Joshua Tree National Park--Day 3

From my trip in mid February:

After the rains ended (see previous post), things got less "interesting" but more beautiful:

Beautiful cactus:  pencil cholla first and possibly cushion foxtail below.

 Lovely hikes:

And more wildflowers:

Great day.

Joshua Tree National Park--Day 2

It was pretty chilly the day we arrived at Joshua Tree National Park in mid February.  But then it started getting colder.  Propane canisters on camp stoves generally get condensation on the outside at the level of the gas.  Well, our condensation froze.

It starting doing that thing that's not exactly snow, but like a fine mist of rain that freezes into little jumpy specs of white.  We hunkered in our tents.  Then it started raining.  It rained for about the next 15 hours.

This is what happened to the campground (though luckily our site was on a little rise):

This is what happened to the trails:

This is what happened to the roads (photo by Jan Maly on the way out of the park):

We played cards in the tent, ate breakfast in the truck.  Then we drove around the park.  I put on my emergency poncho and hiked around a bit here and there.  When the rain tapered off, I tested out a jacket to see how rainproof it was.  It got soaked...but kept my torso pretty dry.  My pants and shoes were another matter.  But it was all so beautiful.

When the storm finally quit, here's how much water we'd collected:

We measured.  Almost 3 inches!

What a camping trip.

But...the next day was beautiful.  More pictures to come.

Joshua Tree National Park in February--Day 1

Mid February, I met some Czech friends in the California's Joshua Tree National Park.  It was a great trip...even though the weather didn't cooperate so well.  You'll see more about that on Day 2!

Wildflowers near the southern entrance:

Wildlife at Jumbo Rocks Campground:

Views from the Ryan Mountain Trail:

Joshua trees and pretty silver cholla, whiter and more compact than our Sonoran teddybear cholla