Joshua Tree National Park

August 18th and 19th

We left Bakersfield, continuing to head south to Joshua Tree National Park.  This park is California's southern-most park, located not far from Palm Springs, and is at the junction of two deserts- the Mojave and the Colorado desert.  This divides the park into two arid ecosystems, differing in appearance.  These differences are based on elevation.  The Mojave desert is the western side of the park at elevations over 3000 feet.  The Colorado desert is the eastern side, below 3000 feet, and is part of the larger Sonoran desert that extends into Arizona and northwestern Mexico.

We arrived at the Oasis Visitor Center mid-afternoon, later than we had hoped.  We spent a few minutes watching the park's movie and got some advice from the ranger on where to go.  Based on his advice, we spent the remainder of the afternoon primarily in the Mohave desert, in order to see the highlight of this park, the Joshua Tree.  The Joshua Tree is not actually a tree, nor is it a cactus, but a member of the Yucca family.   They can get quite large, up to 40 feet tall at about an inch per year, and develop many wild-looking "arms" once they have blossomed.  Occasionally, you will see a very tall, armless tree.  Basically, this is a tree that has never blossomed.

The other feature of the Mohave portion of the park is the rock formations.  These formations appear as jumbled piles, often in angular blocks.  The rocks are granite, which was formed from underground magma.  The magma pushed up into the rock above, began to cool and crystallize, forming horizontal and vertical cracks.  Chemical weathering from water flowing into the cracks, widening them and rounding the edges.  The result is these piles of blocks lying everywhere.

The ranger had told us of sightings of Bighorn sheep earlier in the day at a location called Barker's Dam.  Barker's Dam is a rustic dam built by cowboys in the early 1900's to store water for cattle.  Eventually, due to less and less rain in the area, cattle were no longer kept here.  The dam is still present, holding rainwater most of the year, which attracts wildlife.  Unfortunately, the "reservoir" had no water at present, but was damp, allowing lush grass to grow.  That was the attraction for the sheep.  We hiked the 1 1/2 mile loop trail in to the dam, seeing birds and the zebra tailed lizard, but no Bighorn sheep!  Disappointing, but a nice walk with beautiful views of the rocks and Joshua trees.

We continued on our scenic drive, stopping to take a few shots of Skull Rock.  When you see the picture, you'll understand its name!  By that time, it was getting late, and our hotel was over an hour away.  We drove south out of the park, toward the Cottonwood entrance, in order to see the Colorado portion of the park.  We descended gradually below the 3000 foot elevation level, noting the disappearance of the Joshua Trees.  There were still many other cactus, such as the Ocotillo, a graceful green multi-stemmed cactus that blooms with bright red blossoms in the spring.  We also stopped at the Cholla Garden, a grouping of Cholla Cactus, often referred to as Jumping Cholla due to its tendency to "grab" the unwary with its thorns.  The lower section began to look more like the Great Basin-type desert, with low brush, including the Creosote bush, which releases a toxin into the soil around it to discourage any competition for water.

We wished we had a little more time for this park, but it was not to be.  We arrived at our hotel in Indio late.  We had hoped to have dinner at a restaurant we had gone to a number of years ago.  However, it was closed for renovation, so we walked next door to a casino that had several restaurants.  This is certainly not the popular time of year here for tourists, for good reason.  Not only was it hot (over 100 when we arrived, stayed in the 80's all night), but HUMID!  Yes, I know South Carolina is humid, but Indio was worse!  It was like trying to breath through a wet wool blanket!

One of the larger Joshua Trees

Mohave Desert View

Back side of Barker's Dam

The "bark" of the Joshua Tree

Cistern filled from dam to provide water for cattle

Close-up of Teddy Bear Cholla cactus

Dust Devil

Joshua Tree Desert

Front side of Barker's Dam

Rock wall behind Joshua trees

A nice looking tree

Jumping Cholla Garden

Ocotillo Cactus

Rock with desert varnish

Skull Rock

What NOT to take camping!

Teddy Bear Cholla

Desert view

Unusual rocks

Barker's Dam "reservoir"

Note cube-shaped piles

Zebra tailed lizard

We left the oppressive air of Indio Sunday morning, but not before stopping at Shields Date Farm for a delicious date shake!  We also had a few date samples, but the shake was the big attraction.  On route to Arizona and Saguaro National Park, we passed through miles of desert.  It was quite windy and we saw many "dust devils", spinning funnels of dust that can reach several hundred feet into the air.  Not sure exactly what causes them, but they were everywhere this day.  Dale got a good example of one- not bad at 75 miles per hour!  We took the shot of the truck with the plane and classic car just because it is not something you see everyday....

