Joshua Tree National Park had been on our bucket list for a long time. It did not disappoint! Our campground, Indian Rocks, was situated around beautiful rock formations. Sometimes we felt as if we were part of a movie set (i.e. Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark etc). The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and we spent our first afternoon relaxing and watching rock climbers scale the walls. Scott tried his best, but...
Over the next few days we took a 4 mile hike up and around the mountains, lunched at the Joshua Tree Saloon, jeeped an off road trail to see the trees up close and personal, and drove to the highest point in the Park to see the Coachella Valley below. We were able to see Palm Springs, 2 snowcapped mountains (San Gorgonio and Mount San Jacinto) and the Salton Sea.
We decided to drive into Palm Springs and sightsee for a day. We enjoyed walking downtown and admiring the interesting sculptures. We also took a self-guided driving tour around some of the interesting mid-century modern homes in the area. Very unique and stunning!
On our way to Death Valley, we decided to veer off course and see if we could find Scott's place of birth. He was born in California, but moved to Florida within a few weekS. We knew he was born on an Air Force Base near Victorville, so we researched and found George Air Force Base. After watching a few videos about the base (e.g., Haunted hospital, contaminated water, abandoned buildings), we figured why not see what's there! We arrived and could not believe that an entire AFB would be abandoned like this. All of the buildings had been ransacked, damaged and tagged with graffiti. Apparently, the ground water was contaminated over the years with jet fuel and other hazardous materials. The base was decommissioned in 1992 and they are supposedly working on a clean-up. Seems a shame that this entire infrastructure has gone to waste.
With the reports of haunted buildings and contaminated water, I'm beginning to get answers to some of Scott's quirks!! Just Kidding! LOL
Standing in front of the hospital!
Death Valley was our last stop on this leg of the trip. It is also a gorgeous National Park with expansive views and different landscapes that we hadn't seen yet on our travels. We took a 36 mile off road trail to an abandoned mine (Queen of Sheba), drove Artist's Drive admiring the "painted desert", walked the Salt flats and enjoyed warm temperatures (A rarity on this trip). We were without cell service and internet during our stay here. Lucky for us they also have a resort in the park with wifi and TV. So we went to the Oasis and watched the Super Bowl. Not that we had any skin in the game, but we always watch for fun. We had an enjoyable evening and almost felt like we were in a city.
Fortunately for us, we did not need fuel in Death Valley!!
So long for now!!
NEXT UP: CALIFORNIA COAST
I’m pretty sure that we end up rescuing half of those rock climbers when they come here and decide they can climb Cow Mountain! Those rock formations were amazing, and I would love to visit someday. Of course, I’m more of a train kind of girl. I know there’s some great train trips out there that do the National parks! You guys look like you’re having the time of your life, and I love that you’re doing this! Enjoy!
LOVE THE ROCK FORMATIONS....IT JUST SEEMS LIKE YU ARE ON THE MOON, OF COURSE IVE BEEN TO THE MOON HA) THE ROCK FORMATIONS ARE REALLY INTERESITING. GREG HA A FRATERNITY BROTHER THAT HAS SOME HOMES OUT THERE THAT HE RENTS. WE WERE THINKING OF GOING OUT THERE. HEY GUYS, HERE IS A QUESTION. SO FAR HAVE YOU BEEN ANYWHERE, THAT YOU LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND SAY" I WOULD LOVE TO LIVE HERE???????
LOVE, ME
Oh I love the scenery out west! Those rock formations and trees are fascinating. So much fun! You two look great, the fuel prices not so much.