On Sunday March 21, we packed Katya into a car packed full of gear and headed off towards highway 395. On the way to Joshua Tree we stopped at Mono Lake, were surprised by the snow, to view the tufa towers and enjoyed a leisurely drive taking in points of interest along the way.
We arrived at the park mid-morning on Monday and found a campsite at Ryan Campground. Below are photos of our campsite. It was perfect! Sun, shade, great boulder jumble, more space between sites than in other campgrounds, and two trails out of camp.
We were surrounded by a tremendous amount of interesting desert flora and fauna. Cholla, ocotillo, hedgehog, beavertail, and prickly pear cactus. Agave, yucca, and joshua trees (yucca family). Below is one of the few cactus blooms we saw (hedgehog cactus).
Dr. Adventure became the iguana whisperer while scrambling hither and yon. We saw a coyote, a few bunnies, a glossy necked garter snake, chuckwalla & side blotched & whiptail lizards. Below is one of the largest chuckwalla lizards we saw; I've only seen lizards of that size in a pet store. It was exciting to spot it and to be able to photograph it!
The weather was perfect; cold nights, cool mornings/evenings, warm days, mild breezes or still until the windstorm on our last night. We reluctantly left the park after a hike on the Hi-View nature trail out of Black Rock Canyon. Joshua Tree has something for everyone and is a great locale for spring break!
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