Click on a photo to enlarge it.
18.10.2003: Anza Borrego Desert Park - Joshua Tree NP
We got up before sunrise, got our chairs out and had coffee. We set off at 6-45 am. We drove to Desert Springs to find breakfast but we couldn`t find any shops!! Our next stop was at a large petrol station to get petrol. You always have to pay first and as we never know how much it will cost to fill up Helen has to leave her credit card with the cashier who then switches the pump on. Then we have a real song and dance trying to get petrol into the tank. All the nozzles here have large rubber tube on them which acts like an accordion and squeeze together when you push the nozzle into the tank. Then you have to push the nozzle down before squeezing the handle to release the petrol. This system, however, was not made for Winnie and we constantly have problems.
Our next stop was a place called Mecca - very Mexican and very run down. So we forgot about finding breakfast and drove (unknowingly) over the San Andreas fault and then into Joshua Tree National Park, through a moon type desert landscape along a windy road.
We got to the visitor centre at 10am, bought a National Parks card for $65 for the year and paid $10 camp site fee for the night. We found a spot, and got our awning out to give us some shade from the blazing hot sun. We got a second sheet out to use as a ground sheet, and put the cushions from the table and chairs inside Winnie on top so we could lie down and read through all the leaflets we`d just picked up.
It was about 100° F so we were glad we had an awning. But then the wind picked up and our awning collapsed. Helen just managed to catch one of the copper poles in time before it hit Kirsten on the head!! After making a curry we went out for a sunset walk. It had cooled down a bit but not much. Apparently this is the hottest temperature since 1939! And the heatwave is set to stay for a while! Unfortunately the campsite doesn`t have showers but at least there are flushing toilets!
We tried to find the amphitheatre for a talk that evening but were in completely the wrong place. We managed to find it before the talk started and then found out about the history of Joshua Tree Park. It was designated as a National monument by Roosevelt in 1936 but it took Congress almost 60 years to decide to make it a National Park!
We walked back in the dark, had a bowl wash and went to bed at about 9-30pm.
19.10.2003: Joshua Tree NP
Got up at 7-45am and washed our hair in the sinks in the toilet block. Then we took our mugs down to the amphitheatre to have morning coffee with an English volunteer ranger called Elly who gave up her teaching job to come out here and doesn`t know what she`s going to do when her 3 months are up. We chatted until about 9am and then at 10am we went on her guided walk around Cottonwood Spring along with Jean and Les, a couple from England who moved to Vancouver 41 years ago. We learned how the various plants and palm trees survive on very little water. The walk lasted 1.5 hours and we learned how humans can hardly survive despite a lot of water!!
Afterwards we drove North further into the park and stopped at the Ocotilla patch (11,000 year old trees) and did a short trail through lots of cactus trees. Then we headed for the next campsite - White Tank - no water!, no showers, and a drop toilet. You can`t expect too much when its free! The sign said the campsite was full but there was hardly anyone there when we arrived. So we found a shady spot - the only shady spot as we later found out!! We got our ground sheet out again with the cushions - what a life!!
Jean and Les came along a bit later and parked up in the spot opposite us. At about 4-30pm we went off for a walk to Arch Rock. The trail was only short so we made our own and went off climbing over the rocks. Helen had to climb onto the Arch rock so that Kirsten could take a photo. Kirsten had to give her a leg up - she regretted that! 55kg (8 stones) is heavier than she thought! At least the photos came out!
Back at the camp, Kirsten took photos of the wonderful sunset whilst Helen chatted to a guy from Ohio and then was joined by Jean and Les. Some other campers gave them a load of wood which they used to make a camp fire and we joined them, sitting and chatting until 11-30pm.
20.10.2003: Joshua Tree NP
Got the chance to look at Jean and Les`s motorhome today. It`s only 3 years old but has 45,000 miles on the clock already. (Only 15,000 less than Winnie who is 14 years older.) Then they came to look at Winnie - we had to hide the pee bottle quickly!!! They liked the shoe rack and the hanging material racks. Of course Winnie can`t compete as the décor is 17 years old. But he looks in very good shape for his age. We exchanged email addresses and they headed off North on their way back to Vancouver. They gave us the rest of the wood which we shoved under the table as the pieces were too large to put anywhere else.
We left at 09-45 am. Helen driving and Kirsten full of computer, cables, camera etc plugged into the cigarette lighter to load her photos from the chip onto the computer and into the image tank. Helen had to drive slowly otherwise we would have arrived before she`d finished!
We drove to Jumbo Rocks campground but there was no shade at all so we decided not to overnight there. We parked up and went on a 1.7 mile trail to Skull Rock. Some of the huge rocks are so precariously balanced on top of others that they look as if they`ll fall down any minute - and its earthquake territory here!
We drove on towards the next camp and had to go through road works. Fortunately we were let through without waiting as long as we hurried up to catch up with all the other vehicles who`d just been let through. Good job, otherwise we would have had to wait at least 30 minutes to be allowed through. It was extremely bumpy and muddy and we only just managed to catch up with the others shortly before the end of the road works! Winnie got really dirty!
