms, the barren landscape was dotted with many “dwellings” - not more than shacks, really - some of which were obviously lived in, and lots of others abandoned. They reminded me of the “cabin” that our dad built way back in the 50's, along with ones our uncles built, as an “investment.” I believe they paid a pittance for the plots, in a deal similar to homesteading . . . owners were obligated to build a minimal structure. I think that amenities like water, electricity, etc., were promised by the developer. I will ask our cousin Larry where those desert cabins were located . . . I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that they were right there along Highway 62 which we traveled today. I remember going out to the “cabin” at least a couple of times for a weekend . . . at least one time with Uncle Merlin & Aunt Dorothy. The men worked on the cabins, and we kids thought it was great fun – the closest thing to camping we ever did! 

      We arrived in the village of Joshua Tree - just west of Twenty-nine Palms - and our campground around 2:00. The RV park was lovely. It's pretty deserted now, in the hot summer. But I bet that in the winter and spring, this place is really busy! It's lovingly landscaped and well-kept.

 

                                      

 

 

                                     

 

                                       

 

                                                      

 

                                       

And has a wonderful clear tiny lake stocked with fish, with shaded benches where you can sit and enjoy the ducks and the peaceful oasis in the desert.

                                            

 

 

 

       We just turned on the A/C full blast, relaxed, read, and dozed til about 5:00. Then drove into town and ate at a local chain Mexican restaurant – not exactly fast food (ala Taco Bell), but not a real sit-down-and-order place either. Obviously very popular in this area. It was our first meal out so far, and after 3 nights of spaghetti, it tasted good!

       After dinner, we drove into the National Park. Almost immediately, we were surrounded by the Park's namesake – the Joshua Tree (actually, a member of the Yucca family).

 

                                    

 

 

That, and the Park's other icon – its massive boulders. The scenery was incredible in the waning evening light, and the cooler temperatures made for a delightful drive.

           

                                         

 

 

      We drove out to a viewpoint called Keys View (so-named after a pioneering couple named Bill & Frances Key), where, from an elevation of 5,185 feet, you can overlook a stunning expanse of the Coachella valley and more desert (including Palm Springs, on the other side of the valley), and even the San Andreas fault. On a clear day, that is. Which, apparently, is rare any more. Prevailing weather and wind patterns funnel a vast amount of Los Angeles's polluted air right up this valley, where it stays trapped by the surrounding hills and mountains. Disappointing, but still a nice view. Very cool and windy out there on the point! A taste of the desert's extremes. 

 

 

 

                                        

 

 

We'll explore a little more of the Park tomorrow morning, and then only a 3-hour drive to Oceanside.