West Side Loop, Wed, 2/25/26

 

Black Rock Canyon Campground is in the northwest corner of vast Joshua Tree NP.  This part of the park appears different than the main entrance inasmuch as there are no giant mountains of jumbled rock.  But we've discovered this area still offers plenty to see and do.  West of the campground are several trails, including the West Side Loop trail, a rocky five-mile-long path that weaves through ridges and washes and Joshua Trees.  We decided to give it a whirl today, a repeat from two years ago.

The wind was blowing like stink again in the valley, but up here at 4,000+ ft, the day was really fine, not too hot nor too cool and just a breeze to keep us comfy.  Otherwise, the start wasn't auspicious because a couple of horses had preceded us and tore up the sandy trail.

I guess the park service leaves this sign up permanently, and perhaps the tire holds the sign in place! (We saw it two years ago) The ruts left from rains make it harder to climb the hilly sections, but we dodged 'em and kept climbing. 

I see a monkey!

What do you see?

The Joshua Tree blossoms are big and they're beautiful, and many of the trees are beginning to flower.  This one has a bee crawling on top.

This trail is rated moderate, and you have to work to get to the top of this hill (or mountain).  Next to the red x, you can barely make out two people we passed on our way up as they were descending.  Yup, that's our trail, all right.

Still slogging away, heading up.

I was feeling the 800' elevation gain.

Sometimes you just have to stop and breathe!

We're still not at the crest.

The same sign is up here that we saw down below ... with tricky sections to navigate in between.  The views of the mountains, layer upon layer, culminating in snow-coned Mt San Gorgonio were fabulous.

Beautiful.  Hi, Jimmy!

This we did not like.  Steep, sand-slick downhills followed by aggressive uphills followed by more of the same downhills and repeat.  We had to choose ways off trail to clamber down, often backwards and hanging onto whatever nearby shrub that didn't have spikes or spines.  We didn't remember having to do this from a couple of years ago.  Maybe on purpose?  Or the trail has gone to pot.  Anyhoot, it was scary.  No mas!

We did it, however, and nobody got hurt.  I do recall seeing this Joshua Tree lying down and becoming a a nurse tree with lots of offspring!  The only critters we came across today were lizards, lots of small lizards.

Even the Sotols are shooting up flowering stems.

Egad!  We were stopped in our tracks at the burn scar.  A "brush" fire on the West Side Loop trail broke out a few months ago -- October 2025, cause unknown -- and consumed approx 72 acres!  NPS and BLM worked on putting out the fire.  We knew it had to be recent as we could still see ash beneath the burned branches. 😢

When at last we saw our little Smartie, we were so tired, so ready to be done with the hike -- and sooo happy to see the li'l guy all by itself parked beside a Joshua Tree!  We drove home to Tergel and dove into the pool!  (not literally, no diving)

I talked about wind in the Coachella Valley in a previous post, and blowing sand. Yes?  Evidence, above and below.  As we came down into the valley from JTNP, we were appalled at the mess being created -- huge winds blowing sand and dust.  These pics were taken near the RV Park where we're staying, about six hundred feet above where the sands are being blown, so we're just seeing the tops of the sand being blasted skyward.  

Close the windows, Mabel!

And that's it for this year.  Our month at Catalina Spa and RV Resort is over Tuesday, 3/3/26, and we'll head out in the morning.  Hopefully the manic wind will cooperate and stand down!  We've enjoyed our time here, those terrific pools (I WILL miss my daily swim!), all the hikes we've managed to muster up the energy for.  We found new things to do this go-round, along with some familiars.  Of course there's the mundane, laundry, grocery shopping, and so on.  When we get home, we'll have our work cut out for us.  Till next year, adios Desert Hot Springs!

Joshua Tree NP, Sunday, 2/15

 

Sometimes things work out just right despite the seeming odds and today was one such day.  Let's face it, only fools would choose to visit a national park on a Sunday in the middle of a three-day weekend! (Presidents' Day)  Think it might be crowded, perhaps a long line of vehicles to even get to the entrance gate?  Short answer:  Yes and yes.  And yes, but with rainy weather in the upcoming forecast, maybe today was THE only day to go.

We parked Smartie at the first available parking spot when we saw a trailhead marker.  It didn't matter which trail; we knew most of the crowd would be going to the heart of the park.  Turns out we were on the Creosote trail which led to Big Foot trail, woohoo, and a good choice as we encountered very few people.  We wandered for four delightful miles, stopping frequently to admire, point, study, sniff and smell, shake our heads at the crazy rock jumbles, gaze at clouds and generally wonder at nature's gifts.  We can be poky, too, not caring about our "steps" or counting miles.  What a blessing to just be present!

