Moments and Mementos
At the National Parks, I try to get metal tags to attach to my walking sticks. I have two sticks. The tags are mementos of where we have been.
We, also, collect stamps in our National Parks Passport Book, state magnets and keychains. After all, we are a couple of old tourists!
Today’s National Park
We were camped at the Catalina Spa and RV Resort, near Desert Hot Springs, CA. On our second day there, three year ago, on November 9, 2017, we ventured out to see Joshua Tree National Park.
The Joshua Tree is actually a species of the Yucca plant. They are only found in the southwest, primarily in southern California and northern Baja Mexico. The biggest concentration is in the Joshua Tree National Park area.
Uphill from There
Our camp was in the valley of the Whitewater River that flows into the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is the lowest point in the Salton Trough. The water level is 236 feet BELOW sea level!
The drive to the National Park was uphill all the way to the plateau in the hills north of the valley. It was scenic.
We went through the town of Yucca Valley to get to Joshua Tree N. P. That seemed fitting.
Inside the Park
After our stop at the Visitors Center, we started the drive through the Park. The drive was about thirty miles and had some intriguing rock formations and distinctive vegetation to accent the many Joshua Trees.
We made stops at Hidden Valley, Key View, and Jumbo Rocks, to name a few. Many of the rock formations had descriptive names, including Skull Rock.
A Picnic in the Park
We stopped for a picnic lunch at Jumbo Rocks. The setting was very interesting. Our picnic table was by a large rock formation with an opening to walk into. And, the wind was whistling through a big pine tree above our table.
Then, we noticed another sight seer interested in our lunch, a chipmunk. He lived among the rocks but got fat on tourist treats!
We Could See the Sea
After our stop for lunch, we went up to Key View, which was at 5,185 feet above sea level. And, yes, we could see the Salton Sea, about twenty miles from our location.
Named Rocks
As we drove back to the exit, we came across several named rock formations. The most distinctive was Skull Rock.
More Stops on Our Way Home
After exiting the Park, our road was a long decline to the town of Twenty-Nine Palms, which was near a Marine Corps Combat Center.
From there, our drive headed west, back through Yucca Valley and was soon into a long down hill slope for many miles, into the valley where we camped.
At the suggestion of a fellow camper, we stopped at The Windmill Market & Deli, which served Date Shakes. The dates were from Date Palms, grown in nearby Coachella Valley. I liked the shake but Connie was not a fan. The shakes were large. If we had shared one, Connie might have been more satisfied with the taste.
Our Home Base
As we got into the valley, driving on State Hwy. 62, our exit to Desert Hot Springs is about two miles west of town. The drive into town is fairly desolate with few houses.
Desert Hot Springs has nearly 29 thousand residents. We passed through town and headed south for a mile. Then, we turned east about three miles. Our RV park is in an area with several RV resorts.
It was getting dark as we pulled in by the RV. Granted sunset was about 5 p.m. However, we were tired from our adventure and ready for a relaxing evening.
Our Disappointment
We had one disappointment from the day. Somehow, we had misplaced our National Parks Passport Book. Who knows what happened to it?!
Remember, we are old and forget things!
More Days to Venture
We had eight more days left before we would move again. I will have ventures to share in my next post. Until then, safe travels!