Punk Rock was the Goal - Joshua Tree National Park
/Trek Date: June 1, 2020
“No plan of operations reaches with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy’s main force.”
Which is why a trek into the Wonderland of Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park is always an adventure. Generally, the “enemy’s main force” is my inclination to (Squirel!) get distracted and wander off in a direction totally opposed to my trail plan and destination. Thus turning a three-hour tour into either an eight-hour tour or an incomplete three-hour tour. Surprisingly enough, either outcome works for me. As long as I make it back to the Tacoma and the ice chest of diet Dr. Pepper and cookies.
Driving into the park around 9:00 am, I bought my annual pass at the Ranger Kiosk and kept an eye out for any rambling desert tortoise that might be crossing the road. Didn’t see any on this trip, but when I neared the parking area for Hemingway, the light was amazing and a stop was required.
There were maybe four cars in the parking lot, the sparse crowd would be evident throughout the day.
Yup, you’re correct. That’s Banana Cracks. Which leads me to ask, do you know why bananas are never lonely? …because they hang around in bunches.
So, part 1 of the day’s plan was to get up early and get into the park before the temp really heated up. While some may not consider 9:00 am early, it worked for me. Pulling into the small parking area near the Pink House, there were already two cars in situ, so plenty of parking space. After gathering up my essentials, I headed towards Uncle Willie’s Health Food Store, aka, the Pink House. Also, the Ohlson House, or the Wonderland Ranch. By whatever name it goes by, it’s got a great history.
A pile of rocks, along the Wonderland Trail.
Ghost girls visiting the Wonderland Ranch ruins.
Part 2a of the day’s plan was to head into the Wonderland of Rocks, take a bunch of pictures and 2b end up a little ways past Punk Rock to get some shots of that formation from the far side. I also had a hankering to chat with the Freak Brothers. The situation was fluid.
A small stone dam along the way. Who built it? When? How many years did it take for all that sand behind the dam to build up so high?
Checking the backtrail, making sure no one was following me, like mountain lions. That’s Murbachi Hill off in the distance.
As amazing as the day was progressing, it must have been even much more so a few weeks earlier, as there were so many nolina blooms in the drying out stage. The beaver tail cactus were putting on a good show all through this area.
Das Kaktus blumen. Still a whole lot of blumming gonna happen.
Lego Monzanite Man guarding the trail.
I’m not sure if this side of The Creature has a name, but I’m going to call it “The Creature’s Maw” from this point hence.
Here’s a more recognizable view of ….. The Creature! (scary music insert)
This cool rock takes a bit of scrambling to access. For some reason, it always reminds me of a kneeling Madonna.
Life on the rocks.
I love these guys, I think they are Desert Thistle. They grow quite tall.
Pinyon Pine Pinecones.
I love Pinyon Pines. They provide wonderful shady spots to kick back and relax. And on hot days, priceless.
And while resting, oh, look, there’s the South Astro Dome. Why not head over there and get some pictures of that, since the sky is so nice right now. And that pretty much took care of part 2b of the day’s plan.
There’s Punk Rock,, peaking up through the greenery. I was sure I’d have plenty of time to head over there after a quick detour to get closer to South Astro Dome.
After getting South Astro Dome somewhat out of my system for the day, I continued heading down the wash I was in. And continued, and then decided I’d better cut across to the wash on the east that I knew led to the Freaks and the Punk. Easier thought than done. After backtracking a bit, I got to the point where it was time to commit to either reach my goal, or head back to the truck. I hate not accomplishing what I set out to do, but it was around noon, it was getting very hot amongst the boulders and sand and I did have a ways to go to the ice chest in my truck. Punk Rock, we’ll meet again when it’s a bit cooler and I’m a bit more in shape.
Can rocks laugh at you, or mock you? I think they can.
Funny Face.
There’s a Foolproof Tower for you.
It’s extremely difficult to visit the Wonderland Ranch and NOT take the short side trip to The Truck. Even though this Joshua Tree attempted to block the way, I headed over to the old jalopy.
One of these days I’m going to put together a slide show of all the pictures I’ve taken of this truck over the years.
Paper bag bush.
The Wall Street Mill trail has to be one of the best hiking areas in the park, with so much history to see, with so many rocks to scramble and with so many trails leading off to interesting places.
After refreshments, the drive out was eerie, it seemed like something was watching.
Cyclops Rock.
Peewee Rock
Almost out of the park, the last shot of the day was a Creosote buch with some yellow flowers and white puffy things (that’s the scientific name, white puffy things).
And that was the day, really most of a morning and a little bit of the early afternoon. It was great to get back into the park and the weather cooperated for early June. Even hiking in areas I’ve been before, there always seems to be something new to see. With so many washes and gullies leading off in every direction, I don’t suppose I’ll ever have the time to see it all. But I’m going to do my best.
If any of my pictures call to you, feel free to right click and download them for your personal use. Credit back to Cali49.com would be nice if you use them where others can see, but it’s not required. Happy Trails!
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Punk Rock was the Goal - Joshua Tree National Park https://t.co/jHbwyTjpwU -
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