Joshua Tree National Park

Leaving behind Matterhorn, Splash, Big Thunder, and Space Mountains we headed onward towards the more natural but no less musical mountains surrounding Joshua Tree National Park.  Bilbo had been here before on a manly man’s rock climbing trip, but this was my first time and Bilbo was very excited to share the experience with me. 

 

We didn’t make a plan for our first day there but began with a drive through to admire the vastness of Joshua Tree.

 

 

Just as we were getting into the park and beginning to enjoy the solitude of the desert, we heard a “pop”…

Which turned out to be our tire crying “UNCLE!”  So, I unpacked the trunk to retrieve the spare while Bilbo worked on changing the tire (all with a smile on his face). 

Bilbo’s job took a little bit longer than mine, so I walked over to to take some pictures at the head of the trail whose parking lot we had stopped in.  The trail began in a grove or patch (I don’t really know what word describes a collection of cacti) of fuzzy little cacti clumps.  We didn’t venture out any farther, but I really enjoyed gazing at this gawky plants while Bilbo labored away.  I did help him put the blown tire and all of our junk back in the trunk, though.

   

A quick detour to Wal-Mart and two new tires later, we were back on track driving through Joshua Tree National Park.  The park is characterized by, you guessed it, tons of Joshua Trees (a gnarly cactus that looks very tree-like) and piles of boulders.  These boulders and the consistently warm weather make the park a favorite spot for rock climbers.

 

 

  

   

 

We made a special stop at the Jumbo Rocks area so that Bilbo could show me where he and his friend had stayed and done most of their climbing.

 

With the day ticking on and 5 o’clock drawing close, it was time for us to leave J-Tree for the evening and head back into town.

The little town outside of the park is called Twentynine Palms.  I’m not sure why, because we saw more than 29 palm trees.  Maybe they just like that number.

 

It’s a cute and cozy little desert town with a mountainous vista in the background.  Bilbo and I found that we liked a desert town more than we expected. 

 

When we reached 29 Palms, we checked in to the Harmony Motel; which has its very own claim to fame.  U2 stayed here while they were working on their album, Joshua Tree.  I don’t know which rooms they stayed in, but there are only 8 and that makes it quite possible that we slept in the same room as legends. 

  

Harmony was quaint with cute gardening and homey touches.  We were blown away by how nice the room was, considering we paid just above fifty bucks for the night!

 

We got Joshua trees above our bed and a cactus on our key ring!

  

We knew that we were in the desert when the motel manager happily announced that she had turned the heat on in our room for us, even though it was 70 degrees outside.  We thanked her but turned it off as soon as she left.  We still had a little time before 5 o’clock, so we ordered a pizza and settled in for the night. 

Now, you may wondering why 5 o’clock was so important to us that day.  Well, it was January 4th, and WVU was playing in the Orange Bowl—an event that we just couldn’t miss!

As the Mountaineers slaughtered the Clemson Tigers, Bilbo and I cheered them on!  It was a very exciting game and we probably kept the neighbors awake with our yelling.

In the end, WVU not only beat Clemson 70-33, but also set a few BCS records…and Lou Holts was the only one who thought we had a chance.  GO EERS!

 

 

After a much needed good night’s sleep, we returned to Joshua Tree for a little bit of climbing.  We picked out an area that Bilbo hadn’t gotten to visit before, Rattlesnake Canyon.

 

We had a great time hiking the canyon floor, scrambling boulders, and taking in the sites while we looked for the climbing area. 

 

   

It took us a while, but we found it and Bilbo suited up.  Unfortunately, climbing was pretty crappy compared to the rest of Joshua Tree, but the hiking was really fun and we both enjoyed the views.

With the climbing done, and another National Park ticked off the list, we began the drive north.  Next time we’ll tell you about the National Parks we visited along the way.