Friday, April 8, 2016
We woke up this morning to rain, but we didn't let that deter us from exploring the area.  We went to the visitor center at Twentynine Palms entrance, and gathered some information on the Joshua Tree National Park.  We decided to do the loop drive in the northern section, and we later found out that, this is the main area for the park.  Had we stayed south of the park, we would have had a lot of driving to do each day to get where we wanted to go.  We will, however, go to the south entrance one day, just to see it all, and do some geo-caching there.  Today is a history lesson on the park. Joshua trees grow best at 3,000 to 5,000 feet elevation and can grow as tall as 40 plus feet. The are mainly found in Joshua National Park, and rarely elsewhere.   They are not a tree, but actually, a species of the yucca family.  The Mormons named them, as it reminded them of the up-stretched arms of biblical Joshua, who led the Israelite's in the Promised Land.  As we traveled throughout the park, we saw an occasional tree with blooming flowers on it, but most of them are spent already.  Their season must be just ending for their bloom.  We did see some blooming, and we will get close enough for a picture of them while we are here.  Because we dashed in and out of areas, due to the rain, we were limited as to what we could see and do.  It did give us a good idea of where we wanted to return and do some hiking.  This is a haven for 'young people who like to climb rocks'!  Our friend, Nick would be right at home, too!  LOTS of ROCKS!  They do have a soft look to them, though, and we did see many people atop them as we drove through.  One person was very instrumental in preserving the park, and that was California Socialite, Minerva Hamilton Hoyt.  She was an avid gardener, and a community activist.  She saw the damage and destruction done to this area, so her efforts to save it, resulted in it becoming a National Monument under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936.  President Clinton renamed it and it became Joshua Tree National Park in 1994.  We also found out today that, Joshua Tree National Park is part of the Mojave Desert, and it is over 3,000 in elevation.  It borders the Colorado Desert, which is at the foothills of the park.  The foothills are around 1800 feet elevation.  The Colorado Desert is an extension of the Sonoran Desert, that we enjoy in southern Arizona.  We must have the prettiest part!  We were amazed at the many wildflowers on display throughout Joshua NP today, as they haven't had any rain since January, until now.  We don't mind the rain, as it has cooled things down, and we know how valuable the rain is the area.  California is in a severe drought and they need it for their crops and livelihood, so we will make the best of it.  We saw lots of yellow flowers, and of course, the cacti bloom, even without any rain.

We did a short paved hike in an area, where they had an oasis in early times, and this is where we saw the fan palms. 

 This is one of three entrances to Joshua Tree National Park.  There is another one on the northwest side and one on the south side off I-10. 

 Jim is checking his GPS for a geo-cache (earthcache) in this area.  We are learning a lot about the rocks!

                                           A Joshua Tree frames a balancing rock in the park.

 An earthcache brought us to Skull Rock.  We are seeing similar ones throughout the park. Wind and rain cause the depressions in the rock, and gives it character!

              This was one of many yellow flowers that we saw in the park.  These are Paper Daisies

             This is a good shot of the rock formations and the Mojave Yucca plant blooming.

                                              This is a full bloom of the Mojave Yucca plant.