We got to Joshua Tree National Park - after driving through Wonder Valley - around 3 or so and got everything set up, including the spiffy new queen-sized air mattress that fit perfectly in our tent. While we were setting up, the people next to us arrived and excitedly asked, "Are you here for the Phish concert?" Being the news-avoiding types that we are, we had absolutely no idea that this was happening and we were afraid that the campground would be completely full that night, but it wasn't too crowded and people were generally quiet. It was a little colder than we had expected that night - probably high 30s - but we were much warmer and more comfortable than at the Grand Canyon.
On Friday, William was still feeling a bit under the weather but we both wanted to go hiking, so we started out on the High View trail (the closest one to the campground). Joshua Tree is unusual among the parks we visited in that it's fairly close to civilization, especially at the west end of the park where we were. So, we went up, appreciating the mountains and desert around us, and arrived at the top to see a panoramic view of...the nearby towns and a nice layer of smog in the air. However, it was still worth the walk. That afternoon, after a fabulous lunch at The Natural Sister's Cafe, we went over to the visitor's center and then down to the Skull Rock trail, which has boulders as well as desert plants and looks like it should be in a completely different park. That was an excellent hike, although the discovery that the actual Skull Rock is right next to the road and we could have simply driven right up to it like everyone else did put a mild damper on things. We drove back to the campground the long way (which still only took us through about 5 % of the park) and stopped in Twentynine Palms for some firewood for the evening. That night there were many more people in the campground and we agreed that it was time to use our earplugs so we could actually get some sleep, which proved to be a very wise decision. When Phish started up - mind you, they were playing in Indio, about 20 miles away - we could hear every note and consequently didn't feel like we missed out on the concert at all...
Saturday, we got up early and got packed up and ready to leave fairly quickly. We gave in to the temptation of breakfast at Natural Sister's again, probably because they had vegetarian biscuits and gravy which is one of William's favorites. Our route to Death Valley took us back out through Wonder Valley and through the Mojave National Preserve (I just learned that we narrowly missed the town of Zzyzx) which is now yet another destination for a future trip. We got into Death Valley at around 2 or so but it was another 30 minutes before we got to Furnace Creek and our campground. We checked in...and found that the campsite we had reserved (based entirely on the map with no pictures or descriptions) was a narrow strip of gravel in full sun between two enormous RVs. So, we went back to the ranger at the entrance station and managed to negotiate a site in the walk-in area. We had our very own tree which more than made up for having to carry all of our stuff back and forth from the car, and we set up the tent directly underneath it so we had shade nearly all day. November in Death Valley means that the daytime temperatures only go up to 90 - so yes, it could have been worse, but we were pretty happy with our location. We went over to the visitor's center and the Furnace Creek Ranch, and decided to go over to Artist's Drive since we only had a couple hours before sunset. And, that night, we walked around looking at all the Halloween lights and decorations hanging on the RVs and then read for a while before going to bed - because, finally, it was warm!
Sunday, inevitably, I woke up feeling awful. William was still not at 100% either so we stumbled through making our oatmeal and coffee and tried to figure out what we were going to do. We settled on doing things that required more driving than walking and went over to Twenty Mule Team Canyon and Zabriskie Point in the morning. Of course, since we had our cameras, we ended up doing quite a bit of walking but I think that not doing an actual hike was a good idea. We had lunch and a bit of a nap at the campground, and then went down to Badwater in the afternoon. After that, we wandered around Furnace Creek for a bit, and, after using the free wi-fi to sneak in a bit of Internet, we noticed the booths set up for the Death Valley '49ers. Apparently, every year a large group of (mostly) elderly folks show up in early November to commemorate the pioneer spirit of the Americans who first traveled through Death Valley and gave it its name. And the best way to honor these brave adventurers is...to hang out in your RV when you are not attending the horseshoe tournament or the costumed pet parade. I don't understand people.
We both felt a bit better on Monday, and to celebrate we set off at the unprecedented hour of 8 am to check out Natural Bridge Canyon and Golden Canyon. We got slightly confused at the end of Golden Canyon and ended up not taking the correct fork, thereby missing the final rock formation, but it was still an interesting hike. Lunch was a picnic at Stovepipe Wells: we had a table by the general store all to ourselves except for the ravens who sat on the fence and glared at us the whole time we were eating. Then, we spent an hour or so in Mosaic Canyon, which was the most interesting and least populated hike we did and provided us with the information that the dominant type of rock there is Noonday dolomite - isn't that a great term? After the hike we went back to Stovepipe Wells and spent $4.00 each for our first shower in 4 days. Expensive...but unlimited hot water under those circumstances is priceless. That night, we tried the 49er Cafe at Furnace Creek Ranch - it was also expensive, but good. They had vegetarian options, beer from the Indian Wells Brewery, and date milkshakes for dessert; after several nights of basic propane-stove cooking, it was a feast.
Tuesday morning (Nov. 3rd), we packed up and prepared to return to civilization and the familiar territory of the Bay Area. Long-buried thoughts involving things like résumés and moving vans were starting to float through our heads...
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