Joshua Tree National Park, Mastodon Peak Hike

Joshua Tree National Park is much more than just about the trees. (Actually, they are not really trees, but members of the yucca family.) It is also known for it's interesting rock formations. This day we went on the Mastodon Peak Hike. Hiking anywhere in the spring, with the flowers in bloom, adds so much to the experience.

Here we are almost to the top, where we stopped to eat our backpack lunch. There is no finer restaurant than this.

Mastodon Peak up close and personal. Only a few rocks to climb up to the top.

Chocolate chip cookies, yumm!

Actually, they are just some large rocks along our walk.

Most of the animals who dwell in the desert are night creatures, but we do see many lizards scampering about during the day.

Could not resist taking some more flower pictures. Here are a few we will share with you.

Desert asters

Close up of Apricot Globe Mallow.

A very small fish hook cactus catches our eye.

Hedge hog cactus bloom

Purple prickly pear cactus in bloom

Painted Canyon / Ladder Canyon Hike

From the south entrance to Joshua Tree, we drove down Box Canyon Road to the dirt Painted Canyon Road. At the end of the road, we hiked the trail through an amazing slot canyon. Some areas were pretty narrow and there were numerous ladders, some wood with worn rungs and some new aluminum ones.

Larry at the bottom of the painted canyon.

A cool place to hide between some boulders. Any snakes in there?

The entrance to the slot canyon which nature has tried to conceal with rock slides. We climbed up and over the huge rocks anyway.

Looking down the ladder we just climbed.

A look ahead in the canyon.

Looking up the canyon walls.

Looking straight up at the narrow ribbon on sunlight.

Looking down at where we just were. You can almost hear water rushing between the rock walls.

A side canyon looks inviting, but we stay on our path.

We finally reached the top. We take a few minutes to enjoy the view, before clamoring back down.

A look over our shoulder at the painted canyon, as we head back home.

Hotel California Geocache

Once in a while we take the opportunity to seek out a geocache. On this particular morning, we went with Joyce and Larry to the Hotel California. There was no hiking involved as you could drive right up to it. The road was rough, and branches scraped both sides of their truck. Geocaches usually take you to interesting places that you would otherwise have missed. This one was no exception.

The Hotel California up on the side of the cliff.

Someone must have put in many hours on construction. It blends in so well with the surrounding rock. As you can see, the roof could use some repair.

One of the 2 rooms inside, if you could call them that. Kind of a hard bed.

This fireplace is located between the two beds. The log books to sign in on are on the shelf to the right.

Another view of the exterior. Makes us wonder who built this place and when and why.

Mountain Ride in Southern California

While in the Joshua Tree National Park area, we took a ride up in the mountains to our west. Our drive took us from an elevation of a few feet below sea level in the valley to 6200 feet. The first part of the loop was on Palms to Palms Scenic Highway, very appropriately named. The western part was on Banning Idyllwild Panoramic Highway.

Looking down at the road we traveled to get to the first scenic overlook.

A great view of the valley.

Snow on the mountaintops in the distance.

Here we were at a higher elevation, looking down at some mountains.

At the same location, looking to higher mountains behind us.

This sign shows our route, starting in Palm Desert.

We are getting closer to the snow.

The dark clouds rolled in and it felt like it might snow.

Birds in the Desert and at the Sea

Whether at our campsite, taking a ride, or going for a walk or hike, we try to be aware of our surroundings for interesting animals. We don't always have the camera ready, but here are a few shots.

A roadrunner taking a slow walk past our campsite.

This beautiful hummingbird was a frequent visitor to our feeder.

Sweet water, what a treat!

Hummingbirds have iridescent colors that glow in the sunshine.

A mom hummingbird sitting in her nest. The nest is about the size of a half cup measure. She doesn't even fit.

An egret at the Salton Sea posing for a photo.

White pelican at the Salton Sea.

This blue heron was looking for lunch along the shore.

Salton Sea and The Slabs

In all our leisure time, we like to explore the area around where we are camped. Right now we are staying near the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park and on this day took a ride to the Salton Sea. It is much larger than we expected. This body of water was created in 1905 when flooding of the Colorado River broke through an irrigation canal and almost all the water flowed into this low area for one and a half years. As the water evaporates, the salinity increases and is now higher than that of the ocean. The source of the water is still the Colorado River which is used for irrigation in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Runoff from these valleys replenishes about the same volume of water which evaporates each year. (There is no outlet for the sea.) The Colorado River is slightly salty and as the water is used for irrigation it picks up more salt from the soil. We saw many water birds and some nice camping areas along the shore.
Over the years we have heard and read much about the Slabs, so since we were in the area, we went out to see it for ourselves. It is an abandoned military training site and all that remains are the concrete slabs, hence the name. It is a very popular place for people of all types to camp and the motto seems to be, live and let live. It has become a self governing community with many activities.
One of it's residents has created Salvation Mountain. Over the years he has painted his art on a hill there, and people donate paint so he may continue his work.The latest story is that a group wanted it torn down, as they claimed that the paint was contaminating the ground. Samples were taken and it was determined that the soil was not any different than other samples taken in surrounding areas. It has now been named a folk art monument, offering it some protection.

A campsite at the shore of the Salton Sea.

The Range is a stage at the Slabs, where music happens each day at sundown.

Some unusually decorated vehicles we spotted at the Slabs.

The Coachella valley has many agricultural crops. Here are some grapevines we saw.