16 Dec Joshua Tree NP

Saturday Dec 11

We left San Diego Saturday morning for two nights camping at Joshua Tree. Aaron and I took our time getting out of the city, checking and double checking we had everything and making several stops along the way for last minute supplies. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and made for a beautiful drive – more roads I’ve never been on through the desert towns west and south of the park. 

We drove into Joshua Tree mid-afternoon, which in California winter means right before sunset. The landscape was immediately mesmerizing with the unique clusters of Joshua Trees, rock formations and other desert wonders. 

We quickly found our campsite in the aptly named Jumbo Rocks campground. Towering boulders walled us in and provided the perfect jungle gym for Olivia. The temperatures plummeted from the sun-filled afternoon and soon we were gathering around a campfire with hot soup for dinner. Even with a half-moon-lit sky, the stars were brilliant and we noted the rising of Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn, all in a line above the horizon. We attended the Joshua Tree Ranger presentation at the amphitheater not far from our campsite, delighted to find a healthy fire and an entertaining lecture about the kangaroo rat’s amazing ninja skills! We chatted with the rangers afterwards and then took a meandering, moonlit walk back to camp. 

Sunday Dec 12

Saturday’s overnight temps were just below freezing, and no one was in a hurry to get up Sunday morning. I can’t remember the last time I slept in till 9a! It felt so good to stay cozied up inside wile the sun baked the van. 

We hung around the campsite that morning, playing rounds of bocce ball and Aaron taught Olivia how to play cribbage. We all readied for a hike around noon, keeping it simple with the trails that departed right from our campground, and met with various other loops nearby. We ended up doing almost 5 miles across three looping trails that wound pass named features like Skull Rock, Elephant Rock, Face Rock, and Split Rock. 

We returned happy and beat from the full afternoon in the sun, across several miles of sand, rock, and cacti. We salvaged some firewood from the previous night’s ranger presentation and had ourselves a nice night around the campfire. We taught Olivia the card game Dutch Blitz under headlamp-light until our fingers were too cold to play. Eventually I was reclining with my feet on the unused cook grate, watching the faint but frequent shooting stars from the Geminid Meteor Shower under the half-moon light.

Monday Dec 13

The morning wasn’t nearly as warm as the previous day but we still had sun enough for some bocce with Olivia before we had to check out of the campground at 11. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to the family that had housed and welcomed us so openly on such short notice, and truly some of my best friends! Hopefully we’ll get to travel or stay with them again soon!

The drive out the other side of the park was beautiful and we said goodbye to the Joshua Trees and headed down into the desert, bound for Arizona.