Monday, January 30, 2017

Amazing Views of Pinto Basin With Fantastic Clouds Along The Lost Horse Trail Loop

This is one of our favorite hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, a good six miler. You start out in the parking lot and walk up 2 miles to the Mine Site through rolling hills with wonderful views along the way. Once you get to the top of hill above the mine, you begin to descend down through these craggy rocks with amazing views of the Pinto Basin. This is my favorite part of the Loop Trail, I couldn't stop taking pictures, the light was fantastic. From here, it's about 2 miles down to the valley floor on the other side and another 2 miles back to the parking lot through a lush forest of Joshua Trees. All in all, a good workout. I have to say, this time we were really pooped when we got back, as we hadn't been doing any long hikes during the winter. It was hot showers all around and a nice nap for me of course!









Monday, January 16, 2017

Desert In My Mind-Double Exposures at Hidden Valley

I'm always trying to see Joshua Tree National Park in a different and unique way, so the other morning I got up early and went over to a favorite spot in Hidden Valley where there are some great rock formations. I'd been thinking about this idea for a while and figured this was a good day to experiment. I spent the whole morning doing double exposures of the rocks and Joshua Trees there. It's a real hit and miss technique sometimes, but I think I came up with some nice ones.







Monday, January 9, 2017

A Reflective Morning at Barker Dam

I hadn't visited Barker Dam in quite some time and after seeing water at Surprise Tank, I figured a visit was in order. The day I went, I had the whole place to myself for a couple of hours which was a real treat. It was cold of course, but nice and quiet. A slight breeze came up at one point which created some ripples on the surface of the water adding a nice effect. Early morning is definitely the best time to go before the crowds get there. No big horn sightings this time alas. Next time.







Monday, January 2, 2017

There's Water at Surprise Tank Ma!

Since we've been getting all this rain lately, we figured there might be some water at 'Surprise Tank', so we hiked out to see what was what. Yup, there was a good amount, not quite up to the top but enough to get some pics and do some hiking around the otherworldly rock formations there. A pretty nice day was had by all.

 The tank is on the left nestled amongst the rocks
 Slippery shapes in the rocks
 The tank and water beyond
 Angled view to the North
 The elders
 Reflection
 View from in the rocks
Panoramic toward the North