Joshua Tree National Park..............

We were anxious to get an early start to our hiking in Joshua Tree National Park to avoid the heat of the desert. As I've been mentioning, its not only about the air temperature, but the sun beating down and reflecting back up that really gets ya! Hats, sunscreens, water, water and more water are really important here. Oh, and good hiking shoes as well.

Blooming Joshua Tree

We picked out a few hikes that would be good for us to enjoy in this park, beginning with the Split Rock Loop. It was listed as a 2.5 mile loop, with a side trip to Face Rock. Even though it was a weekend. we were able to snag a parking spot no problem. Its another advantage of exploring the park early in the day.

starting the Split Rock hike

spots of color already

Tom warming his hands over an imaginary campfire in a rock "tent"....from back in the day

very cool hike...with so many rocks!

The trail goes through lots of rocks, and is marked really nicely with smaller rocks. It would be pretty easy to get off the trail otherwise! This time of year, the desert is starting to bloom, so we were looking everywhere to spot some of it. The blooms are little gems of color in this environment, so they are especially enjoyable to spot and admire.

nicely marked trails

lots of vegetation 

the desert garden

love the purple

spots of color everywhere

close up

The trail was a good one...meandering up and down small hills, over and around large boulders and rocks. The views in the distance weren't too bad either. We had the trail pretty much to ourselves, so we enjoyed that feeling of solitude you can get when you are out there in a natural environment.

interesting trail-ups and downs

oh baby its hot! (and its only February!)

more blooms

lots of boulders and split rocks

the land went crazy here (never was that interested in geology until now, but wishing I paid more attention in class!)

more color

is it hot enough?

these rocks are so cool

aahhh....shade AND water....relief!!

pretty scenes everywhere

close up

more close ups...lots of color to be found

very interesting landscape

There was a well-marked offshoot from the trail for Face Rock....so we took that too. It was starting to get pretty hot, but we were still having fun, especially looking at the shapes of the rocks and using our imaginations. Maybe our brains were baking?? Hahahah.

we think it was a bit longer!

check out the rock art...love the "seams"

is that fruit?

 Face Rock

hat off....it must be scorchingly hot now!

Tom is hot, so you know I'm melting...ahhahaha

We really enjoy looking at the different flora and fauna in the places we explore, and we weren't at all disappointed here in Joshua Tree. We saw lots of blooms, and tons of lizards.....and thankfully no snakes. Hahahha. The rock art is so cool too! Its like walking through nature's art museum:)

Lizard

more blooms

these "seams" were cool

this was a great hike....a lot of diversity

more "rock art" 

Joshua Tree early bloom

very nice

this one is really in full bloom now

check out the seams

Joshua Tree is a magnet for rock climbers too. We saw many folks climbing in various areas of the park. I envy their lack of fear of heights...I cannot even imagine what that must feel like! Yikes!

she was screaming...I could barely watch

yikes! 

Since the day was already HOT, even for Tom, we did an auto tour for the rest of the day. There are so many healthy looking Joshua Trees! Lots of them! Especially nice against the mountain backdrops. Again, nature's art! Like driving through a painting.

need to read up on geology...the rocks are fascinating and tell a story

a postcard!

another postcard from Joshua Tree National Park

so many trees...all so healthy looking

cool

A drive up Keys View Road leads to an overlook with great views of the Salton Sea, Palm Springs and the mountains beyond. It was a little bit smoggy or foggy or whatever, but we were still able to see the Salton Sea. The San Andreas Fault was down there too, but we weren't too sure what we were looking at. Because we were up so much higher, the weather was a bit cooler, and the breeze was awesome. Good place for an early lunch! The views were great! The people watching was fun too. Its always amazing to me just how close to the edge people will go to get a good picture. So many people stand on rocks right on the ledge! Yikes! I have to look away sometimes.

lets head up the hill to the overlook

on the way "up"

a picture!

another scenic picture

its a little bit foggy...smoggy....

the views from up here are still pretty good!

we think that is the San Andreas Fault

another great lunch location

lots of color in the desert this time of year

We drove back down into the valley and the other side of the park to see the Cholla Gardens. WOW! It was surprising how many chollas there were! And as luck would have it....many were blooming. It was really really hot, but we were so intrigued it didn't really matter. Hahah.

I have to say, it is always advisable to stay on the trail, even in a "garden" like this. So so many people insist on leaving the trail to get a better picture though....and if you are in a place like this, you can very easily step on the cholla offshoots, and get yourself into a bit of a pickle! Its not easy to get the spines out of your shoes or feet! One woman wearing flip flops and had a bunch of "cholla balls" stuck on her flip flops! Her husband didn't look too happy!

how cool is this...there are thousands of chollas right here

a great path too

so many chollas

great views of the mountains too

check out the blooms!

cool!

close up

even closer :)

Leaning chollas...phototropism? or wind? and can you see the cholla "balls" under the plants?

exhibit A....he walked off the trail for a picture and now has Cholla "balls" stuck to his boots

there are still "spines" stuck in his shoes!

One last stop was the Ocotillo Patch, not too far away from the Cholla Gardens. There were just a few Ocotillos, and some were blooming bright orangey-red. Gorgeous! My new favorite desert plant. Hahah.

Ocotillo Patch

very tall!

the blooms are so bright!

another view

there were several Ocotillos along the side of the road...some blooming

This desert, the Mohave, is a bit different from the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. One thing they do have in common......they are both beautiful in their own way!