Boy…what a change of scenery! After slowly working our way down the lush west coast, the Mojave Desert region was like a different universe. It was hard to believe that just the week prior we were walking among the enormous sequoias at 7,000 feet in the Sierra Mountains. This week we felt like we were on the moon or stuck in an episode of “Lost in Space”. Arleen is partial to lots of lush green vegetation and headed to the desert hesitantly. Her wise older sister told her to “embrace the desert”. Did she?

This isn’t the scenery we’re used to!

First, we made a 3-day pit stop in Bakersfield CA to have service done on the truck and trailer. We stayed at a chain hotel that was reasonably priced and comfortable. We worked out in the fitness room, soaked in the hot tub, used the heck out the wi-fi, and enjoyed long hot showers. Arleen even treated herself to a lengthy bubble bath. The accommodating and professional folks at RV Peddler did a great job on the trailer and all went well with the truck. It was weird to give up our home for three days, but it was necessary. If you’re ever in the Bakersfield area and need RV work, look for the pink pig.

We arrived in Twentynine Palms with a sparkling clean trailer. The campground was ok. We had all amenities and liked the location. Joshua Tree NP was about six miles south and the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base was about 3 miles north. We took advantage of cheaper supplies and diesel at the base. The laundry mat was also much better than the one in the campground. The day nasty winds prevented us from hiking, we exercised at the base gym. As retired military folks, we sure do like having a base nearby.

Our first hike in Joshua Tree NP was to the Fortynine Palms oasis. It was the first time either of us had ever been to a real oasis. As the trail snaked through the harsh, rocky landscape, it was amazing to see the grove of large palm trees in the distance. Arleen had to hug a palm tree just like she hugged a huge sequoia the week before. She’s such a tree hugger! Oh well…I can’t give her too much crap. I tried to hug a barrel cactus!

The following day the weather got nasty. Winds were steadily in the 35-50mph range and topped at 60mph. The trailer was in a good spot and protected from much of the wind. Hiking was out of the question with blowing dust and sand occasionally dropping the visibility to a mile or so. Arleen spent the morning making campground reservations for the next month. In the afternoon we went to the Marine Corps base to resupply and exercise at the gym. Though the weather was funky, we had a good day.

Visibility dropping with blowing dust Shorts and a t-shirt on 21 January!

We were due for a good long hike and chose the Burro Loop. We spoke to a few park rangers about the trail and none of them were familiar with it. Knowing that it was a minimally used trail, we were concerned that it was marked ok. The trail was sandy most of the way and tough walking. It was fairly easy to navigate though it would be a challenge after a good rain. A solitary burro roamed this part of the park in the early 1990s. Nobody knows what happened to it, but the trail honors its stomping grounds. The rock formations were amazing.

Cholla poked through the sole!

Round two of nasty weather hit. We drove into the park and did things that were close to the road. Arch Rock and the Cholla Cactus garden were highlights. The rock formations are from another world. But they are fun and easy to scramble around on.

Rain in the desert!

Time for some hiking…three short hikes in one day. First we climbed over 1,000 feet to the top of Ryan Mountain. The temperature was in the mid-40s and the winds were 20-30mph…it was brisk. The 360 degree view from the top of Ryan Mountain was amazing. The cold wind turned us into popsicles so we didn’t linger too long at the top. The next two hikes took us through a few historic areas of the park. First we went to Barker Dam. The dam was made to help collect water for cattle. Depending on rain, the basin varied between fairly full and bone dry. Ranching wasn’t too successful here. However, mining was. Next, we went to Wall Street Mill. Gold ore was mined here sporadically 1930-1966. Much of the equipment and a couple of buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Sites due to “the local technological/mechanical significance”. It was really cool to walk among this history.

Fresh snow on Mount San Gorgonio

The tombstone reads: “Here is where Worth Bagly

bit the dust at the hand of W.F. Keys, May 11 1943”

Our last hike in Joshua NP was to the Pushawalla Plateau. The hiking book describes it like this: “The hike offers a variety of vegetation, historical sites, and great views in a quiet, seldom visited part of the park.” The trail goes up a wash that was used as a road. A small mining community popped up around Pinyon Well, a source of water. A spring fed water trough was still full of water along with the foundations of a few buildings and a few other odds and ends. Again, it was very interesting to walk among the ruins and imagine the area in its heyday. The old road tops at a saddle with a great view of the Coachella Valley, Palm Springs, and Mount San Jacinto.

Where are we? I can stop it!

A couple of the more interesting things we learned this week:

- Creosote bushes extend their roots as far as 60 feet for water. The roots excrete a toxin that kills other plants so the greedy bush has the water to itself.

- The desert wood rat surrounds its nest with bits and pieces of prickly cactus, especially chollo cactus, to make a formidable barrier for predators. Even more interesting, a good nest can be occupied by many generations of rats. Some have been inhabited for 10,000 years!

We have learned so much during our travels!

So did Arleen “embrace the desert”? She’s getting there!

Next we head to Quartzsite AZ for a couple of days where 500,000 to 1,000,000 RVers converge on the small desert town each winter. We go hesitantly. Enormous crowds of partying people are not our thing, but we want to experience the spectacle. Who knows…maybe we will “embrace” the mayhem. From there, we head to Lake Mead for two weeks and then on to Death Valley. I’ll bet Arleen will fully embrace the desert by then!