A nice young couple saw us ogling the Joshua tree blossoms and asked if we wanted our picture taken together.  Sure, we said.  That was the beginning of a terrific afternoon (on a partly cloudy and cool day).  For once, we were dressed just right.

Could this be goofy or silly?  Or simply fun?

Jimmy being swallowed by a cholla and me being crushed by a boulder.

How old might this Juniper have been when it gave up?

Even in death, it's remarkable.

Like the other trails we've been on, this one was also a wildflower hit.  Clockwise, top left is Desert Bluebell, next is Wright's deervetch (lots of these).  Bottom right is the absolute smallest, cute and tiny Mojave Desert Parsley -- you see the tip of my dusty shoe in the pic.  Middle is TINY Fremont's phacelia and the tip of my index finger (oooh, which of the two is smallest?), followed by a Smooth Desert Dandelion.  So cool to see all these different blooms.

Rock art 😊

Da guy! 💖

Cactuses!  My fav is California Red Barrel which most of you already know, top left.  Next, man, look at those killer spikes!  Bottom, left to right are Hedgehog, Cholla, and Beavertail.  They're all lethal if you touch 'em!

We had to do some climbing and downhill scrambling on Big Foot.  I'm not as agile as I used to be, since I'm no longer a youngster, so I'm being very careful where I place my feet.  Jimmy ripped those old limbs apart -- nah, not really.  This is a great place to hike if you like rocks, and we do.  Also, we like everything else (except spiders, that would be me).

The rocks behind me are full of doodads and colors and splits.  If you enlarge the pic you can see them.  Kind of like the two small pics at right.  The one at the bottom reminded me of a piano, and -- again -- there's my dusty shoe to show size.

Isn't this a gorgeous Joshua tree blossom?  I couldn't get my nose close enough to check out its scent without getting stabbed by one of those dagger-like "leaves."

Harmonious would be the way to describe today's Joshua Tree visit.  Plus, we made it back in time for a sweet dip in the pool.  Once the incoming weather clears, we plan to return to this fantastic national park.

Yup, we really do know how fortunate we are.

Oh, boy! Two-fer! to 3/10/25

Saturday, March 8th, was our whale-watching tour, out of Ma`alaea Harbor in central Maui.  Jordan booked 10am tickets for the five of us, but (in retrospect) 8am probably would've been better, with less wind.  We're discovering that March is a windy month on Maui!  White caps were already on the water by the time we left the dock and it wasn't easy to tell if you're seeing a whale spout or spindrift under those conditions.

Hi Jimmy!

Rogues gallery, ready to roll!

Jimmy, Tom, Diane, Jordan

Das boot.

Front seats on the upper deck.

Hold onto your hats!

You can see choppy water here at McGregor Point and Lighthouse.

Further out we spied our first "thar she blows!"

By gum, "whale ho!"  Humpbacks breaching!

I was glad I'd brought my Tilly hat 'cause it protected my face (and it would stay on!).  Everybody else had to remove their visors and caps or lose them to the wind, and they came home red-faced.  I guess I was videoing something here.

When not looking for whales, many people on the top deck were mesmerized by swirling mists and clouds over the West Maui Mountains.  I can tell you that returning to the pier was a trip in itself with the boat bouncing in the waves, spray reaching the upper deck!  Woohoo!  We didn't get up close or personal with whales, no matter, but the two-hour tour/boat ride was fun.  The two of us are happy campers anytime on, in, or near water!

Next to the pier is the Maui Aquarium.  It seemed like a good idea ... and it was.

I could've spent hours and hours in this amazing aquarium, watching the fishies of the sea in their reef habitats.  Their exhibits are unique, highlighting marine life around Maui, including sea turtles and humpback whales and live Pacific coral.

That strange-looking orange blob, lower left, is called a frogfish.  The aquarium had five Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Honu), a protected species and the largest sea turtle in the world, in a lagoon exhibit.

But my absolute favorite was the octopus, who was attached to the side of its exhibit, till lunch time and then it was all arms and legs!  That light-colored "stick" is someone's arm!  Feeding or petting or what, I don't know, but his hand stayed inside the octopus for quite a while.  Again, I would've stayed till dark watching this octopus -- I name each one I see "amigo."

* * * * *

On Monday morning, the 10th, Jimmy and Tom announced that "the mountain looked clear," and we should drive up to the summit of Haleakala National Park, approximately 35 miles away and straight up from sea level to 10,000'.  It's over an hour to get there on a very winding road through various microclimates as diverse as rainforest and alpine desert.  But, these mountains attract clouds like ants to honey.

Twist and turn!  Haleakala's peak (or close to it) is to the left in this picture.  Yup, clouds.

It was VERY WINDY up here and we were all cold.  But we did it!

Swirling mists clouded the crater.

