I Went to Joshua Tree National Park and All I Got Was This Rattlesnake Bite

Just Kidding! Neither myself nor one of my five friends saw or was bitten by a rattlesnake. We did see a rabbit though and a really large crow (?) as well as a bunch of lizards (size varied).

Google maps listed Joshua Tree as two hours and thirty-eight minutes from my apartment. I was concerned about this since my trip to San Diego had a similar forecast and my friends and I ended up in the car for about five hours. The Saturday morning drive, however, was painless and basically traffic-free. It really only took two hours to get there.

It costs fifteen dollars per car to gain entry into the park, but with three people per car, the five dollars wasn't bad.

After perusing a useful book on trails that my friend Jennie picked up we planned our day over lunch at one of the picnic sites. Our plan included a visit to the dam and Keys' View. We also had another potential hike in mind, but once we got started on the first trail that led us to the dam, we couldn't help ourselves. We ended up climbing rocks and creating detours that ate up most of our time, which was really quite OK.

Going in a group had its advantages. There were many items needed to enjoy the day at Joshua Tree: sunscreen, water, water, water, packed lunches/snacks, cameras, paper towels, first aid kit, etc. But, of course, the best reason to go with a group is to enjoy the vast, open, uninhabited land together.
(View from Keys' View above) After Keys' View we didn't have enough time for a hike but we still had another hour and a half before sundown. We decided to visit Pioneer Town, an old collection of saloons and town stores that used to function as a Western film set...

Rebecca, among the willows.
Cor and I, off to get some Apple Jack.



(That's a lil Western slang for ya.)


(Photography by Rebecca Lear and Cricket Demasi)


I'll leave you with some Western wisdom: When in doubt, let your horse figure it out.