Joshua Tree National Park

After dinner at my parents house, we forged onto the high desert and spent the rest of our Thanksgiving vacation camping at Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Tree National Park is located in Twentynine Palms, California which is about 30 miles Northeast of Palm Springs.

We camped at Black Rock campground, and found it to be spacious, have public restrooms and feature a picnic table and a fire pit, which came in handy when we were trying to stay warm at night in 30 degree temperatures.We arrived at the campground at dusk and were able to set up camp and inspect the near by rock formations before the sun set.

We woke up early the next day, and after breakfast, left the campground to drive to the West entrance of the park which was about 20 minutes away. After arriving, we drove through the park to the White Tank campground and worked our way back through the park. Our first stop was Jumbo Rocks where we did some amateur rock climbing/ scrambling.

Jumbo Rocks

We picked the tallest rock in the bunch and scrambled up to the top of it.

Queen of the World (and Bingo's Thumb)

After conquering this attraction, we drove on to the Hall of Horrors rock formation. Here we encountered real rock climbers, so we kicked back and ate lunch while we watched them climb their way to the top. This area features some tall vertical slabs, which seemed popular with the climbers in the area.

We made a couple more random stops to climb some boulders and then made the 20 minute drive up to Keys View. This  is an easy drive and is well worth the spectacular views at the top. It was pretty clear the day that we were there due to the light wind in the area, so we were able to see the entire Coachella Valley from the top.

The next stop was Barker Dam. After parking in the parking lot, you walk about a mile to where the dam is located. Unfortunately the dam was dry, but the trail there was easy, well maintained and good for stretching your legs.

As the day wore on, the temperature began to drop and because I wasn't in a hurry to get back to the campground where I would spend the rest of the night suffering from ice butt, we stopped at Crossroads Cafe for a bite to eat and to warm up a bit.  Over lattes and a really good chicken quesadilla, we decided to head to the bowling alley that we remembered passing on the way into the park earlier in the day. For $12 we rented two pairs of bowling shoes and two games of bowling! Best $12 I've ever spent!

Joshua Tree is pretty much what you make of it. We were able to get through the majority of the park in about seven hours but could have spent more time in various parts if it had been a bit warmer. All of the main attractions are off a well maintained paved road, with a majority of everything else within a short hike.

Up, Up and Away

On a recent visit to Palm Springs, we stopped by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on our way out of town. For those of you who are not native to the Coachella Valley, the tram is essentially a oversized gondola that traverses the front of Mt. San Jacinto. The car features a rotating floor, so passengers are able to enjoy a full view on the 10 minute ride up to the top.

You gain about 6,000 feet of elevation (the parking lot is at 2,643 feet and the top of the tram sits at 8,516 feet) and go through five different habitat changes, which is pretty rad if you're used to living somewhere that isn't very diverse (like the desert or the beach.)

Once we got to the top of the tram, we walked through the Mountain Station and out the back door to the paved trail that takes you down to a couple of different trail heads. There was several inches of snow present at the top that we weren't prepared for, so we took it easy and headed down the Desert View trail which is 1.5 mile loop that boasts some awesome views of the valley below.

Valley view from Desert View trail

We headed westerly back to the ranger station to check out some of the wilderness trails. Permits were needed to hike past the ranger station so we decided to turn back and head up to the mountain station.

The meadow where I had my meltdown

After I recovered from my worst nightmare, we headed back up to the mountain station to warm up and have a much needed cocktail at the Lookout Lounge before heading back down to the valley floor..

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!

As a token of their gratitude, my employer gave everyone free passes to Universal Studios. This was the outcome:

Nope, not preggo, just an unflattering jacket

I just signed up for my first half marathon (!!!)

Huntington Beach Half Marathon, February 5th, 2012.

Yikes.

Carpinteria State Beach

A group of friends, along with the mister and I decided it was high time to check out the camping at Carpinteria State Beach. Because it's such a popular spot, the nearest reservation we could get was months away.... but we had all heard that the camping was supposed to be great, so figured it was well worth it.....

Our first stop on our way up to Carpinteria was at Emma Woods beach. Although this is usually a good surf spot, the waves were itty bitty on this particular Halloween weekend. Bingo surfed a little while I checked out the shore line.....

Next stop: Carpinteria State Beach!! I've only heard good things about Carpinteria, so imagine my disappointment when we arrived to a tiny campsite, crammed between two RV's!! Our site was about 100 yards to the beach, the bathrooms were dirty and did I mention the site was $42, plus $10 for parking? Bummer! 

The best thing about camping here was that our campsite was raided by racoons in the middle of the night who managed to eat all of eggs and veggies, forcing us to go into Santa Barbara for breakfast the next morning. Our neighbors were a bit rude, the staff was very rude and there is a very strict lights out policy at 10 which put a damper on roasting marshmallows! This made for some very unhappy campers.


The beach did have some small tide pools where we found these guys:

I love beach camping, but I don't think I'll ever go back to Carpinteria State Beach unless I make a wrong turn on my way to Santa Barbara.

Sailboat off the pier in Santa Barbara