Yosemite National Park

August 15th-17th

"It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter",  John Muir said  of Yosemite.  We would agree.  Yosemite was as amazing and awe-inspiring on this, our second visit, as it was the very first time we were here.  Its granite cliffs, waterfalls, and beautiful meadows are spectacular.  Our experience here would be a little different this time, as we had very happily accepted an invitation from Kate and Tim to spend a couple of days with them in their camper inside the park.

We arrived mid-afternoon from Merced, about an hour after Tim and Kate arrived, so they had camp all set up.  The drive up was interesting- twisty, windy roads, up and down mountains, a little nerve-racking in places.  This was another good reminder of how isolated many of these parks are, and how difficult it can be to get to them.

The campsite was a challenge- not a level spot to be seen, so they had to jack up the front of the RV to try to level it, not fully successfully.  There was quite a list, with the front of the vehicle downhill from the rear.  We got settled in, then decided to go to another campground to see if there was any availability.  It was very near to Glacier Point, so following a visit to the campground (unsuccessful), we drove on up.

Dale describes Glacier Point as the closest to heaven you can be on earth.  The view is of the Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, with the Sierra Nevada's spreading out before you.  The sun was getting low on the horizon, so the shadows and colors were wonderful.  You could see the Nevada and Vernal Falls flowing pretty well, surprising given the drought.  The valley was created by glaciers, which rose up higher than glacier point, thousands of feet deep.  You can still see the scrapes and scratches created by rocks being dragged by the glacier over the granite walls.   We spent an hour or so taking photos and enjoying the view before heading down to camp, stopping briefly in the valley on the way to take some shots of El Capitan.  This park is huge- about the size of Rhode Island- so getting from point A to point B can take some time.  We arrived back at camp at dark, enjoyed a great pork dinner on the grill, followed by that camper staple, Somoas (no idea how to spell that, but they were good!)

Next morning, after enjoying blueberry pancakes, we headed up Tioga Rd. Again, our purpose was two-fold- Dale and I had never been to this northern section of the park known as Tuolomne Meadows, so we wanted to visit that area.  There was another campground nearby, so again checked to see if they could move.  Unfortunately, nothing for several days.  We decided to go to the Visitor Center next, checking out some short hikes in the vicinity, and chose a hike up Lembert Dome, about 3 miles round trip.  While in the Center, I realized that this park also  has white bark pine trees and wondered if they also had Clark's Nutcrackers ( see Crater Lake).  We spoke to a ranger named Eric Smith who was VERY knowledgeable on this subject.  In fact, he had given a ranger talk on that very topic the night before.  It was wonderful to talk to him, he was so excited and obviously loved talking about it.  I think he was thrilled to have someone ask him.  Bottom line- yes, this park also has Clark's Nutcrackers.  Every white bark pine in Yosemite has been carefully planted by the nutcracker!  Fortunately, they are not having quite as much problem with the trees dying as they are at Crater Lake.

The hike up Lembert Dome was pretty challenging the first 3/4 mile, then got a little easier.  By the time we reached the dome- a wide-open, granite outcropping shaped as a dome- we could hear thunder in the distance and the wind was picking up.  Folks coming down said they had seen lightning in the distance.  We took a quick run up to the flat area to see the view, while Tim attempted to climb up the curved part of the dome.  Scary!  Coming back down the trail, we all donned yellow ponchos as the rain started to come down.  Not hard, just enough to get you wet.  Suddenly, we noticed the rain was making more noise- very first time we had ever hiked in hail!  The hail was quite small, thank goodness, as even the little ones hurt if they hit bare skin, and it went on for 15 minutes or so.  By the time we reached the car, it was just raining lightly.

We started the drive back to the camp, stopping at several areas to enjoy the views.  It was getting later and, with the dark clouds and mixed sunlight, the light on the cliffs in some areas was spectacular.  The lighting really emphasized the marks of the old glacier on the granite walls.  We stopped at one point to watch three rock-climbers coming down a steep cliff.   Better them than me!  Tenaya Lake was another good stopping point.  The lake is an alpine lake, much loved by visitors, and is just beautiful.  As always, there is conflict between using the lake and preserving it-a delicate balance that the park is trying to address.   Tim and Kate hope to canoe there.

