The 'Hall of Horrors' Fascinating Rock Formations

I got up early the other day and went over to the 'Hall of Horrors' rock climbing area near Ryan Mt. I wanted to try out a my new Olympus 12-40 2.8 lens which I've been coveting since it's release. This is a fun area just to wander around, in and out of the rocks and do a little bouldering. There are all sorts of little caves, a slot canyon (which I couldn't find) and an interesting mix of vegetation. I have to ask someone where that slot canyon is...

Dramatic Intersection Rock

Saw this image of Intersection Rock the other morning on an early morning bike ride in Joshua Tree National Park. The mornings are heavenly.

A Great Bike Ride This Morning in the Park

We got up early (creaking all the way...) and went riding in the Park this morning. It was beautiful, nice and cool with a light breeze and some very nice clouds in the sky. I kept stopping to take pictures while Margie cruised off to Ryan, where she waited for me to come puffing up the hill. I kept getting wowed by the light, the clouds and rocks seemingly every twenty feet. Now, time for a little nap...

A 'Wild and Crazy' Day Trip to the Salton Sea Yacht Club and Salvation Mountain

This is a fun day trip from Joshua Tree. You might want to pack a lunch as they're aren't too many places to eat down there. Head down the 10 to the north shore of the Salton Sea and visit the restored North Shore Yacht Club designed by Albert Frey. I think they're only open on the weekends, but they have picnic tables where you can eat. (There are also some State Park areas further down the road as well.) If the store is open, pick up one their great 'Salton Sea Yacht Club' t-shirts, very cool. If you're a birder, you can see some rare migrating birds while you're there.
Moving on, head down the road to Nyland, turn left on Main Street and head out to one of the strangest 'Outsider Art' Installations you'll ever see. Out in the middle of the foothills is Salvation Mountain. Got paint?! You can wander about to your heart's content. The theme is: God is Love.
On the way back, stop in at Baghdad by the Bay for a brew at the local pub, some interesting folks live there. Check out the movie 'Salton Sea' an interesting documentary on the people who still live in the area. (More pics on my flickr site to the right.)

Spin's Show at JTAG in May

Surprise Tank a Great New Hike

We saw this mentioned in a hiker's blog on-line and decided to head out and see if we could find it. It's right off the Geo Tour Road and the California Hiking Trail, so it's easy to find. We found lots of flowers, the old cattle tank built by early ranchers, some great rock formations and even a Hummingbird nest in a Nolina. We will have to go back and explore some more later.

Spring is Springin' in the Park

The other day, I got up early as usual and took a new walk in an area that I had always seen as I drove past the kiosk upon entering the Park. There is a view of a valley in the distance which has always intrigued me, so I thought, I'll stroll down the wash and see what I can find. Needless to say, the area was chock full of flowers. You couldn't step anywhere without flattening those little yellow flowers that cover the ground. There were Fiddleheads, Pincushions, Asters, Sand Verbena, Lupines, Larkspur, Marigolds, White Milkweed, Bridge's Gillia, and a few I couldn't recognize. A real treat.
(You can see more on my flickr site to the right. Click on to make larger)

Surprise...Flowers in the Park!

We kept thinking we didn't get enough rain this year, but lo' and behold, there are some very nice displays of flowers in the Park. We took a walk in the area between the Maze trail and the Window Rock Loop the other morning and spotted these beauties. One of our guests was over at Split Rock and reported flowers there also. I can't wait to get back in to see some more.

I've never seen this before... sure is purty!

Indian Paint Brush

Chia

Fiddleheads

Desert Sweet Pea

Phacelia

Flowers at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

I got up early this morning and drove over to the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve to take a little walk and see if there were some flowers popping up. I took my usual route through the marsh area and came back with a few shots. It's always a treat to visit the preserve, no matter what time of year.

Rain at Last and a Great Cloud Display

We've gotten a passel of rain the last couple of days. In fact, the driveway of our house is now down by our neighbors. It always floats away when we get a big storm. Time for some fill in the drive. Anyway... the rain was coming on and we decided to take a drive through the Park and see what was happening there. As we drove in from the 29 Palms side, it was just beginning to sprinkle. By the time we hit Jumbo Rocks, you could hardly see the road, it was coming down so hard. Once past Ryan, we could see blue skies and plenty of billowing clouds, so we made for that. We kept jumping out of the car to take a shot, then the light would disappear and we'd move on to the next spot. I came back with these few 'keepers'. What a great day for clouds!

An Interesting Hike in Wonderland Wash

The other day, a group of us took a nice hike up the Wonderland Wash and made some wonderful discoveries, thanks to our guide Mark Wheeler. He knows the Park like the back of his hand, and he can identify almost every plant in sight, Latin names first. On this trip, he showed us some rocks in which the early settlers had used to store some of their food stuffs. He also guided us to a huge boulder off the trail (which we had walked past many times in the past) and when you ducked in and under the entrance, contained Petroglyphs made by early Native Americans. He also showed us a rock and cement dam built in the wash which would help contain water after the rains. Further on, he led us past the famous 'Three Freaks' rock formations, which the climbers have fondly named and in to a side canyon where we were able to see the famous 'Grant's Arch'.  A great hike indeed. Hopefully, I can remember where all these special things are, so I can take others there in the future.

Wonderland Ranch

The Cave For Storing Food

What does it mean?!

The Three Freaks

Grant's Arch

Spin's New Show at JTAG Joshua Tree Art Gallery