Well, ever since we bought the Sportsmobile a few weeks ago we have been dying to go out on a somewhat real trip. At least a multi-day road trip somewhere (even if it's all pavement). We didn't care, anywhere would be fine with us, as long as we got away and tried out the new digs. The problem we had that was holding us up was Dixie. Dixie had a small accident with another friends dog and was under the weather and needed to rest. So we assumed we were on hold for the next month or two for sure. Well, good news from the doctor on the last checkup was that Dixie was doing amazingly well and was ready to head back out! So i talked to Yosh and she said, "lets fuel up and head out!" - dang i love that girl!
So our plan of attack for day one was to head up to Santa Rosa mountain near San Jacinto CA (second highest peak in CA). Possibly camp with another buddy up at the top of Santa Rosa Peak the first night in a primitive location off the beaten path at 8,400 feet. Well, that part somewhat worked out, but two things didn't pan out. Our buddy had to stay home due to getting sick and we ran into some crazy weather!
We heard about thunderstorms, flash floods and lightning... but that didn't stop us.. we're after all the Adventureduo! We left Orange County anyways, without a specific plan in mind.. but a plan to enjoy our own company and take a trip just the two of us for once. See usually we lead groups or at least a few buddies places.. and this time, it would be different. Enjoyably different.
Once out of Hemet we started the climb up to the top of Santa Rosa and near lake Hemet. The weather changed big time! We're talking Hail! Hail in August! The temps on the flats were in the 100's! This was the strangest weather i had ever seen in the summer! Visibility became next to nothing and i navigated our way through the heavy rain at a snails pace.
Approaching Mtn Center area up off of highway 74.
You probably can't tell, but that's hail on the windshield. - in August!
Shot of Lake Hemet and all the campers toughing it out for the great 3 days off on Labor day weekend.
We entered Kenworthy Valley.
Lured by the promise of rich gold ore in the nearby Tahquitz Mining District, Harold Kenworthy arrived in Hemet Valley (Now Garner Valley) in 1896 to establish the mining town called Kenworthy. It was a thriving community with a store, hotel, school and post office and supported a population of 200 for a few short years. A sawmill, assay office and stamp mill were located above the town. However, the mines produced only a fraction of their promised riches and soon expenses greatly exceeded income. Harold Kenworthy had been victim of fraud that oldtimers claimed that the ore had been "salted" (altered). He ended up selling his interest in his Corona Mining and Milling Company for which he paid over $150,000 for only ten dollars. By 1901 a ll but a few of the residents had moved on and nothing remains today at the townsite which lies about 5 miles northeast of the marker in the photo.
After making it through the valley reasonably unscathed from the thunderstorm we headed eastbound near Santa Rosa Mtn. We found the fire road turn off for the peak. At this point we had to make a judgement call on if we wanted to head up the rocky, muddy fireroad or not - alone. We spoke with a local and they advised it took 35-40mins to get to the peak on a dirt bike and that was moving quick. That would mean it would take us at least 2 hours to get up to the peak at which time we wouldn't even know how the conditions would be up there, worse or not. It was 4pm and we decided daylight was burning so we pressed on to Joshua Tree instead for the night.
Heading off down Palms to Pines highway.
We stopped at one of the look outs. The "Cahuillia Vista"
The Cahuillia Tewanet people lived here for many years. Some still do. This was a indian habitat for many.
Dixie on the walking path trying to sniff every plant in site.
Cactus with the questionable weather behind it in the background.
This site has been created on behalf of the Cahuillia people and the path tells a story of how they lived their life. Many people think that this area looks like a place that no one could possibly live, but if you look close you will see quite different.
The SMB parked in the lot trying to be as stealth as possible.
Our next stop was Coachella Vista Point. Overlooking Palm Desert it was breath taking.
Dixie trying to give me heart failure.
The view was nice, but would have been much better if it was clear out.
A plaque that i thought said it well..
After enjoying the nice views we headed back down to the flat lands and off to Joshua Tree via the 62. I was going to take Berdoo Canyon, but not with the flash floods and us being the only vehicle. It's not worth getting stranded.
Entering the north entrance of Joshua Tree NP.
Now you know why they call it Joshua Tree..
After being on the road all day, we agreed we would find a place to camp for the night and then explore the next day. After all, it was just us two and we didn't have a schedule to keep. It was very nice.
Camp for night number one..
The surrounding terrain was majestic.