Cathedral Dome

El Capitan at Sunset

El Capitan, Half Dome in the background

Glacial Scars

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels

Green Live Oak, Golden Grass

Half Dome from Glacier Point

Light on Granite

Mule Train- packing for hikers

Nevada and Vernal Falls

Rock-climber on Cathedral

Sierra Nevada's

Stellar's Jay (slightly blurry)- pretty, but known as a pest

Light on Cliffs

Sunset at Tuolomne Meadow

Kate and Tim at Glacier Point

Lembert Dome

Unlikely survivor

View from Lembert Dome

Tenaya Lake

Weather coming- Lembert Dome

We arrived back at camp in time to enjoy the evening sunlight and Tim's great chicken on the grill.  Bedtime came early that night.  Friday morning, Dale and I got ready to drive south.  Tim was still scrambling to find another campsite, as the front of the RV had settled further down, and they were having trouble keeping the refrigerator running.  We got out of their way, and headed south to Bakersfield, on route to Joshua Tree National Park.

Carson City and Lake Tahoe

August 10th-14th

We arrived in Carson City, Nevada, in the mid-afternoon.  Carson City is has a population of about 55,000 and is the state capital.  It is known as the Silver City, as mines in nearby Virginia City yielded a "mother lode" of silver, as well as other minerals.  It was named for the well-known frontiersman.  There are a number of golf courses in the area, so we certainly felt we could entertain ourselves for a couple of days.

The next morning, we decided to go to the Nevada State Museum, located just down the street.  The building was formerly the Carson City Mint Building, where silver coins were minted from 1870 to 1893.  Interestingly enough, there was a story on the news that morning of a dime minted in that facility in 1893 that had just been sold at auction for over 1 million dollars.  The museum still owns one of the presses used for minting coins, but it is only operated intermittently.  Lucky for us, when we walked in, the person at the desk told us we should go right back to the minting area, as the gentleman who operates the machine was in and showing how it worked.  The process was simple- they currently purchase a round blank of silver from a supplier, and simply manually operated the press to create the design on the coin.  During the time the building was a mint, these blanks were also made at the mint.  The press itself is a 6-ton, steam powered piece of machinery.  It was originally owned by the mint, was removed when the mint was closed down in 1893, and resurfaced many years later.  It was supposed to be destroyed for scrap, but someone recognized its historical value and contacted the museum, which bought it.  It now makes commemorative-type coins for different purposes to raise funds for the museum.

The remainder of the museum was very well done, and worth a visit if you are in the area.  There was a ghost town, displaying the history of mining in the area.  In the basement area, they had put together a mine display that had a very realistic feel- walking through the tunnels with stops to explain different aspects of the mining industry.  In addition, there was a display describing the Indian history in the area.  The natural history display was very informative with regard to the state's changing geologic history.  Again, I would recommend this museum.

After visiting the museum, we drove up to Virginia City, the nearby mining town.  The roads going into the town were winding, narrow, and steep.  The town itself retains the old wooden sidewalks and storefronts of a western town.  However, it was very "touristy" and crowded.  We just walked the main street and visited an antique shop before heading back to the motel.

We had intended to play golf the next day, but we were not very happy with our motel- noisy and just not service-oriented.  We regrouped (again!) and decided to go to Lake Tahoe, which we thought we would visit on a day trip.  Instead, we headed south and stayed in that area for a couple of days.  We arrived on Sunday- what a zoo!  Lots of folks everywhere.  We stopped in the Nevada side first, where all of the casinos are located, as we had spotted a craft fair in progress.  We wandered down, spending a few minutes talking with a local photographer and a jewelry designer-maker from the Sedona area.  Dale ended up purchasing a new hat- really nice looking!

We started to drive around the lake, as many folks recommend, but we only got just past Emerald Bay before turning around.  The traffic was awful, and anyplace worth stopping to look and photograph was packed with people.  Instead, we decided to check out a few golf courses to decide where to play the next day.  We chose the Lake Tahoe Golf Club- nice course and views, not OMG expensive.

Monday morning we left the motel early to play.  We were paired with another couple that spends every summer in Tahoe, getting out of the heat of Las Vegas.  He was showing us the ridge behind the course, and told us that there had been a fire there 3 years ago, where over 300 homes had burned.  Scary!  It was a good thing we started early, as we started hearing thunder by the 7th hole.  We played until it started to rain on the 9th hole (convenient!), then went in for lunch to wait it out.  It just got worse, so got a raincheck, hoping we could use it on Tuesday morning before we left town.  That night, we had made plans to go to the Chart House.  We had a gift certificate given to Dale some time ago for his service as Commodore of the Model Yacht Group and decided that was a good place to use it.  It was a nice restaurant, with great views.  Generally, those places give you small servings, so we ordered appetizer (huge), salad (enough for two), meal (normal size) and dessert (which had to be ordered  30 minutes ahead, so we ordered it prior to all the rest...).  Dale ended the evening by telling me never to allow him to eat that much again!

