29 Palms and Joshua Tree

Heading south for the winter and still can’t decide where to land.  So why not another stop by Joshua Tree.  This time we stayed on the north side with closer access to the park entrance.  Twenty – nine Palms was a nice stop.  But I have to say there are many more than 29 palms in the area!!!

The park seemed remarkably unchanged since our last visit, but I can’t say the same about the rest of our life.  We were just beginning this wonderful adventure the possibilities were endless.  Mom was alive and well.  Hailey was single and not madly in love.  We have all changed is one way or another.  Some things have changed for the better and some have changed for the worse, but much like the jumbo rocks and Joshua trees a lot in this world has stayed the same and will regardless of our independent lives and actions.  In other words, live in the moment, because all the kings horses and all the kings men can’t make the mountains reappear around these rocks again and we wouldn’t want them to, the rocks are beautiful just as they are.   And so are we all, accepting and living that way is another challenge.

But now on to some rock and tree pictures.  Much the same as we left them over two years ago, but a little different each in their own way!!!

We did some of the same walks we had last time and added a couple new ones.  Walking a trail near skull rock, we decided to go off trail for a while.  Not always the best idea because as we walked we kept hitting dead ends, rocks we couldn’t get over or ledges we couldn’t climb down.  Staying on the trails is a rule we have always followed and probably from here on out.

This visit we splurged and paid extra to visit the Desert Queen (Keys) Ranch.  William “Bill” Keys was one of the early settlers in the park area.  He and his wife Frances raised four children and thrived in this harsh environment.  Their story could and has filled many books so there is more authoritative literature on this subject, but suffice it to say they both loved this area and stayed on the ranch until their deaths the last in 1969.  The ranch its self remains pretty much untouched since their deaths.  Here are some pictures.

As far as wildlife goes in the park, you don’t see much besides chipmunks and lizards, but we were treated to a rattle snake and a tarantula!!!  Not the most welcoming wildlife, but none the less.

So, as I said as much as things change many stay the same.  But I swear THAT rock has moved since we were last here!!!

Peace Love and rock on – in the moment!!!