We drove in the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park in California, around a campground, to some possible hike locations, down a dirt road to a nice place for a walk, then out the west entrance. Enjoy this timelapse of the drive; the first half is less interesting, but wait for the interesting rocks and joshua trees.
truck
A hike in Joshua Tree National Park
We visited Joshua Tree National Park when last in the Palm Springs area back in December, but decided to visit it a second time in early February, specifically to go for a short hike.
We went in the south entrance (where we exited last time), and stopped at the visitor center there. There was a singing park ranger:
After exploring a campground (too small for our coach), a picnic lunch, and considering a hike near the visitor center, we continued on towards the joshua tree part of the park. Passing some interesting rocks on the way:
Some joshua trees:
The parking areas were too full to do more popular hikes, so on a whim we turned down a dirt road:
Some interesting rocks by the road:
We stopped at an access point for rock climbers, and explored that area as an informal hike:
If you look closely, you may spot several rock climbers:
A selfie:
I’m valiantly holding up a rock:
A wave-shaped rock:
Young joshua tree:
Rocks:
Me taking a photo:
Of this:
Jenn and me:
Another rock climber:
More rocks:
A small cactus:
Joshua tree:
Rocks and joshua trees:
A bird:
I like the glowing effect of the sun behind the tip of the rock:
More lens flare with the sun touching the tip of the rock:
Joshua trees:
We’re liken the lichen:
Three colors:
Rocks and joshua trees:
Jenn on a rock:
Me joining her:
Jenn posing:
Me:
Shadows:
More interesting rocks:
Truck windshield rock chip repair
While driving on the aforementioned Dillon Road (on another occasion), another vehicle threw up some sand and rocks, and one hit the windshield of our truck, taking out a chunk of the glass. That’s the first time we’ve had that happen.
This isn’t a low-flying plane over the road, but the chip, soon after it happened:
Our insurance includes free rock chip repair, but (for some reason) we decided to fix it ourselves. So I bought a windscreen repair kit from Amazon.
The recently acquired step was useful to get easier access to the windshield:
The repair kit included a suction-cupped holder:
Inside view:
Adding resin:
The repair worked really well; one can hardly tell where the damage was.
The kit is good for more repairs, so a useful thing to have, should we get any more rock chips in our truck or coach windscreens.
Video: bumpy Dillon Road, CA
In yesterday’s video I included a short clip of driving along the bumpy Dillon Road near the desert cities in California… but felt it deserved a longer video. So enjoy… if you aren’t inclined to seasickness.
Video: exploring some things around Salton Sea, CA
Some timelapse clips of a bumpy road on the way to Salton Sea, California, plus heading to Salvation Mountain, driving around Slab City, visiting the Niland Mud Volcanos, passing through the border control station, and exploring some campgrounds by Salton Sea.
Exploring some things around Salton Sea, CA
Back in December we took a drive around the Salton Sea in California, stopping at Bombay Beach. While back in the Palm Springs area, we did another day trip to the Salton Sea, visiting other areas, including Salvation Mountain, Slab City, the Niland Mud Volcanos, and some campgrounds.
On the way towards the Salton Sea, we went over a rather bumpy road, that made Jenn feel a bit seasick (check out a clip of this tomorrow):
Our first stop, Salvation Mountain — a religious monument started in 1984, and created by one person over 30 years:
Selfie:
Info:
Just up the road is Slab City, an alternative art community:
Next stop, the Niland Mud Volcanos, some bubbling mud mounds:
Heading back north, we passed through the border patrol station:
A rocket?
We explored some of the campgrounds next to the Salton Sea, with the idea that we might want to camp there someday, though many of them wouldn’t fit our coach. The first was the most basic, just dry camping, but the one we liked the most:
Others:
Visitor center:
Tomorrow I’ll have a video with some highlights from these places.
Video: a drive through downtown Palm Springs, CA
A brief 2x timelapse of driving through downtown Palm Springs in our truck.
Downtown Palm Springs, CA
Some pictures from a quick drive through downtown Palm Springs, California. (We had planned to stop for lunch and a wander around, but didn’t feel like dealing with crowds; it doesn’t look very crowded in these pics, but the restaurants were all packed.)
Tomorrow, a brief video of driving through here.