Living Our Dream: RV Fixed, On to Joshua Tree National Park

Monday morning we waited for the call from the RV repair guy, got a little disappointed when the time he said he would call passed. But then, he didn't say what year But then the phone rang and he said he would be by between 9 and 11am. By noon we again thought, oh well, would have to find someone else. At 12:10 he pulled up (phew!). Another 45 minutes went by with Dave insisting that he move the electrical plug to another spot on top of the bumper, and vo-ah-la - done. And working without a problem. Thank goodness - and as Dave said, it was going to happen again, bad design of the people who installed the wiring harness on the RV.

USMC Base at end of the road, our campground is in clump of trees to right of road

At night we can see the lights of the United States Marine Corp Base just 2 miles north of our campground. Every time I look that way I think of Jerry (my late brother) and Chris (my sister's son) who both spent time there in training while in the Marines.

This sculpture reminds me of our winter home -
lots of folks have wind sculptures

Yesterday we drove into town where the visitors center for Joshua Tree National Park is. Got info on places to see and casual hikes to do and off we went. The park is based on the transition zone between the Mojave Desert which is on the western part of the park where you see piñon pines, yucca plants, juniper trees and prickly pear cactus and lies at 3000 feet and above and the Colorado Desert below the 3000 feet level where you see ocotillo, palo verde trees, patches and patches of jumping cholla cactus (don't even think of touching one!!) and lots of sand. The San Andreas Fault lies right at it's southern border and this area is also where all the springs are (Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert). We concentrated on the northern, western and eastern areas of the park yesterday.

Did a quick hike along the Skull Rock Trail, the stones were eerie. Looked like sandstone but it is all granite. Animal life was hiding although we did see roadrunner, round tail squirrels, lots of small lizards, birds singing and flying around. The Joshua Tree was named by Mormons when they ventured through this area in the 1870s. Two ranches existed and thrived but are now part of the park and can only be visited by private tours, the ranches used the available oasis watering holes. Since a drought has been ongoing for the last 4 years, these watering holes are dry unless there is heavy rain, otherwise what water there is trickles down below the surface.

The Joshua Tree

See the skull on the left side?

Have to say the Joshua Tree is very unique looking. We have seen a number of them before when we drove from Phoenix to Las Vegas along the Joshua Tree Parkway (route 93). Very dramatic views looking across at a forest of Joshua Trees and then seeing a forest of the jumping chollas. Looking westward we could see San Gorgonio Mountain which sits just east of San Bernadino/Riverside in the Los Angeles area, snow topped. Pretty.