Having used up all my vacation days, we have to take advantage of each and every three-day weekend I get!  The Foundation gave us last Friday off as our "Spring Holiday" and we decided we would hit a new National Park (well, new to us).  There are multiple we have yet to visit in California, but only one that stood out as a clear option this time of year -- Joshua Tree National Park.  Average temperatures are low-mid 80's, wildflowers are in bloom, and no hikes are closed due to snow conditions.  It was the perfect choice.  Little did we know how much we were going to love it!

We snuck out a little early on Friday and were on the road by 4:30pm.  We expected to hit some traffic but witnessed a mini-miracle and made it to Joshua Tree (food and gas stops included) and were headed for sleep within 9 hours!  Amazing!  We weren't quite that fortunate on the way home, but it still was pretty good for Sunday, Holiday traffic.

Lee and I must have some unknown or unseen radar that calls out to clouds and rain to come find us wherever we are.  Because Friday, the clouds were thick and it even rained that evening!  We definitely weren't expecting that in the desert.  We still had a fantastic day on Friday.  We got off to a late start (what Visitor Center opens at 12pm on a Friday?) and decided to hit the trails in the south end of the park.  To get there we enjoyed a very scenic drive through the heart of the park.  Our favorite parts were the unexpected stops along the road to marvel at the wildflowers, catcus and Ocotillo trees.  The first stop was at Chollo Gardens (a.k.a the jumping cactus).  That name couldn't be more fitting.  One minute we're admiring the cactus and taking LOTS of photos and the next thing you know we have oval shaped cactus balls attached to our shoes.  Rubber soles, shoe leather, socks are no barrier.  It's unbelievable.  Lee ended up taking the tip of one home with him in his right foot.  Aside from their danger - they are gorgeous.  Especially in bloom!  The second stop was the Ocotillo Patch.  The Ocotillo tree is a deciduous tree that blooms when there is just the right amount of rain fall.  Lucky for us, the conditions were right and the trees were blooming all over.  They were some pretty cool lookin g trees.

Our drive ended at Cottonwood Springs where we got out and hiked for 7 miles.  We hiked to Lost Palms Oasis.  A canyon in the desert where there is the largest collection of naturally growing California Fan Palm Trees in the park.  They say there are close to 100 of them (or maybe a little more).  Although impressive, we really just enjoyed hiking the trails and admiring all the brightly blooming cacti and the colorful wildflowers.  The desert floor was more alive and vibrant with color than I ever would have imagined.  Our timing was such that we were able to climb Mastadon Peak for sunset... unfortunately this is when the clouds got really thick and dark and we got rain instead...

Saturday was rain-free but we still battled a fairly cloudy sky until early evening.  So we spent the day in the heart of the park, stopping at the main attractions, admiring and photographing the Joshua Tree and the enormous rocks that look like a Giant's playground.  Rock climbers were EVERYWHERE.  We did our own scrambling and climbed to the tops of a few rock structures to enjoy the views.  The quantity o f Joshua Trees across the vastness of the desert was astounding.  They really are interesting trees.  We drove out to Keys View where you could see Pleasant Valley below and Mt. Jacinto and San Gorgonio (although it was a little hazy).  We climbed to the top of Ryan Mountain to enjoy a larger, more 360 view of the park.  Too bad we couldn't have spent sunset up there!  We spent it instead on another rock pile closer to the park's main entrance.  Unfortunately for us, the sunset was pretty marginal.  This time there weren't enough clouds to make the sky interesting and light up in all sorts of colors.  We were, however, grateful it was dry. That night the skies were super clear and we took out our fabulous star guide and learned about new constellations. I finally saw Cancer! I've never been able to find or see that one before.

Sunday was a slow-morning.  We packed up our camp before heading into the park one last time.  Odds would have it that our last day (or half day) was the best weather.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperatures were warm but not scalding.  If only we had had that weather a day earlier!  We walked one last little trail to Barker Dam.  The dam was a complete let down (pretty much a puddle) but the walk there and the views from the rocks we climbed were beautiful.  It was a great way to wrap up our last day. 

Overall we were really impressed with Joshua Tree. We would recommend it to anyone.  Especially if you can get there when the wildflowers are blooming.  It was gorgeous.  The majority of our photos are all flowers and Joshua Trees.  We essentially created our own wildflower guide.  :)  Check them out here:  Joshua Tree National Park We also were excited to discover you can buy a National Park Passport and get them stamped at the Visitor Center of each National Park.  We wished we had known about this for the ones we visited in 2008, but were excited to start with Joshua Tree.  And in just a few short weeks, we'll get another stamp at Yosemite!