B and I took advantage of the weekend and the cool winter weather and headed northeast to Joshua Tree. We were fortunate that the unusual snow storm that dropped 12 inches did not affect our travel plans. By the beginning of the weekend, all of the roads in the park were reopened. It was the perfect way to my nearly week-old car to take the 3-hour drive.
The weather was sunny but cool in the low 60s. The joshua trees seemed to be lined up in perfect rows, almost as if they were cultivated. We took some easy hikes around Hidden Valley where we saw some other interesting vegetation and weekend warriors climbing the huge boulders.
We drove in a little further to Jumbo Rocks, clusters of giant rocks perfect for climbing and scrambling. We took the hike, after looking at the ambiguous map, to Skull Rock. We were not at al impressed, but the nature rail loop was nice.
Our final hike was to the 49 Lost Palms Oasis. Palm trees and water after hiking through the dry and arid environment is something that you see in cartoons, but the cracks in the earth that allow water release is real. The oasis was small, but I think that it was well worth seeing something since there aren’t too many around here as far as I know.
A highlight was driving out of the park as the sun set. Serene, quiet, like being in another world….
We stayed with our friend who relocated to Rancho Mirage a few years ago. He lives in a beautiful townhouse with a golf course for a backyard. He drove us around the beautiful and over-the-top neighborhood before bringing us to Woody’s for DELICIOUS burgers! The front of the restaurant was a simple burger joint with just a counter running along the kitchen. Behind the counters, a jazz quartet was setting up for their first set. The band was great, playing classics like Take 5 and Cantaloop as well as others that I didn’t recognize. My music minor came in handy when our conversation moved toward blues influence in rock and opera, all over my Western burger-Angus burger topped with coleslaw, onion ring and BBQ sauce 🙂
After a day of driving, hiking and seeing sights, we were looking forward to a hot shower and the wonderfully comfy bed. We slept for a solid 10 hours! What a great weekend!
Nesting On A Hill 