Earth Day Birthday

Last week I took a little break and went to Joshua Tree NP on Earth Day which was, of course, first my mother’s birthday! I have always loved that it landed on that day since she was ecologically minded without even knowing it – waste not want not was one of her favorite sayings.

So, off I went, loaded up with more food than I could ever eat in 3 days, more clothes than I would need, my new tent, and ready to relax in nature. First stop was Big Morongo Canyon Preserve where I walked the Desert Willow and Marsh trails. Desert Willow is cool and shady in the morning and Marsh is boardwalk all the way so a nice easy way to start the day. The birdsongs throughout the preserve were wonderful – I was a little late for the guided bird walk (every Wednesday @ 8 a.m.) but used Merlin on my phone to know what I was hearing. I was even startled when suddenly a Black-chinned Hummingbird flew at the brim of my red sunhat! I wish I had been more serene so it wouldn’t have been equally startled.

Stopped for a forbidden (hahahaha!) donut and cup of coffee at the Jelly Donut in Yucca Valley to fuel onto the park. Found a great site in Belle Campground and settled in. That evening I joined a group led by Ranger Dave for a sunset walk at Cap Rock and learned more, always more to learn!, about desert life – indigenous peoples, plants, and critters of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts.

About 3 a.m. the wind picked up – literally was picking up my tent with me in it so I dropped it down and crawled into the car for a little more sleep. Daybreak had me up and wondering whether to stay or go home. The site next to mine was a bit more sheltered and that camper left so I moved over there. I also figured how to better anchor the fly on my tent so it didn’t move at all in the winds that day.

Skull Rock, Barker Dam, and Keys View kept me in awe for the rest of the day! The hike to Barker is not to difficult and the back stretch is easy and flat. There’s even a spot where you can see some petroglyphs! Back at my site I was happy to spend the remainder of the day relaxing in my rocking chair reading The Princess Bride 🙂

I wrapped up the fun on Friday morning with an attempt at Contact Mine Trail but it was a little late in the day and a bit too hot – no shade on that trail! Next visit 🙂