Joshua Tree

Courtney and Robert came to visit us in the desert this past weekend.  A first trip there for her, though not for him, and we hope they enjoyed themselves enough to come back.  Fingers crossed!

Conrad, Van, and I have done Joshua Tree twice now in the past few weeks.  First it was a drive there on Boxing Day with Marie,

and then again this past Saturday.  Funnily enough, it was grey weather, both times, quite unlike my first time up to Joshua Tree in May of this past year when Allan and Paul were visiting the desert.

Ah well.  At least it's an easy drive from Rancho Mirage!

So we set out near lunchtime on Saturday,

knowing we had all afternoon thanks to a late dinner reservation, and time to drive and stop.  Or we might have stopped more but for the weather.  Yes, some rain in parts, and brisk temperatures.  At the overlook where we can take in the Coachella Valley, I think it was 43 degrees.  Brrrr.  The warmth of the car and the comfort of Yacht Rock Radio was welcome!  Still, we did get to show them the namesake plants

as well as the chollas

and rock formations that the park is known for. 

And yes, I dozed off on the drive home.  The nap instinct is still strong with me.

I'd love more time to explore the park rather than drive end to end and stop for occasional photos.  I'm not a vigorous hiker, but I think I could enjoy a proper hike or two in there, given preparation (water, sunscreen, the usual).

On the other hand, that's three trips through Joshua Tree in the past eight or nine months.  In truth, I'd be happy to leave off driving through there again for a little while.  Given how much time we spend down in the desert these days, there's a lot of other hikes and sights to enjoy.

But no, never say never, right?  :-)