The sunset was breath taking. The storm clouds really enhanced the sun reflection.
Our campfire on night number one after a nice steak on the grill.
The next morning we awoke to clear skies. What a wonderful sight. But of course this would mean the temps would be warmer today than the previous day.
Dixie didn't want to get out of penthouse bed.
After a nice breakfast and peaceful morning, we packed up and headed out to explore.
First stop was skull rock.
Unfortunately we couldn't do any real hiking because dogs aren't allowed past 100 feet of the trails. So we missed out a little.
Amazing rock formations everywhere you look.
After enjoying the Jumbo Rocks area we headed for Keys Point. Keys point is up at 5,185 feet and has a beautiful view of the desert valley floor. You can actually see the San Andreas fault on a clear day.
Stunning colors of the plant life high atop the ridge.
After visiting Keys point we headed back down to the valley to see Barker Dam and Hidden Valley. However after further investigation we found that the hikes were a few miles along and we had Dixie with us. So next time we'll see those.
One place i wanted to see that i had never been too before was Pioneertown. Pioneertown is not actually in Joshua Tree but rather outside and a few miles outside of the park bounds.
Pioneertown was built in 1946 as a movie set for western movies, including the movies of Gene Autry, The Cisco Kid, with Duncan Renaldo, Annie Oakley with Gail Davis, Judge Roy Bean with Edgar Buchanan, Range Rider with Jock O. Mahoney, and Buffalo Bill Jr. with Dick Jones. The movie set was to provide a place for the actors to live, and have their homes used as part of a movie set.
To tell you the truth about Pioneertown is to say we weren't very impressed. It seemed like a run down old couple of shacks with no one around. There really wasn't anything to see or do, nor was there really any guides or history information. It was really lacking and was a complete let down. We really would not recommend heading here, as there isn't much at all to see.
Dixie had a good time meeting new friends.
After being at Pioneertown for maybe fifteen minutes, we bolted and headed back into the town of Joshua Tree to get some lunch and supplies. We decided we wanted to see more of the beautiful national park, so we headed back via Indian Cove near the Ranger Station to make camp for the night.
Indian Cove was spectacular and deserted. We practically had the entire camp to ourselves. Which we liked.
Dixie and Yosh were tired so they laid down for a nap in the penthouse. Rough life.
Shot of our camp for the night.
We spent most of the day in the shade reading magazines and relaxing.
This is "Pixie Rock". It wasn't far from our camp. Yosh and i pretended to climb the face, cause there's no way in heck we're doing it for real! Yosh got a kick out of the name "Pixie" because she's a big Tinkerbell fan.
Dixie is looking at us like we are idiots. I can just imagine what she was thinking... "Who climbs these boulders in sandals?"
It was just about that time to fire up the grill and setup for a cold adult drink. We grilled up marinated chicken breast, some cheddar wurst for appetizer and some garlic mashed potato on the side. Served along with some hawaiian rolls it made for some good eats!
Another great sunset on night number two..
Another stunning campfire to go with the great sunset. The reflection off the rock was perfect.
The next morning we awoke knowing this would be our last day of our trip and tomorrow would come work again. So we took our time getting up and getting moving. Our plan for this day was to head down from 29 palms to the I-10 via the national park.
One of our stops was Silver Bell Mine. You can see it beyond the Sportsmobile up on the hill.
The mine operated for some 40 years. It was a versatile mine; gold in the 1930's, lead in the 1940's and copper in the 1950's. Most of the mining peaked out around 1960's and hasn't seen much activity since.
Next stop was the Cholla Cactus Garden. This was amazing. I had to hold Dixie because dogs aren't allowed on the trail. The cactus can actually thorn you if you get to close. It's one of their protection methods. The garden was so thick you couldn't see how to get out at times, almost like a maze. It was awesome.
Our last stop was the Ocotillo Patch. It was weird how just like the Cholla Cactus, the Ocotillo's only grew in certain spots of this valley.
I have never seen Ocotillo's so tall before. They stood taller than the van.
Well, after we saw the Ocotillo Patch we headed for civilization and back to the grind. This trip was special to Yosh, Dixie and I because we were all alone and we were able to spend some valuable time camping together. It was a treat. Also this was the first time Yosh had seen Joshua Tree, so that made her even more happy. Now she wants to go back for sure! The deserts are going to start cooling off in October so we should be back to being desert rats for the next few trips. Stay tuned!