“Yeah, Desert Sky - Dream beneath the Desert Sky”
A drive through Joshua Tree National Park might take a couple hours, viewing the park from the road. An exploration of the park would take a lifetime. Joshua Tree National Park has over 550,000 acres of wilderness filled with a variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Every now and then, man intrudes in this wilderness and leaves his brief, passing mark among the surreal geologic features that cover the landscape. Let’s go see what we can find.
I learned something new in Pinyon Well Canyon. Not hiking for five weeks because of illness can drastically affect your stamina when you return to hiking and climbing in the desert. I also relearned something that I knew before. A GPS comes in very handy when hiking in a place you've never been before. And I now have a new favorite place in J Tree. Hensen Well Mill.
Read MoreIf you like to hike in remote, lightly used yet historic spots in Joshua Tree National Park, Pinyon Well canyon is the destination. Water, mining, milling and freighting have all created history in this canyon, as well as the Native Americans who once spent time in the area. Some of that history is plain to see. But some will take a bit of searching (and luck) to find, and that's part of the fun.
Read MoreLet me start off by saying, we didn't find the horse. But that's ok, Once you start getting close to the Lost Horse Mine, there's so much stuff to find that you completely forget about about the horse. And in any case, it's probably roaming that endless range up in the sky now anyways. But why are we talking about this horse, anyway?
Read MoreOk, so I enjoy wandering around the desert and finding stuff. Who doesn't? Could be giant rocks that look like sea monsters, or dried-out, sun-bleached bones of dead animals. Could be a forgotten gold mine or the remains of an old ranch truck. Could be shards of Indian pottery or a hidden petroglyph in a box canyon. Or, like today, it could be remnants of the cattle ranching days in Joshua Tree National Park. Because that's what White Tank and Grand Tank are.
Read MoreNext time you're out hiking around Ryan Ranch, checkout some of those boulder piles on each side of the trail. I did recently and was excited to find at least two Native American habitation sites.
Read MoreJoshua Tree National Park, the California Gold Country, forgotten places in the Mojave Desert. These are a few of my favorite things.
