A Second Day in Joshua Tree National Park!

After another great omelette and fresh fruit breakfast we got ready to leave in Ernie and Noela's truck for another day in Joshua Tree National Park.  1st I had a nice chat with Becky Fletcher, whom we know from back in Lancaster County. Mike, Becky and their 2 daughters attended the same Church as Ken and I and we learned from Clare LeFevre that they live in this area.  We are hoping to get together tomorrow for coffee or lunch.  We are looking forward to seeing them again.

We were on our way to Joshua Tree by 8:30 and again, it is an hour drive. 

So many wind turbines!

I find the architectural style in this area fascinating!

Upon arrival we all decided to hike (and it was a hike) the Ryan Mountain Trail that was an up and back hike of 3 miles, but with a gain of 1,000 feet of elevation. It was a steady climb to the top, but all of us agreed that it really didn't seem that bad.  We saw many great views of the Park and it really confirmed how desolate this area really is.  We did enjoy seeing many cacti and Joshua Trees!

....and off we go!!!

We are gaining some elevation,,,,

....and more

,,,,and more!

Wow, what a view!

This gives an example of the increasing elevation!

We had to take these photos to prove that we made it to the top -

Then we each picked a stone to throw on the "mountain" that hikers who make it to the top are building!

We picked our rocks and now 1, 2 , 3

...throw!

The views were incredible but hard to capture in a photo!

This is a view of the adobe home and water tank area we had hiked to yesterday.  Ken used his telescopic lens to get the photo, so it really wasn't this close!

More beautiful views on the way back to the bottom.  We were all very proud of ourselves for completing the hike.  We decided the average age of all the hikers on this trail was about 27 and we were probably the oldest.

We drove to the end of one of the main roads to Keys View where you can see the highest mountains in the area and supposedly an opportunity to view the
San Andreas Fault.  We are camping closer to that Fault than we realized or would probably desire, but we hope to be gone before anything major happens!

Okay, I am beginning to appreciate the Joshua Trees, especially
the ones that actually look like a healthy tree!

They only grow in the Mohave Desert and grow about 3 inches
a year for the 1st 10 years but can live to about 500 years old!

The peak on the right is Mt. San Jacinto.

The Fault Line is out there somewhere.  I wish they would
have marked it somehow!

You can see the Salton Sea but it is rather hazy.  It is 35 miles
away from our vantage point and lies 235 feet below sea level!

From there we enjoyed our lunch at one of the picnic areas where the "boys" took a 1/2 mile loop walk at Cap Rock.  Noela and I decided to just relax while they were gone. 

Another great place to eat our lunch!  I hope that rock doesn't
fall on us.  

Ken took this picture on their walk at Cap Rock!

A better photo showing the balancing act that rock is doing
above the picnic table!

We took a drive on a dirt road in a different part of the Park and then headed out of the park!

More rather "attractive" Joshua Trees.  Ken is proud of my
change of heart!

Great mountains in the background!

Some of these rocks makes it appear like people have built
huge cairns!

Another beautiful sunset with the wind turbines in the
background!

Sunset on the mountains!

I started working on the blog and downloading photos while Ken and Ernie went to see a fellow camper who is selling salmon that he had caught in Alaska while workcamping there.  He gets it flash frozen and brings it here to eat and sell!

Ernie and Noela came over to play Skip-Bo around 7:15.  Another victorious night for the men, but we were down to 1 card.  We called it a day at 9, enjoyed a cup of tea, and went to bed.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to Wal-Mart and Costco and getting together with the Fletchers.  Early Tuesday morning we will be on our way to Sedona!