The camp site we were heading to was right next to the road works so we went to the next one at "Hidden Valley" and managed to find a spot where there was shade for us but not for Winnie. Well it was the best we could do. We got out the sheet and the cushions and read a newspaper and Time magazine that Jean and Les had given to us. We haven`t got a clue whats going on in the world at the moment. There is no radio reception here and when we do get a reception we can`t find a station with news. It`s all country and western music and adverts!
At 4pm when it was a bit cooler we drove off up to Keys View for a great view over the valley where Palm Springs is and the San Andreas fault. We met a group of people from Hamburg up there! Then we drove to Cap Rock and went for a short walk around it.
We got back at about 6pm and then cooked pasta for dinner. As we were sitting at the table outside and eating a coyote walked passed!! Obviously not interested in our pasta!! Then we set up a home made shower at the back of Winnie using Kirstens water pouch which has a tube attached to it. There are only showers and water at 2 of the 9 camp sites in Joshua Tree. The others are free and have drop toilets. But our shower worked really well and we were clean again!
21.10.2003: Joshua Tree NP
Unfortunately Hidden Valley camp site is a favourite spot and we didn`t get much sleep as someone was playing loud music till about 3am! We got woken up before that by 2 Spanish speaking men who decided to have a conversation right next to Winnie! We were tired when we got up but not too tired as we made pancakes for breakfast. Then we walked over to hidden valley for a 1.1 mile walk into the valley which is surrounded by rocks on all sides and therefore hidden from view. It was so hot that we were really tired when we got back so we lay down in the shade.
At 3-30 pm we drove off to Barker Dam and did another 1.1 walk. We saw hundreds of tiny frogs leaping all over the place. We didn`t know if they`d just hatched or whether they were just small anyway! Then we tried to drive to Desert Queen Ranch along a very bumpy and sandy road where there was a danger that we could get stuck. We didn`t get stuck but we couldn`t get to the ranch as the road was blocked off - guided tours only which cost $5 and are only on Fridays to Mondays. (Today is Tuesday!)
So we drove back to camp and stopped to see what other people were looking at - a tarantula! Helen got out to take photos and Kirsten went to park at our site as we were in the way. Unfortunately she backed into a rock and bent the front wheel of one of the bikes!! She didn`t realise she`d hit anything but came back with Winnie as you need two to park him! (We found out about the bike 2 days later and that`s when Kirsten said it could have been her!! - we haven`t even used the bikes yet and now we have to repair one of them before we even start!)
Anyway, we spent ages watching the tarantula walking around and took photos. He wasn`t as big as the ones we saw in Brazil but still fascinating to watch. Then we parked up (without hitting a rock), cut up some of the wood into small pieces and got a fire going. We had marinaded some chicken earlier to grill and made baked potatoes and corn on the cob. This was accompanied by a tomato salad. Not bad for desert food! We did the washing up and extinguished the fire properly with the washing up water. Then we had makeshift showers again and went to bed at about 10pm.
22.10.2003: Joshua Tree NP
Got up at about 8-20 am. Helen took the pee bottle to empty it into the toilet but the toilet stunk so much that she brought it back to use in Winnie! Then she realised that the top of the pee bottle hadn`t been screwed on properly and had leaked over her T shirt!!! Even men have difficulty peeing over their own T shirts!! What a great start to the day!
Helen managed to get herself and the pee bottle sorted out, we packed up and left at about 9am. We drove into civilisation to Yucca, a town that is spread out over a wide area. We found a Walmart supermarket and bought Helen some slip on shoes to use for camping. Winnie is fitted with carpet so we walk around bare foot inside but are constantly going in and out so slip-ons are more practical. They only cost $10 (6 pounds!) We also stocked up on food and came back to Winnie and cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast in the middle of the car park!
Then we tried to fill up with petrol but couldn`t get any petrol in. We went to 3 different garages and paid 53 cents, 57 cents and 37 cents for about 0.5 gallons! M&M told us they´d had a similar problem about 3 months ago and had to get the petrol tank vent blown out with air as a valve had got stuck preventing petrol going in. So we had to find a garage. Fortunately we found one who could sort us out straight away and did it for free!! So eventually we managed to fill up with petrol by 2pm!
We went to a library to find out about campsites in LA on the internet and then we drove back into Joshua Tree NP on the other side of Yucca and went to Black Rock campground for the night ($10, with water and flushing toilets). We went to the dump station to get rid of our waste water which was smelling again (like rotten eggs!) and filled our tank and drinking water bottle up.
We found a shady spot, got the table and chairs out with all the maps and started looking at where to stay in LA and make a plan. After about 1 hour we gave up on the idea of going to LA at the moment as we needed to find a garage to sort out Winnies petrol tank. We`ve also developed a clicking noise in the front when driving. It started on the second day of driving! And we don`t know what it is. There`s a Toyota garage in Palm Springs so we decided we`d go there and try to get the problems sorted out. LA can wait for a while - it`s not going to go away!
When it got dark we moved inside and Helen wrote her diary. We later played cards - rummy - and Helen won hands down!
