Joshua Tree National Park

We spent two nights at the Joshua Tree National Park just outside Yucca Valley, CA. You had to go back to the highway to access the rest of the park but it wasn’t far.

Still waiting for my head cold to expire, we spent the day exploring Joshua Tree by car. Lots of beautiful spots are accessible by car although it would have been nice to explore on foot a bit more. (Dogs not allowed on trails.) Eliot wanted to try bouldering (there were lots of BIG boulders with lots of people climbing them) but I had to inform him that we’re both a bit too old for that.

On the way back to the campground from the park, we stopped at a little shop across from the park information centre. It’s a funky little shop called Coyote Something? and its attraction for me was the shower facility in the back. I hadn’t had a shower since Friday of the previous week and it certainly was time. There was a line up but since there was a pleasant place to sit in the shade that wasn’t a problem. It gave me time to have a look at the public piano by the parking lot. It sounded as if it hadn’t been tuned in 20 years but was colourfully decorated and painted.

We had some very pleasant neighbours while camping at Joshua Tree. They were a family from Monterey, CA who were making their first outing with their tent trailer. There were the mom (Jennifer) and dad (Rodney)and two daughters aged 9 (Lily) and Chloe (13). They sort of adopted me during the two days we were there although Rodney confessed that he was currying favour with Canadians because he planned to move to Canada if the Republicans got elected again. Eliot, of course, had made friends with the family the night before when we’d arrived and was ever present at their campsite especially when food was on the go. When we returned from our day at Joshua Tree (and after my shower) they invited me over for quesadillas. After dinner we played a card game that was kind of scrabble with cards. Lily and I were partners and came in second. Chloe came in first and Lily and I suggested that it might have had something to do with the fact that she was the score keeper.

Rodney and Jennifer have fond memories of Victoria and suggested that some time we might like to do a house swap ... perhaps when the Bach Festival is happening in Carmel.