Thursday, February 12, 2015

Joshua Tree National Park–Day 3

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Yesterday, Yuma and I drove into Joshua Tree and bought $10 worth of Powerball lotto tickets.  What a waste as usual.  Only got one number right out of the five chances I had.

We left camp at 10:30 am and drove into Joshua Tree for gas.  We then proceeded to the park heading for Keys View.  Couldn’t resist taking a few more photos of the rock formations.imageimageimageimageimageimage

Last Sunday, while I was staying at Walmart, I met three young people from Australia.  They told me they were on a rock climbing visit to the southwest part of the U.S. and they were visiting Joshua Tree National Park.  Today, I was driving past a huge rock and guess who I saw climbing it?  The Aussies.

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The road wound up through some of the most beautiful and biggest Joshua trees I have seen in the park.  Nice to see so many healthy and large trees.image

Looking back on Hidden Valley as I headed up the road to Keys View.image

The road ended at the top of the mountain and it was just a short sidewalk walk to the very top, so Yuma was able to go with me.  The rule says he can’t go more than 100 feet from the roadway.   It was hazy in the valley.  I could see the city of Indio below in the Coachella Valley.  We were at 5185 feet and the valley floor was at sea level.  The San Andreas Fault runs right through the middle of the valley.

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There was no wind so the haze was especially bad.  Definitely, not a good day for taking photos.

Did manage to get a photo of this pretty bird on a Yucca tree.

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After all the photos that were going to be taken, were taken, it was around 2 pm and time for Yuma and me to head home and do a little relaxing before dinner.

When I got to camp, the first thing I did was check email to see if I had heard from Asurion, the insurance company I am working with to get my new cell phone.  There it was!  An email saying “Your replacement Motorola DRDTBO32RED is prepared and ready to ship.”  Now that was a pleasant surprise.  I was just looking for an email telling me it was still back ordered, but instead, it is prepared and ready to ship.

They had instructions for me to complete my claim and then they would ship for next day delivery.  My phone will be delivered to Yucca Valley tomorrow, Friday the 13th of February.  Hope that is not a bad omen.

Nice ending to a nice day!

See you later.

10 comments:

  1. That was a beautiful area of the park. I loved everything about it-the rock formations, Joshua trees, the valley and all the cacti.

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    1. Thank you Dolly. It was very pretty yesterday. Too bad the valley was so hazy. Usually there is wind which may help keep the haze down, but don't know.

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  2. Yes, for some reason the joshua trees are really thick and healthy over there. That seems to be where the rain gets dumped a lot. We can see the dark clouds from the valley floor. Glad you are getting your phone!
    Cheryl Ann

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    1. I was glad to see such nice trees. So rain is the factor. Wonder why they grow in deserts if they like rain so much. Can't believe this area of the country is the only place they grow. Saw lots of them in the Mojave National Preserve too, but not as nice as those on Keys View Road.

      Hopefully my phone arrives today.

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  3. Beautiful pictures and area....but I don't like the 'dog' rules :(.....Grats on your phone news too!

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    1. Thanks Cindy. Hope the phone actually arrives today. It is too bad about the dog rule, but there must be a strong reason for it.

      It was a beautiful day yesterday, but there are so many of them, I kind of just expect it. It is 13 degrees back home right now, so I do appreciate this weather.

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  4. The valley was really hazy when we were there also. But the Joshua Trees sure are beautiful. Good luck with the phone.

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  5. Thank you. I have a UPS tracking number, so don't need a phone to check status. The Asurion insurance company has been great with handling my lost phone claim. Could do it all by email so didn't need a phone. Sure glad I had it.

    I think haze is always a problem in the valleys of California. Lots of people and industry in the Coachella Valley.

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  6. Those dog rules are frustrating for those of us who take excellent care of our dogs and follow the rules. People who cause the problems are the ones who force those rules!

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    1. I agree, Hazel. All I can do now is follow the rule they have in place, even though it is an inconvenience. I could always leave Yuma at the MH, but I'm not ready to do that yet.

      I do leave him in the jeep for short trips like running into Walmart. I leave him in the shade though.

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