Did you know that Joshua Tree National Park in California is only a 4 hour drive from my mom’s in Arizona? What an opportunity to visit another one of our great parks! During my visit with mom, I scheduled in a weekend camping trip to Joshua Tree. Quite an easy drive, west on I-10. Easy as pie.
The park was amazing, really beautiful. Again it was great to be visiting during the cooler months. The sun was welcome and warm, but not too hot and the cooler weather made it comfortable to be out in it, scrambling around on the boulders, hiking around, etc. But the nights were cold and it took some effort to stay warm around camp.
The park is located in a very remote area of California, just west of the Arizona boarder. Half of the park is the Colorado desert and half is the Mojave desert. Each having it’s own unique/distinct feel.
This trip made me miss rock climbing. The park is famous for it’s world class bouldering opportunities, and I quickly realized that I didn’t have the right gear, shoes or arm strength needed for real bouldering, but I enjoyed scrambling around on the rocks instead.
The park was full of different cactus species like cholla and ocotillo as well as forests of joshua trees. I enjoy these parks most when I am camping in them. The stars at night, the wide open sky, the early morning hikes, coffee on the Coleman, all help me slow down and really take in the beauty.
What I learned about the park:
There was a ton of what looked like amazing hikes at this park. I was not able to hike much because Rae was with me. I will revisit this park sometime when I am able to more fully explore the back country. The beauty was amazing, and I loved the differences between the Colorado and Mojave deserts. This park is also known for it’s population of desert tortoise. It would have been really cool to see one of those but they must of all been hibernating the winter away and we did not get the pleasure.
What I learned about myself:
I miss rock climbing. I was reminded of how much I really loved it. I am going to do something about that!
Some thoughts for you:
Do what you love, love what you do!
Remember — Get out there!!!
Grandma Rocks the Park (GRP) 