Virginia City Old-Timers

Lake Tahoe Beach 

Emerald Bay

Another view of Emerald Bay

Lake Tahoe

Tuesday dawned sunny and bright, so we were able to complete our round, and head for Merced.  Merced was closer to Yosemite, where we were to meet Tim and Kate on Wednesday the 15th.  In retrospect, would have been nicer just to stay in Lake Tahoe with its nice restaurants and 80 degree temperatures.  It was only 106 when we drove into Merced.  It was a strange little city, had trouble even finding a grocery store... but it all worked out, and headed our to our favorite park, Yosemite, on Wednesday morning.

Lava Beds National Monument and Vicinity

August 9th and 10th

We left Klamath Falls, Oregon, and drove south into northern California.  We had done some research to see what might be interesting to visit on our way south, and came up with Lava Beds National Monument.  Lava Beds is located just over the border into California.  Its lies on the flank of a massive volcano called Medicine Lake.  There are several different types of volcanoes.  The one we usually think of, the pointy-topped mountain, is called a composite volcano.  Medicine Lake is a shield volcano which, as its name suggests, is flat-topped, not very high, but covers a lot of territory.  They are created with multiple cinder cones, lava tubes and spatter cones.  It is considered dormant, but the last eruption was less than 1100 years ago, so activity is likely again.

As we drove into the park, we passed by Tule Lake, which is a wildlife refuge.  It was swarming with birds of all types, many of which we were not familiar with.  One was interesting- it was black with a gold head and chest, and with some research, we determined he was a yellow-headed black bird.  Really pretty. Another great bird sighting was of white pelicans- at least 30 birds in several groups, patrolling the area.  We could see Mt. Shasta off in the distance, looking spooky with its base obscured by smoke.   An interesting fact about Tule Lake- it used to be a lot larger, but the government decided to drain it to create more fertile land in the area.  The fertile land was then given to veterans after WW I and WWII to farm.  OK, that idea is nice, but.... let me see, draining a lake in the desert to create land to farm... seems a little short-sighted to me.  After all, the water is needed for farming, and you have now made that vital resource smaller!

Another interesting piece of history is related to the Medoc Indians, who inhabited this area for centuries prior to the westward migration.  There are thousands of carved petroglyphs and painted pictographs, many of which have been protected.  Most are located on a cliff called Petroglyph Point, a high cliff used by many birds including cliff swallows, hawks, and peregrine falcons.  It is used as a winter home by hundreds of bald eagles.  You could tell which ledges, nooks and crannies were used by the birds by the white guano staining the stone.  The number of petroglyphs was incredible.  It was difficult in some areas, however, to determine when some may have been added at a later date.  The area is protected with fencing now.

The Indians used this lava rock-strewn area as a fortress during the Modoc wars, when the U.S. Army was called in to protect settlers in the area.  The Medocs were asked to give up their homeland to live on a reservation.  They did so, but left when tensions rose due to limited resources.  The Army was told to return them to the reservation by force if needed.  In their fortress, the Modocs were able to hold off the army for nearly 5 months.  Peace negotiations failed, and the band of Indians was captured.  The leader, known as Captain Jack, and three others were hanged.  The families were sent to Oklahoma and never saw their homeland again.

Lava Beds also has a large number of caves and lava tubes that can be toured.  The caves are habitat for 14 species of bats.  We again chose not to tour these caves.  They were requiring hard hats (sold at the Visitor Center), flashlights, and hard-soled shoes.  They were also providing education on the white nose fungus we learned about at Mammoth Caves.

Blazing Star

Edge of the lava field

Lava bed

Headwall of lava

Lava rock with new growth

Moon over lava

Distant view of snow-capped Mt. Shasta

Petroglyph Point

Petroglyphs

Yellow-headed black bird

This was an interesting park, and if you are in the area, certainly worth a visit.

We decided to find a small town to stay for a few days, basing our choice on the presence of a golf course.  We found a town just southwest of the monument called Alturas.  They had a nine hole course, relatively flat.  We checked it out on our way into town, and decided to play the next day.  By the next morning, we decided one night here was enough- the town was just too small with not much going on, and not much nearby to do.  We walked nine holes on Friday morning before we left town.  We had the pleasure of seeing Mule deer on the course, one of whom spent his entire morning sleeping in the shade of a tree right next to the 8th tee.  The players didn't concern him in the least!  It was a pretty basic course, the folks were really nice, so overall a good experience.  Needing somewhere with more to do, we decided to head back to Nevada to Carson City for a few days.