Joshua Tree

(Click on pics to enlarge)
We had been talking about going to Death Valley (Tom's favorite place on earth), but Tom decided a few days before we went that Joshua Tree would be a better idea...it has been a little too hot in DV lately (even in March! pity those who go in July!), and the activities at J-Tree (as the hip young climbers call it) would be better suited for a three-year-old. Also, DV is a 5-hour drive and JT is 2.5 hours, so that makes it nicer all the way around.

We actually left around 10:30 on Thursday, and got to our campsite around 2:30 after a stop at a McDonalds playland for lunch. We camped at the Cottonwood Springs campsite at the southern entrance to JT, right off the 10 freeway. We set up the camp to a few sprinkles, then went for a quick hike. We turned back when the sky started looking darker and darker. It started raining right when we got back to the camp. Tom went outside and dug a trench around the tent so the sheets of rain coming off our tent would flow away and not under the tent. We waited for a while, but the rain didn't stop so we went to Plan B for dinner since we couldn't cook on the stove, which was sandwiches inside the tent. Lukas loved it...let me just say that Lukas loved everything about camping. He had been camping 4 times previously, but the last time was almost 2 years ago, so he has no memory of camping.

After dinner, we played Go Fish for a bit, then it was time for the kids to go to sleep. Lukas and Natalie both have zero degree child sleeping bags that keep them quite warm...I wish our sleeping bags were that warm. Tom and I got our sleeping bags as wedding gifts...they are identical and they're always zipped together, so we can keep each other warm. But I was commenting to Tom that our bag doesn't feel as warm as it used to...might be time for new bags, or maybe just run them through the dryer to improve their loft. BTW, our tent seems a lot bigger since we got a full sized air mattress, to replace our queen sized mattress...that queen sized mattress was just too big for camping, and the extra inches really make a difference.

After the kids went to bed, we went outside and set a fire (the rain lasted for over an hour, but finally cleared away) and talked.

The next morning we drove to the northern part of the park and took a short hike to The Arch. Lukas had a blast climbing rocks, but didn't have great aptitude for seeing where his limits are (he used to be more cautious than he is now) so Tom had to scamper after him a lot while I carried Natalie in a backpack. We had lunch at yet another climbing site, then took a 1-mile loop through Hidden Valley (Tom kept looking for the salad dressing factory). We used bribes and distraction to keep Lukas walking. The distraction was, "Lukas I wonder what music that sign up ahead will make when you bang on it!" That would get him running to bang on the sign before us. The bribe was, "Lukas, if you can make it back to the car without being carried, you get a grape juice box." Lukas usually only gets watered-down juice, and then only when he is dry all day (which he is rarely), so a full-flavored juice box is reserved for parties and mile hikes.

On the drive back to our campground, everyone except Tom slept. So Tom wanted to nap in the tent, but the kids were rowdy and raring to go, so we went to the Cottonwood Spring for a short walk. Lukas was sure there wouldn't be water, "there's no water in the desert", but there was a trickle of water that he had to avoid to keep from getting muddy.

Then it was time to finally cook dinner. Tom made a fire and after dinner Lukas had his first marshmallows and Smores. Here, I'm wrestling Lukas for the marshmallow stick, to show him where in the fire to put it. He had pretty good success, but burned several too. You might note my trick for Smores: soften the chocolate on the graham cracker near the fire...makes for a much yummier and gooier Smore (but don't let the chocolate melt too much!) We're still trying to get some of the chocolate off Lukas' face.

The next morning (Saturday) Lukas had close encounters with Jack rabbits on two occasions. The first time, Tom saw a second rabbit, so we assumed the first rabbit was trying to lure us away from a warren. Then we took another hike to a former gold mining operation and saw another rabbit.

We came back from our hike, packed up camp and headed out. We went a few miles east to the General Patton Museum, had a picnic lunch, checked out the many tanks outside, then capped off our trip with ice cream, shake and malt at the Tastee Freeze. We made it home Saturday afternoon in time to unpack and even run a couple loads of laundry. :)

We had a wonderful time! Natalie did great, Lukas couldn't have had more fun, and Tom and I found that we hadn't forgotten how to camp after almost two years. It was a great, relaxing, family time.