Joshua Tree Back Roads, Part I
[The full text, with photos, can be found
on my travel site, Travels
to Distant
[Strick]Lands.]
Camping in the desert has never interested me
much. I've had great experiences at Lake
Powell and Havasu
Falls, but the close proximity of cool bodies
of water made the heat manageable. Camping out in
Joshua Tree National Park, out in the middle of the
Colorado and Mojave Deserts, seemed a dubious
prospect. As it turned out, clouds and rain passed
through the area the day before we arrived,
providing mild temperatures for the weekend. More
importantly, the group of people with whom I
traveled would have made even a blistering weekend
in Hades fun.
And fun it was. After 115,000 miles, I finally
took my Ford Explorer off the cushy asphalt and put
it through its paces (with expert advice from a pro
riding shotgun). Over the course of the weekend,
our caravan of four SUVs (only one of which was
4-wheel-drive-capable) traversed approximately 25
miles of gnarly back roads marked "4-Wheel-Drive
Only." I would have found some spots challenging on
foot, but my old hoss clambered over the rocks and
through the sand with but an occasional spinning
wheel and clunk on the undercarriage
(notwithstanding all the loving caresses from the
creosote bushes along the sides of the road).
It all started on Good Friday, and that's
exactly what it was. I left San Diego with two
lovely ladies in my truck; could it have been
better? We forsook the interstate concrete in favor
of the scenic route: through Poway, Ramona and
Julian... over the mountains and down into the
Anza-Borrego Desert... past the Salton Sea and
Ocotillo Wells, through Box Canyon... till we
crossed over the I-10 and pulled into Joshua Tree
National Park. We met our fellow Total
Escapers at the Cottonwood campground and set
up camp. That evening, we watched the nearly-full
moon rise over the desert and sipped the last of my
limoncello. The
fellowship was as warm as the fire.
...to be continued......
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Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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