We took the Freeways from Bakersfield to Palm Springs where we stocked up on some of our favorite Trader Joe’s items. We decided to cast our lot with the town of Joshua Tree where we found a very cool campground that offered clean facilities and evening astronomy shows accompanied by far out new age music. Our days were filled with hikes in Joshua Tree National Park and Apollo got to stay at a doggie day care. The Park is comprised of two distinct desert environments, the Mojave and the Colorado deserts. Each day gave us a completely new landscape, all very different from anything we had ever experienced before. Our first venture out was through the Hidden Valley with its massive and beautiful rock formations.

 

Or a giant mouth waiting for a bird.

Joanne rests in a bit of shade.

The Joshua Tree, for which the Park is named, flourishes in this arid place.

We hiked to Barker Dam.

Two Cactus Wrens alighted on a branch above.

We then hiked to an abandoned gold processing facility, the Wall Street Mill, that operated until 1960.

 

The next day we took a hike to the Forty Nine Palms Oasis. After hiking through a mountainous and barren portion of the desert we came upon this remarkable site. And indeed there were at least 49 Palm trees clustered there.

On the third day we went to the Black Rock Campground where we picked up the trailhead to the West Loop.

White Mountain in the distance.

Roadtrek in the Desert