We had an uneventful stay at the BLM land. No issues or problems. It was a nice place to camp. We got up early, had coffee (thanks to the genny) and headed out to Joshua Tree National Park. This was our first time going through the desert, and let's just say.....we prefer beaches!!!
A high of 113 degrees!!!
We arrived at Joshua Tree about 3pm, and finally got tucked in our spot about 6pm. We drove around and looked at the different campgrounds, which took a while, since the park is huge, but beautiful.
There were a couple of things we knew, but it was still an eye opening experience. The first is dry camping in 100 degree weather. There was no water or electricity at the campground. We brought water and had the honda generator (which I will rave about later), but we definitely had to think about what we were consuming and if we had enough.
The second thing is the pure hostility of the land. It is beautiful, rugged country....but...you better be prepared if you venture too far off the main path. Even a 1.1 mile simple hike around Barker Dam takes an hour. That's one hour hiking in 100 degree plus weather. There are no park rangers to tell you not to go down a dangerous path, or to make sure you are drinking enough water. The park is so large, I don't think they could keep up with everyone if they tried. It is refreshing.....and frightening.
Here is our campsite.
We got up Saturday and explored the park. We drove around most of it, and hiked multiple trails, even to Barker Dam in the middle of the day. Erin and I took a great hike in the evening, and watched a fabulous sunset.
When we got back, Jen was not feeling very well. Long story short, we ended up in the ER with her having a 1.1mm kidney stone. Luckily, there was a hospital not too far away, and they were able to help her with the pain.
We got back to the park about 4am, and crashed. We got up Sunday about 10am, and headed to the Pacific Ocean!!!
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