Nov 15, 2023 – Parker, AZ
We needed to make some important phone calls do some work online and shop for food for the next few days. While Buckskin Mountain SP claimed to have WiFi, and it did, the connection was spotty and very slow. The nearby town of Parker had shopping, a public library with WiFi and good cell coverage so we ended up spending much of the day there.
The library was very nice and accommodating and we made the necessary online transactions and Bill downloaded photos for our website that we’d taken over the past several days. Lunch was at a small Mexican place and we split our grocery shopping between a WalMart and a Safeway. We filled our gas tank for the last time in Arizona before crossing into California the next day with its over four dollar per gallon fuel prices.
By the time we returned to the campground evening was fast approaching so supper and an evening of reading finished our day.
Nov 16, 2023 – Parker, AZ to Joshua Tree NP, CA
On our way out of Buckskin Mtn Campground we stopped to visit a cactus garden planted near the entrance. It was lovely and most of the myriad of cacti represented were labeled. We’ll only ever be able to distinguish and name a few but we took some pictures anyway.
We emptied our waste water and filled our fresh water tank at the campground before departing because we’d be dry camping in Joshua NP for the next couple of days. Then, returning to Parker, we crossed into California and drove the couple of hours to our destination.
The drive was on the usual long, straight desert roads. We did note how abruptly the mountains in this area rose from the surrounding desert. There were no foothills. Flat desert would suddenly turn to steep mountainsides.
Arriving at Joshua Tree NP, we faced a possible problem. The park has eight campgrounds. Five of them take reservations but those were all fully booked. The others are first come, first served. We stopped at the main visitor center but they had no way of knowing how full those campgrounds were. They suggested that they would all fill up during the day because it was a weekend and that the most popular one was almost certainly already full. We set off for Belle Campground where there were still a few sites remaining. We claimed a nice one by setting out our folding table and chairs.
There are two main features that distinguish this park. One is its namesake plant, the Joshua tree, which looks like a tree but isn’t really a tree. It is actually very closely related to the yucca plant. The other feature is the many large groupings of beautiful, softly rounded rock formations that are distributed all over the park.
After marking our campsite we drove off for a short hike on the Arch Rock trail. Most of the hike was across Joshua dotted desert leading to a very large rounded rock formation. The main destination of the trail was a natural arch formed in one of the rocks. These rocks are not sculpted by erosion but rather by water that leaches out and fills small cracks that later freeze and split off small rock fragments. It’s a slow process but produces eye pleasing results. The other main feature on the trail was a distinctively heart shaped rock.
Returning to WAWA we drove to a place called Cap Rock where a ranger would lead a short walk to explain something about the geology and plant life in the park. It was a good talk. Probably the most fascinating thing was how the Joshua trees reproduce through a symbiotic relationship with a single kind of moth.
Dusk was already upon us when we returned to our campsite so that pretty much ended our touring for the day and we settled in for the evening.
Nov 17, 2023 – Joshua Tree NP, CA
We visited Joshua Tree NP twentyish years ago on our Tin Tent Tour. Today was a chance to visit some of the places in the park that we missed during that first visit. An so we stopped and walked a number of the short trails including Skull Rock, Face Rock, Hall of Horrors, Hidden Valley and Hemmingway.
Except for Skull Rock, which features a skull shaped bolder and Face Rock where one formation looks like a face in profile, the names of these places may seem odd. That’s because they are named for prominent routes that rock climbers have identified. In fact, there are more than 5,000 documented climbing routes in this park with more being identified every year. It rarely snows here and the park is open year round so climbers come from all over the world to climb here, especially in the winter when it’s not too hot. We saw several climbing groups on this Friday and there will probably be lots more come the weekend.
Our short walks were interesting, not only for their named features but for the all the nooks and crannies and slot-like passages we could explore along the way. And, because the surfaces of the smooth-looking boulders are actually very dry and rough they provide sure footing for climbing. Just don’t fall or you’ll not only bruise but you’ll tear up your skin!
The light-colored boulders we scrambled among were formed underground. Millions of years ago they intruded up and into the dark-colored rock that make up the surrounding mountains. Over time the dark colored rock was eroded away. The remaining light-colored rock then crack and eroded into the rounded shapes we see today. You can easily see areas where the erosion of the dark rock is still underway with rounded boulders emerging from dark mountains.
We stopped for lunch at a picnic area at Hidden Rocks and glimpsed into the Jumbo Rocks Campground where we’d stayed years before. Even though Belle Campground is among rocks it doesn’t compare to Jumbo Rocks for feeling hidden away among the huge boulders.
We returned to WAWA mid afternoon. The only amenities in this park are pit toilets; no showers, electricity or water. We showered in the camper and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around. It was sunny and beautiful but getting cool. The light breezes were chilling so we moved inside for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 18, 2023 – Joshua Tree NP to Palm Desert, CA
Today we returned to busy roads and large population centers, what some would call “civilization”. But first we got to see some of the southern end of Joshua Tree NP. The park is split between two deserts. The northern, higher altitude part where we stayed and toured is in the Mojave Desert. Leaving the park we drove south and through the lower Colorado Desert, part of the park. The differences in the ecosystems we passed through are dramatic.
The Mojave is a bit cooler and receives 3-5 inches of rainfall annually. The Colorado is lower, hotter and receives even less rainfall. As we began our drive we no longer saw any Joshua trees. The most dramatic change was the sudden appearance of Teddy Bear Cholla that are the overwhelmingly prevalent plant. They actually name the area the Cholla Garden and established a path through a section of this natural “garden” of cactus.
Within another mile or so that cactus variety mostly disappears and are replaced by other plants such as ocotillo, smoketree, and numerous other varieties of cholla types of cactus. It was an interesting drive!
Just outside of the park we dropped onto I-10 and headed west toward Palm Desert and the Emerald Desert RV Resort where we will spend the next three nights
Checking in at this gated, commercial RV park was pretty much like checking in at a nice hotel with a fancy lobby and reservation clerk. The sites are all level concrete with full hookups. There are lots of palm trees, a gym, multiple pools and pickleball courts. Unfortunately, the park is relatively empty and no one seems to be actually playing pickleball. Sigh …
But, behind our site was a group of people who all belong to a local camping club. They were talkative and gave us some ideas of things to do. We also spoke with some nice campers on either side of us. Both couples were from the Vancouver area but only met at this campground.