We passed through a few quirky towns and spotted lots of wildlife before stopping at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument near Palm Springs.
Now, the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a fairly new monument (2000), and what makes it unique is it is comprised of multiple agencies. I think it is impressive how well they all work together to preserve this acreage! And the views were breathtaking!
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The winds were something fierce as we traveled on Highway 111 - an obvious place to construct a Windmill Farm (4000+ windmills!). We were a little nervous about the bike racks in these high winds. We have got to stop jinxing ourselves because not 5 minutes after we said something - BOOM! - both bikes fell with the wind. Luckily we had extra straps on the tires, so the bikes didn't fall completely off the roof. Whew! We were both a little frazzled and frustrated with the situation, and decided to just lay the bikes flat on the roof rather than try to stand them up again. See the results below...
We arrived to Joshua Tree later than we would have liked. We had hoped to find an empty campsite, but no luck. After all, it was a Saturday. After a few minutes of driving through the Rock Canyon Campground, we thought we spotted an empty campsite, but we weren't certain. It turned out the campsite was occupied, but the cute family offered to share their space. We were so appreciative - otherwise, we'd have to drive 2+ hours to the next campground (Joshua Tree is HUGE - 794,000 acres) with the hope there would be space available. We promised to be quiet as mice - but the couple jokingly said "We have 2 toddlers - you can make all the noise you want because the kids will!" We insisted on paying for at least half of the site costs, but they declined it. We woke up early enough to sneak a thank you card with our share of the campsite costs under their windshield wiper. We are grateful for their kindness and wish them happy and safe travels!
Important Information from the Joshual Tree Visitor's Guide states:
When we hear "desert," we often think "hot." That is not always the case however. Temperatures in the park vary widely from season to season. Spring and fall temperatures are most comfortable, with an average high/low of 85 and 50 degrees F respectively. Winter brings cooler days, around 60 degrees F, and freezing nights. It occassionally snows at higher elevations. Summers are hot, over 100 degrees F during the day and not cooling much below 85 degrees F until the early hours of the morning.
And they weren't kidding!
Joshua Tree is a diverse park. The eastern half of the park is below 3,000 feet and is in the Colorado Desert, while the western half is above 3,000 feet and in the Mojave Desert.
We decided to hike - but keep it short and sweet in the heat. We agreed on the 49 Palms Trail (3 miles round trip). Now, you are probably asking the same question I was... "How and why are there palm trees in the middle of the desert?" It's simple, really. Fault lines force water to the Earth's surface providing plenty of water for these palms to flourish. The palms are actually native to the California desert. I know - surprising! And get this... According to the park's visitor's center, there are only 158 desert fan palm oases in North America, and five are located in Joshua Tree National Park.
So what is a Joshua Tree, anyway?
- Scientific Name: Yucca brevifolia
- It is actually a member of the lily family.
- American Indians use the plant for basket weaving, sandal making, and used its flowers for food and medicine.
- Mormons apparently discovered the area and this tree and named it after the biblical figure, Joshua.
After our hike, we headed south on the main road through the park (the name changes from Pinto Basin Road to El Dorado Mine Road). We were in constant awe of the gigantic rock piles.
The park guide describes the evolution in three stages.- Millions of years ago oozing molten from the Earth's core forced the granite rock to punch upwards (sort of like popping a pimple - gross!). These formations are called monzogranite.
- Over time, ground water washed away sediment. The park guide does an excellent job when it describes the second stage - like holding a piece of ice under water and watching the corners of the ice deteriorate first because that is the part most exposed to the water.
- Flash floods completely washed away all protective ground surface - leaving these phenomenal round rocks in bizarre stacks.
And you can't visit Joshua Tree without viewing the adorable Cholla (pronounced choy-ya) Cactus Garden.
But BE CAREFUL! These little cacti are cute and cuddly looking, but are incredibly dangerous.
Fried Liver anyone?
Our next stop - Arizona, finally!
We grabbed a bite to eat, filled Sally's tank, and drove into Phoenix for our first night at the Phoenix hostel. We must admit that we found the Phoenix hostel a little bizarre, but comfortable enough. It was incredibly hot in Arizona, and Sue (the hostel manager lady) didn't turn the air conditioner in the dorm on until 6pm. So on our first day at the hostel, we made a promise not to arrive at the hostel until 8pm - allowing enough time for the dorm room to cool off - and leaving about an hour or two for us to eat, plan for the next day, shower, and get to bed.
Yes, Passmore Gas-N-Go is the actual name of the gas station we stopped at - I promise!
2 comments:
So enjoyed the photos and your commentary. Thank you. Think of you often!
Passmore Gas N Go! haha!
thats really funny!
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