Joshua Tree National Park! Checked off my bucket list!

Hello ladies and gentlemen! I haven't been very good at blogging, so as always, I need to catch up. Start current and go backwards?

This is a GREAT time of year to be in Joshua Tree with all the wildflowers blooming. We are camped just a few miles from the south entrance. When you hear of Joshua Tree National Park, you probably think of Joshua Trees. It is that and much more. It is at the south entrance where the wildflowers are. No pictures, yet, because I will be going back tomorrow early before crowds to snap pictures. Wait-they don't "snap" on my phone. Each of the 3 entrances have a visitor's center. That is where we stop and get our Nat'l Park Passport book stamped. I asked them about several hikes I was looking at, and the kind young man at the desk recommended another. An hour an half drive to the hike! Just expect it. Here is a picture of a tortoise. It was stuffed and enclosed in glass. I figured I'd better get a pic because I doubt I'll see a real one. The other pic is what the terrain looked like for miles and miles between the visitor's center and the first stop.

First stop, about 40 miles in (still no Joshua Trees), Cholla Gardens.

I see warnings after warnings about the snakes, this garden had cactus warnings. Richard said he saw a demonstration of someone with a leather handle brushing it up against one of these cacti. It was kind of like porcupine quills. Was the first aid kit out here in the middle of nowhere for the cactus or the snakes?????

Notice the small green patches with white flowers. More on that later......

This is the only picture I took of a creosote bush. I used the Portrait setting on my iPhone. They are abundant. The bushes are as tall as me.

Here's a nice picture of the field of Chollas. Look carefully at the mountains in the distance, there are fields of yellow flowers.

Time for blooms!

Our next stop, about another 45 minutes away, was Hidden Valley hike. It is rated as an easy, one mile hike. It was not a level path, but did go in a loop. You'll see in the pics below. Fun walk.

This is what it looks like starting into the canyon/valley. The plaque at the beginning mentioned how horse and cattle thieves would use canyons like this to hide the stolen goods and change the brands on them.

Check out the tree on the right. I've never seen such huge Joshua Trees before today. I've seen some along the highway, but those didn't see that big. BTW-a Joshua Tree isn't a real tree. Go here for a very good explanation of the tree, the blooms, and other interesting facts. http://www.flowersociety.org/JT_Botanical.htm

If you look at the picture on the left closely you should see a dot on a tall rock. That is someone who just climbed it. Richard said that about 40 or so years ago he took rock climbing lessons here in JT.

The picture on the left here is a yucca tree just starting out its life. I got down on the ground to take a picture of the dead tree on the right. That angle makes it looks bigger than it really is. They use dead tree branches and rocks to border the path.

Can you find Richard in one of these pictures?

Here is a prickly pear, not very many in this park, and rock steps leading us out.

On to the last spot. It was a view point. There was a Crowd up there! People with dogs, too. I didn't realize that I missed taking a picture of the view that would be just to the left of this pic. It would be a pic of a mountain with snow and the valley with green pastures and towns like Palm Springs. Instead you just see this pic. See what looks like a brownish mountain or wall in the middle? That's LA. A wall of smog.