ANOTHER DAY IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK:))

The winds packed in their dam shenanigans sometime during the night but I’m sure they only left to regroup & regain their strength.  I’m sure they will return as soon as they can get themselves blown up to maximum speed again!!

THE BARKER DAM RESERVOIR

Despite all my grumbling about the refrigerator not working Monday night Kelly somehow worked some magic stuff with the electric & propane switch & my glass of milk was cold again this morning.  We are wondering if the Sunday night heavy wind gusts could have snuffed out the unit’s pilot light.  We’re not convinced it is the end of the problem but for right now things are cold again & we have our fingers crossed.

Watching a local news channel this morning we were relieved to see the wind advisories & warnings have been lifted.  Looks like there was damage around as well with power lines blown down & some big 18 wheel trucks  blown over on their sides.  From Keys View Monday I could see huge clouds of blowing sand & dust at the northern end of the Coachella Valley floor 5,185 feet below.  Some roads were closed as well due to blowing sand.  Where we live in Ontario, roads are generally closed to blowing snow, but down here it’s blowing sand.

Decided since we didn’t have a refrigerator problem to deal with today we would head back into Joshua Tree National Park.  We are morning people so like to get our drives & hikes in before hotter afternoon temperatures.  Nice lighting in the morning for photos as well.  I only met photographer GORDON WOLFORD one time while boon docked near Why, Arizona a few years ago but I often think of Gordon’s early pre-dawn desert sunrise dedication to his professional photographs.  Wished I had a tenth of his dedication, expertise & determination.  If you want to see some great photos just check out Gordon’s PHOTO GALLERY.

THE BARKER DAM

A reader has asked why the flag was at half mast at the Ranger Station in Monday’s Blog.  We wondered that too so Kelly asked.  A  Park Ranger was killed while traveling between two of the Parks last February 28th.

It was with interest that I ready Randy’s blog this morning over at the ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES.  Randy, a daily blogger has decided to cut it back to maybe two or three times a week.  He mentions about some other bloggers winding things down as well.  It once again brought up the old question of why some of us blog daily, or at all.  I probably have done half a dozen posts about this over the last few years but my thoughts of course are always in a state of evolvement as things change.  I, like many other bloggers started out to record events for family & friends but that quickly changed when I realized a lot of those folks didn’t read it anyway.  A lot of bloggers say they blog for themselves & if that interests others then that is a bonus.  Those were my thoughts as well at one time but with the readership growth my focus has changed.  And, I am very happy about that change. 

Because I like to write I might continue the blog as some form of record keeping but it certainly would not be the blog it is today.  All the comments, emails & kind words from people we meet has spurred me on to making the blog more interesting not only for me, but the readers as well.  The blog readers are now my main inspiration every day for spending the amounts of time I do on the blog & I thoroughly enjoy that.  People are actually enjoying something I am doing & for me at this age & stage of the game it gives me a purpose & puts a focus on each & every day. Gives me great pleasure to be in a position to do something constructive & creative for others.  Bottom line…..it is the readers I enjoy putting this daily blog together for now. Thanks for ‘making my day’ guys:))

CHATTING UP SOME FOLKS ON THE BARKER DAM TRAIL

Note to Nina….yes, I am using the optimized image feature in my Nikon D90.  Have tweaked the saturation & sharpness features & am still honing the exposure level to where I want it.  Check out KEN ROCKWELL'S site for your D80:))

THIS IS TRULY A LAND OF MAGNIFICENT ROCKS

Despite a bright sunny sky the air was cool this morning with a slight breeze as we headed the Jeep back into Joshua Tree.  The Barker Dam one mile nature loop was our first stop.  What a beautiful hike this is & anyone can do it.  This trail has a lot going for it.  A valley of Joshua Trees, water, a dam, petroglyphs, many birds &  large boulder formations which in many cases are easy climbable for some of us older folks.  Snow covered Mount Jacinto was visible through the Joshua Trees on one section of the trail in that valley.  If it’s your first trip to Joshua I would sure recommend a nice morning walk on the Barker Dam trail.  About 80% of all the photos I took today were on this walk.  What a great place to get up close & personal with a Joshua Tree:))

CAN YOU SEE THE HIGH WATER MARK ON THE STRANGE ROCK

Our next destination was not far down the road & it was called Hidden Valley.  Again it is a mile loop that travels around the inside rim of a large valley completely surrounded by high rocky peaks & granite formations.  This is where you will see many rock climbers with one of the world renown climbs being called by hikers, ‘The Great Burrito.’  But, this valley has a notorious history & it is here back in the late 1800’s where cattle rustlers brought stolen horses from California & rustled cattle from Arizona.  It is easy to see why because this valley is completely hidden because of the surrounding huge jagged rock formations of tumbled boulders.  Again, a beautiful trail not to be missed.

THAT ROCK FACE IS CALLED ‘THE GREAT BURRITO’

THIS IS HIDDEN VALLEY WHERE RUSTLED CATTLE & HORSES WERE ONCE BROUGHT TO GRAZE & REMAIN HIDDEN FROM PRYING EYES

The splendid sandstone colored granite rock formations remind me so much of hiking in Utah which is another favorite State of ours.  A couple fellow bloggers have commented with childhood memories of scrambling on some of these very rocks when they were children.  Maybe a few spots will be remembered in my photos.

SEVERAL OF OUR READERS MAY VERY WELL HAVE SCRAMBLED AROUND ON THESE ROCKS AS CHILDREN

Kelly’s knee was beginning to act up & an old surgical procedure on my left foot was giving me some problems so we called it a day in the early afternoon & were back to the rig shortly after 2.  All & all we just had ourselves a great 3 hours in the Park. 

   

A COUPLE LADY ROCK CLIMBERS CARRYING LOTS OF GEAR    

Our blog Followers list continues to grow with the addition of Joshua Lee & EXPLORE SAN DIEGO.  Linda rolls in next with BECAUSE WE CAN & Mike comes aboard with SIHA TANKA.  Siha Tanka by the way is an Indian Lakota Sioux name meaning, Bigfoot.  And, a fellow by the name of David joins us as our 244th blog Follower.  A big welcome from the gang over here at the Bayfield Bunch:))

THIS SURE IS MY KINDA COUNTRY:))

Kelly has become increasingly busy with her Deer Park Lodge phone so she spent a long time catching up on things after our hike today.  It’s a busy month for people booking their summer vacation reservations at Deer Park & Kelly does all those reservations from way over here in the great American Southwest.

A RARE PHOTO OF KELLY & I TOGETHER….SELF TIMER

We have decided to roll out in the morning heading north for parts unknown.  Several destinations in mind but we won’t know until after we get there if we have actually got there.  Oh ya, our refrigerator is working fine now.  Must have been that pilot light being blown out by the wind.

BARKER DAM REFLECTIONS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  There's one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbor's.