After reprovisioning at Lake Cahuilla County Park (outside of La Quinta), we drove up to one of our favorite places on the planet: Indian Cove campground in Joshua Tree National Park. We stayed at Indian Cove last year and loved it so much that we wanted to come back this year for an extended visit. We stayed for nine days (eight nights), and could have spent quite another week in the area. The weather was perfect, not too hot, with much less wind than Anza-Borrego (and Lake Cahuilla), and beautiful nights.

As in Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree was afire with wildflower blooms. We ran into many of the same plants we found earlier, including claret cup cacti, barrel cacti, and more, but we also found a few new ones.

Desert globemallow bush along the Boy Scout Trail. (Photo credit: Susan)

There were tons of blooming wildflowers throughout the park, including gorgeous carpets of yellow, purple and blue flowers.

More carpets of wildflowers. (Photo credit: Susan)

You could see the claret cup cacti all over the park, at almost every elevation.

We did lots of hiking—short ones and some of Susan’s trademarked day-long hikes through the desert—and saw not only flowers, but bighorn sheep, plenty of happy rabbits and even a desert tortoise hanging out under a bush. (Alas, no photo of the sheep—they moved very fast up the mountain side.)

Barker Dam is a man-made pond built by Bill Keys in 1949. Bill was one of the few successful ranchers in the Joshua Tree area, and lived a colorful, if tough, life (including a stint in San Quentin for killing a neighbor—in self-defense, he claimed).

Susan in one of the old Indian caves near Barker Dam. The petroglyphs had been painted over — to heighten their effect — for a movie shot there in the late 1950s. (Sigh.)

An abandoned truck, at an abandoned old mine in the middle of the park. (Photo credit: Susan)

Rick at 49 Palms canyon, an oasis in the middle of the desert.

In addition to seeing a small family of bighorn sheep on our 49 Palms hike, we happened upon a desert tortoise under a bush.

Along the Panorama Loop trail, out of Black Rock Canyon. (Photo credit: Susan)

At the top of Warner View. (Photo credit: Susan)

There were tons of blooming wildflowers throughout the park, including gorgeous carpets of yellow, purple and blue flowers.

View from the top of Sneakeye Spring bouldering trail. (Photo credit: Susan)

There were lots of photo opportunities in the park, especially with the Joshua trees at sunset.

Self-portrait among the Joshua trees.

Joshua trees at sunset.

On our last night in camp, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

On our last full day in Joshua Tree, we decided to hike up to the top of Ryan Mountain, one of the highest points in the park. It was listed as a strenuous hike, which it was, largely due to the steep stairs of rock that the Park Service has created to help folks get to the top. Once at the top, we were treated to a wonderful panoramic view of this part of Joshua Tree, including the aptly named Wonderland of Rocks.

View from the Ryan Mountain trail. (Photo credit: Susan)

The trail to the top of the mountain was largely made up of steps of rock built by the Park Service to help people through the many steep parts of the trail. (Photo credit: Susan)

The rock cairn atop Ryan Mountain. (Photo credit: Susan)

Rick shooting the Wonderland of Rocks on the valley floor. (Photo credit: Susan)

Rick near the top of Ryan Mountain. (Photo credit: Susan)

As I write this, we’re temporarily camped in Flagstaff, Arizona, on our way to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. We’re hoping to get to Monument Valley tonight, and should be at Capitol Reef by Thursday. We’re not sure how much time we’ll spend there, but it should be at least a week, if not more. We won’t have good cell coverage, so don’t expect to hear anything from us for at least a week or maybe more.

Thanks!

Rick and Susan