Tree Trippers
National Park Road Trip – Day 12-14
Joshua Tree National Park
After leaving San Diego bright and early we had plenty of time to explore the south side of Joshua Tree before trying to find a campground for the next few nights. Seven out of nine campgrounds in Joshua Tree are first-come, first-served. Those two are on the outskirts of the park and we really wanted to explore the park from within. Everyone raves about Hidden Valley Campground, and we drove through it trying to find a spot. However, we were just outside of the maximum allowable length. If you’re ever wondering why or how the National Park Service limits length on trailers and rv’s it’s most certainly because you can’t fit your gigantic trailer/rv in the spots. We drove around towing our 18 foot trailer, and even if there were any available spots at all, we would not have fit. In fact, the only travel trailer I saw in there was a tiny Casita that couldn’t have been longer than 12 feet. We were way out of our element and just needed to get out of there right away! We opted to go to Jumbo Rocks next as it is the park’s largest campground at 124 sites. We drove around, found a few open spots, and eventually settled on a semi-tight spot that required us (and by us I mean G) to “parallel park”. Site 93 was situated directly in front of a series of tall rock formations. You could easily hike up to the top in less than a minute, which we did right away to photograph the spectacular sunset. It was a near 360 degree sunset lighting up every rock, cloud, and smiling face in it’s wake.
Because of the story that follows, I feel that it’s time to advise you of a few details about us. Although I have a gym membership, attend classes semi-regularly, and walk a lot in my neighborhood, I wouldn’t consider myself an “active” person. G does a lot of active things around the house, fixing stuff, heavy lifting, etc., but I wouldn’t consider him an “active” person, though both of us had very active younger years. I’ve mentioned many things that make us excited to be on this trip, and one of those things is we were getting out there and being active, i.e. hiking, biking, swimming, walking, running, etc. Exploring everything requires us to get out of the comfort of our trailer and car to see vantage points and sights inaccessible by car. As of the writing of this post G has lost 2 belt loops and I’ve…and I’ve…well…I’ve – not – lost – 2 – belt - loops.
The morning after the spectacular sunset, we decided to go on a bike ride. Just a quick one, just to get our juices flowing and get used to our respective new setups. We decided to go to Hall of Horrors, which we confused with Skull Rock. How they look makes no difference, but how far away they were from the campground do. Skull Rock is about a 1.5 - 2 mile round trip. Hall of Horrors is exactly 11.8 miles round trip. I know this because we drove it afterwards, just to be sure that our story would be accurate! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we drove up to Key’s View to eat our lunch and enjoy a post-ride brew while overlooking the Coachella Valley. We then took a fruitless trip back to Cottonwood Visitor Center in an effort to look for some lost trailer keys. (Guilty parties to remain nameless). Afterward we had time to explore the Ocotillo Patch and Cholla Gardens taking some pictures and enjoying the late afternoon walk through the fantastic Cholla Garden.
Far away picture of a coyote during the Bike Ride!
For dinner we decided to make a Camp Buy Me Love special of Taco Stuffed Peppers (recipe in separate post). Prior to the trip, G and I canned Taco Meat and Chili trying to cut down on campsite prep-time and to also have the ability to make more involved dishes with less hands-on time. This turned out absolutely fantastic and we devoured them. We met some fine folks from Canada (www.bearsgroove.com) who are on a year-long adventure of the U.S. They were 9 months into their trip so they had some great tips and must-see’s. They were also gracious enough to let us tour their luxurious camper (Leisure Van) and play with their adorable dog Chloe, even though @theyappycampers wouldn’t stop barking at her.
Before we put the Taco Stuffed Peppers over the fire. I have all the essentials, the meal, the limes, and of course...the beer. @thehoppycamper would approve!
I’m know the south side of Joshua Tree offers some wonderful hikes and scenic views, but in my humble opinion, the central and north areas of the park offer the most dramatic landscapes, rock formations, and more cactus than you will ever have time to capture on film. We will definitely be back, if only to take a ride along the hallowed path of the bike ride to end all bike rides, at least for us.
Highlights:
Jumbo Rocks Campground
Cholla Garden
@thehoppycamper taking some photographs in Cholla Garden.
Key’s View
