2021 Joshua Tree

Memorial Day Weekend 2021

On Saturday, we were on the road by 7:30 am and in the park about 9:45. Most of the ride was gray and cool. A roadside thermometer read 65 degrees in Riverside. In Joshua Tree town it was 87 degrees with bright blue skies. We drove to  Barker Dam, parked and walked the dirt road toward Wall Street Mill for a half mile or so, then doubled back. It's hard because dogs aren't allowed off trail. It's still nice driving through; the vistas are extraordinary. 

We arrived at Johnno's around 11:30. I set up camp, managed to get stuck trying to level out my van. So I made lunch. John arrived not much later. I helped him unpack and then we set up some shade sails in his Zen garden, an enclosed, circular space attached to his house. In the middle is a great wooden tub. I also assembled an Adirondack chair. After an hour or so, the sun and heat and gotten to us. The others started arriving. First Eliot and his wife Liza. Then Heidi and Louie and their Great Dane Abbey who is 8. Finally Jen and their dogs Indie and Nala. Cam was is in heaven.  We sat in whatever shade we could find, chatted, and waited for the sun to go down, the heat to dissipate. 

After dinner, we jumped in cars to return to Wonder Valley Hot Springs. On our way there, John and I drove, taking the dirt roads that paralleled the main road. Headlights snuck up behind us and then the red an blue flashes of the police. Luckily they just passed us. When we arrive a bit late, a guy was waiting for us. This time we paid the extra money to star gaze. We also had an area with a 12 foot metal tub, a stone tub, and a lap pool. As he went over the instructions, we could clearly see the Starlink satellites pass overhead. Fortunately the guy knew what they were and told us. Otherwise I would have surely thought we were getting attacked my aliens. The night sky was brilliant. I preferred the perfect temperature of the lap pool. We stayed until 10:30. Back at John's we sat around the fire for far too long. I didn't get to sleep until after 1. 

I was up with the dog and sun at 5. I heard what I assume to be a rat scratching to find entrance into the van. Sunrises and the morning are my favorite time in JT. Usually I have the place to myself at that hour, but Eliot and Liza who slept in their car were up with the sun as well. I made tea and read a bit. Eventually with everyone up we settled in chairs in shade and under misters and the sun got higher and hotter. People made food and shifted their chairs as the shade moved. Heidi and Louie and Abbey were the first to leave, then Jen and her dogs. The rest of us spent the afternoon just relaxing, watching Cam and Abbey wrestle. Around three we were motivated to extend the shade structure with bamboo. It's been a long time where I spend the day without plans, without the need to move. All of us felt that way. Of course drinking beer helped too. They also helped me get my van unstuck. It tooks some digging and eventually a tow from John to get her back on level ground. 

Once the sun was nearly down, we cooked and ate. It was too hot for a fire. Again, the Starlink satellites appeared about the same time overhead, 9:30 ish.  It was an early night after that. 

Monday morning I was up early again. I swung open  my doors and read in bed with that view. I slowly packed up. The others began to wake and pack as well. I left around 9 to beat the holiday traffic. I was home around 11:30 and spent the rest of the day cleaning out the van, doing laundry, napping and reorbiting into life. 

It was a great trip. But the heat was intense and I probably won't return until next fall.  

Joshua Tree April 2021

Spent a great weekend in the desert with John and Jen at their place in JT. It was the first time I took the van since its last breakdown in November 2020. It did well. It was also the first time on a road trip with Cam and he did amazing. 

I left Friday morning, arriving at the park, around lunch time. The weather was perfect, high 70s, little wind, bluebird skies. I entered at the west entrance in JT and first stopped at Quail Springs to stretch our legs, and get our bearings. Dogs aren't allowed on the trails, but they are allowed 100 feet from the paved roads and on the dirt roads. So we then parked at Echo T and walked the dirt road for a half mile towards Keys Ranch. It seems anywhere you go in the park it is picture worthy. 

After I drove back to JT and stopped at the JT Saloon.  It wasn't too crowded and found a table at the back after I ordered some wings and a beer. Cam was getting a ton of love from people. 

It was after 3 when I headed to Johnno's place. I had it to myself. I set up camp. Let Cam get acclimated. Rested in the hammock and read. The desert is an amazing place. The stillness. The quiet. I could see the attraction. I noticed a coyote cut through John's property about 30 yards from me. Occasionally helicopters from the nearby base flew overhead in formation. 

I started making dinner around 7. Chicken with rice, beans, and guac. The sunset didn't disappoint. I cleaned up and prepped for bed.  John and Jen weren't expected to arrive until after 10. I made a fire. Drank wine. I had just nodded off in front of the fire when they pulled up. I stayed up for a bit with them, then slept.

Cam had me up just as the sun was rising. It wasn't too cold. I made some tea after I fed him. And just took my time soaking up the energy of the rising sun and the desert. I love the mornings up there. 

In the late morning I helped John with some small projects. We wrapped it up around 2:30 and had a beer. We had a reservation at 4:30 for some geothermal hot tubs at Wonder Valley Hot Springs. 

We drove out to 29 Palms. It was my first time there. It's larger than JT, famous for its Marine base. The hot spring place was ten minutes out of town.  When we arrived a guy was waiting for us to show us the tub. In the middle of a lot was a granite tub formed out of what looks like a boulder sitting on a concrete pad, overlooking the valley and mountains surrounding us. The water was heated naturally (up to 120 degrees) and didn't smell. It was a bit softer. The tub easily fit the three of us. We could regulate the temperature but turning on the cool water. There was a drain on the bottom that discharged the water and kept it from overflowing. We paid $40 each for a 75 minute soak. It was well worth it and I'll definitely come back. They have more expensive time slots at sunrise, sunset, and star gazing which I will have to try. 

We got back to the camp after sunset. Hastily I made some dinner and ate it by the bon fire. The gloaming was still pretty epic. It was a quiet night with some wine, chocolate, and whiskey. An early night too. 

The wind was forecasted to pick up on Sunday. Again, Cam had me up at sunrise. I took my time making tea, slowly breaking down camp, and repacking the van. I stopped every once in a while to savor the stillness, the light on the east facing mountains, washed in purple morning light. By 7:30 I was all packed up, said good bye to John, and hit the road. The drive back was uneventful. I was home by 10:45. 

It was a good trip for it built back my faith in the van. I am already planning other adventures.