State #2 - Part #5!

On Part 4 of the Joshua Tree National Park blogs, we did a bit more hiking, this time to an old gold mine.

Dawn breaking on a Tuesday morning

We woke up early again the next morning, and as I peeked through the shades on my side of the camper, I noticed that not only were there clouds out there, but we also had a visitor in camp!

We heard coyotes the night before and this morning, 

so we figured this dude was staying away from them.

Like most mornings in the camper, we hung out in bed until the need to use the loo drove us out into the cold, and since we were now up, we started making hot water for coffee and tea.  Breakfast was biscuits and sausage gravy, made at home for Chris' birthday a few days earlier; I heated up the gravy in the saucepan on the two-burner stovetop we have inside the camper, and Chris toasted the biscuits outside on the Camp Chef.  While breakfast was reheating, we moved around camp, slowly organizing things and packing up for the trip home.

After doing dishes, we had just enough water left in the tank for one shower, and Chris was kind enough to let that go to me.  He's a keeper!  Before we headed out for good, we took some shots along our ridge; I figured we'd brought along the fancy camera and tripod - why not use them?

These were taken just after the shower,

hence the slicked-back hair and lack of makeup.

With everything inside secured and the rig all hooked up, it was time to start the voyage home!  We headed south out of the park toward the intersection with the 10, and I made the most of the time we had left inside the park to take shots of the things I'd missed on the way in.  I'd already captured some of the landmarks, but the clouds moving across the sky added new dimensions of light and shade I was really enjoying.

About halfway between the Jumbo Rocks Campground and the Cottonwood Entrance Station lies the Cholla Cactus Garden.  It's a pretty big draw within the park; people even wake up before dawn to get there and set up their cameras to take shots of the dawn breaking over these spiky bois.  If you've never encountered cholla before, they're seriously evil, and please don't think I'm overstating this.  Although there are several varieties of the plant, one of the most common (and the ones that make up the Garden here) are called "teddy bear cholla."  They look fuzzy, but they are super prickly; their spikes end in tiny hooks, so once they grab onto you, they don't let go.  If you hike in our area (where they also thrive), you learn to carry a plastic comb with you, in case you encounter them, because when you try to remove them using your hands, they just transfer from spot to spot, never letting go (you put the tines of the plastic comb between you and the cholla ball, and then you flick the comb, sending the demon plant flying back into the hell from whence it came).  Additionally, these chollas are also known as "exploding cholla" as they have a tendency to fall into pieces when you disturb them; it's a great way for them to spread their seeds all over, but it means you're now surrounded by these evil monsters.  If you've ever had an interaction with this type of cholla, you'll know I'm not exaggerating any of this - when Kaylee was alive, she followed a chipmunk into one, and we were afraid she was going to end up losing an eye.  Another time, Chris ended up with a piece stuck to his lower back while mountain biking (one of the many reasons that part of his life has passed); he got it out and a few days later, I noticed he'd developed a weird bump in the same area.  It was an errant spine of the cholla WORKING ITS WAY OUT OF HIS BODY.  Terrors.

Anywhoo, all of that is a preface to say that when we rounded the curve and came into the area of the Cholla Cactus Garden, the sheer number of these a$$hole plants made my blood run cold:

Guys, they are EVERYWHERE.

There's this roughly 10 mile stretch of road

where they just crowd out all the other vegetation

on both sides of the blacktop.

There are SO many - 

and this isn't even the "Garden" yet.

I love this shot - 

"hey, everybody, here's tons of evil cactus.

Also...bees!  Have fun!  Stay hydrated!"

We did a quick pass through the Cactus Garden parking lot and stopped for some shots:

The little red dots you see there are people

walking around the nature trail area in the Gardens.

Thankfully, the trail is bordered by fencing,

so people can't really get close to the cholla.

The NPS does NOT have the budget to staff the

first aid center that would be required for that.

We both thought it would be funny to use the

"Soft and Fuzzy" camera setting on these

We put these horrors behind us and continued on, stopping again at the Cottonwood Station, where you could not only fill up on water, but also dump your tanks once you'd - you know - used that water.

Gloves = essential for this piece of RV business

I believe he's saying,
"all you really taking pictures of this?"

It's like he's never met me.

While Chris handled the gross business, I wandered around, ensuring everything was secured and whatnot - I also took some pictures of a flock of quail who wandered over and were drinking from the puddle left by a recent camper water fill.

Sorry these are grainy - I'd zoomed in pretty far on my phone

In this shot, you can see the rest of this dude's family

has skedaddled, but wait...

...someone came back to check on him!

After dumping the tanks and thoroughly washing our hands, it was back in the truck and time to hit the road for home.  We stopped briefly in Quartzsite for gas, bathrooms, and to eat a lunch we'd packed ahead (chicken salad wraps with cookies, chips, and fruit), and then the next stop was home!  We made it back around 3:30pm, so we emptied the camper (and started on the 800 loads of laundry this trip generated), Chris took a shower, and then we sprung the dogs from the kennel (truly, they love it there).

By 5pm, our entire family was home again, and these two were happy the pack was back together:

We're so glad that we did this trip to Joshua Tree National Park - it really is just as amazing as people say.  We have plans to go back sometime in spring (maybe in 2022), as we'd love to see the desert in another season, hopefully when things are starting to bloom (we will base our decision solely on when we can get the same campsite again - spot #40 for the win!).  If you can make it there, please do!

Later!

Amy