The usual "it-doesn't-belong-here" non-native Chukar birds were hanging around.  It's a wonder they can survive in these harsh conditions.

Up to the tippety-top.

Wishing I had my Nevada City parka!

Jimmy wondered if Haleakala Silverswords were soft or stiff.  They're soft with silvery hairs and fleshy leaves, and can only be found on Maui.  We didn't see any blooming.

You can actually hike down in the crater.

We didn't last long at the summit, t'was just too unpleasant!  Remembering our delicious lunch two years ago at Kula Lodge, we returned for lunch this day.  These round "pavilions?" are a fun place to eat, surrounded by gorgeous, exotic flowers ... and cute li'l hungry birds.  Good food, too.

This tall shrub was intriguing.  I thought it might be some kind of pine tree.  I asked several people, finally learning it's a Pincushion Protea from the manager.  Never saw anything like this!  Their seeds look like upright pine cones!

So, that's two days' worth of adventures.  When all is said and done, we end up in the infinity pool, loving every minute.

Over and out, Friday 2/21/25

 

Our month at Catalina Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs is over, and it's time to go home, some 560 miles away and a two-day drive with an overnight stop at Minter Field Air Museum (Harvest Host).  We have so enjoyed this time in the desert, happily avoiding those atmospheric rivers of rain pummeling our lonely home in the foothills of Nevada City ... and the cold, and the damp, and the gray.  Jimmy and I packed a lot into this month, going and doing, living life to the fullest we could.  Out and About -- hiking and biking and playing, and swimming -- oh, the pools!  I will miss swimming the most.  (I swam every day but one.)

The places we've gone, the fantastic sights we've seen, most of it new to us this year, and seeing San Jacinto in all its glory every morning when opening the front window curtains, ah, what a way to begin a day!

Being with friends made the time extra-special.  When we first arrived at Catalina, we were greeted by our friends, Betty and Wayne, from Newfoundland.  After they left, we met a pair of Oregonians named Nancy and Doug and formed a fast friendship.  Then our dear friends, Sue and Mo, arrived from Oregon, accompanied by their friends, Joanne and Phil in their RV, also from Oregon.  We were surrounded by Beavers and Ducks!  Wonderful seeing and being with y'all.

Last Monday, Jimmy and I finally met our goal to hike in the Whitewater Preserve, choosing the amazing Canyon Loop Trail, five miles for us, and a 600' elevation gain switchback to where you see us, above, part of it on the PCT.  We started way down below at the V/C, on the other side of the white riverbed (wash).  Quite the hike.  I have many more pics, but I'll keep it down today. 

On Tuesday, we hopped in Smartie and circumnavigated Joshua Tree NP, beginning at the southern entry in Cottonwood Spring and V/C, driving all the way through the park, out the northern end, and back to Desert Hot Springs.  This wasn't our initial intention, but that's the way the day rocked!  Above, Jimmy is being swallowed by Very Sharp Cholla in the cactus garden!  Thousands of cholla line both sides of the road, right up to the mountains.

After that, we parked Smartie and set out to find arch rock.  We saw every other kind of rock, but we couldn't find arch rock.  I added what I considered appropriate captions. 😃

Lucky us, of course, to find heart rock!  We put 141 miles on Smartie and were tired when we returned to Tergel.  This year we've certainly explored much of Joshua Tree NP and enjoyed every minute.

Wednesday was a change of pace and a visit to Living Desert and Zoo.  Though we lost sight of our four friends, we had a delightful time.  The zoo is planning a Glow at the Park function, hence the dragon.  You know I've been hankering to see a Desert Big Horn sheep, and -- yeehaw! -- I saw four here at the zoo!

Thursday afternoon the six of us (in three cars) made it to downtown Palm Springs.  We wanted to share dinner at Tommy Bahama's and then cruise the Thursday night street fair, featuring arts, crafts, food, and entertainment!  Something for everybody, and it's fun.  The restaurant is a block away from iconic Marilyn Monroe -- and it was my turn for a photo op.

Here are the six of us in a selfie, taken just before we pulled out.  Clockwise from me, you see Joanne, Jimmy, Phil, Mo, and Sue.  Impromptu and everyone is smiling!

Last, but not least by any yardstick, here I am on a rare day by myself in the pool on Thursday and loving it.  All the pools (there are four) feature odorless hot mineral springs water.  You can't believe how therapeutic it is to take a step into the nice warm water and simply let yourself melt into it, like a hand inside a warm mitten.  Jimmy favored the hot spa, feeling rejuvenated by every dip.

That's our month away from home.  Maybe to you, the desert is a barren, even desolate place.  To us, it's an opportunity and, if you've read our posts, you'll see what we mean.  Joyous opportunities abound in a landscape that is rich with surreal geologic features and critters and plants.  It's great.  We'll be back ....