Joshua Tree: Flora, Fauna, Fantastic Fotos

 We saw these interesting lizards in the park, including the horny toad on the bottom right.

We also saw lots of blooming cacti and other wildflowers.

These cholla cacti were also blooming. We made a trip within the park to these guys.

Violet brought her good Canon to take night photos. Joshua Tree is supposed to have amazing stargazing.

The first night, we were at our tent, and the lights from the town were polluting the sky a bit. So the second night, we went back into the park after dinner, and it was cloudy. The clouds cleared enough for some photos, though not as stunning as we might have hoped. 

Anyway, here are a few of those photos.

On our final day, leaving the hike near the mining equipment, we took a dirt road back to the paved road, and happened upon this beautiful scene. Yes, that's snow on the top of the mountain.

Joshua Tree: The Park

 

We really enjoyed our long day in the park, and got to see lots of interesting boulder piles, blooming Joshua trees, colorful wildflowers and cactus blossoms.

On the Barker Dam trail, Violet pointed out these petroglyphs.

There were more in the cave here.

This was the site of the dam - you can kind of make out the water beyond Violet's head.

This area reminded us of the slot canyons in Zion - kind of. 

Looks like this rock might topple off at any time!

Stace had a silly idea and I went along with it.

Those specks in the center on top of the boulder are Violet and Stacey.

And this is the photo they took of the parking lot, with me in our car, having a rest.

Aptly named Face Rock.

On Friday, we went back into the park (our camp site was very close to the park entrance) to find this hike our horse ride guide told us about. 

We were looking for old mining equipment, and found this along the way.

Hard to make out in the photo, I admit, but here we could spot a couple of mine entrances and old equipment along the hillside across the canyon from us.

Joshua Tree: Cascade Trails Mustang Ranch

 Here was our "home away from home" for our two nights in the desert... It was a lovely, large canvas tent with a real bed and nice linens, two nightstands and lighting. 

It was nice and quiet, with a stunning sunrise in the morning.

Guests are invited to interact with the horses at this particular fence, and Violet got to pet this young foal. We fed them carrots as well.

Another young 'un, this one about five months old.

The horse in the background, Rose, is one of the wild mustangs that the sanctuary has saved. This was the first time she'd come up to the fence when guests are handing out carrots. The employees were very excited about this, and had their cameras ready, hoping she'd take a carrot from Violet.

Unfortunately, she did not, but it was still gratifying that she is feeling comfortable enough to come near strangers like us.

I enjoyed feeding carrots to the horses, as well, and hearing their stories from the employees.

Here, Violet is being leaned on by Atlas, a friendly Great Dane, one of several guardian dogs who help with the livestock.

We also brought grapes to feed the goats. They were aggressively interested in our grapes! The babies are so darn cute.

Help! I'm surrounded!

We saw just how much work is involved with having this many horses - the daily scooping and feeding was a real commitment. 

Here was the mama and baby, and Atlas in the background.

This gal was in a pen by herself, because she'd only just been brought to the ranch a few weeks prior. She was part of a roundup of wild mustangs done periodically by the government when there are too many horses in an area. Chris, the ranch owner, takes some on to get them used to people. It was fascinating, learning about this life.

This is the view toward Joshua Tree National Park, which is beyond the hills.

Stace used the ranch's Blackstone-style grill to cook our dinner and breakfast, with his canine helpers close at hand.

If only they could have protected him from the ranch turkey! This big male turkey, apparently smarting over the loss of his female companion to a coyote a few weeks prior, pecked Stace in the calf!

A few games were in the nightstands, so Stace and Vi played Connect Four.

Joshua Tree: Horse Ride

When we decided to go to Joshua Tree, Violet began asking if we could incorporate a trail ride into the trip. 

I suggested she research it for us, and she found Cascade Trails Mustang Sanctuary, which has about 30 horses, lots of goats and chickens and a half-dozen dogs who serve as guardians. 

When we looked at their site, we found they also offer a couple of glamping-style tents. Since Vi loves animals and the idea of ranching, I knew she'd love to wake up with horses in view and goats to feed and pet. 

I'd already booked another place, but it was easy to cancel and book with Cascade Trails. And, we got a hefty discount on the trail ride by booking a package!

We arrived at the ranch Wednesday evening and moved into the tent, and checked in for our ride. It was us, the guide, and four ladies in California from England. They were university friends, all celebrating their 30th birthdays this year. We enjoyed chatting with them.

It was about a three-mile ride, and all went smoothly. Our horses were great, and our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. 

Our guide took these photos, and since Stace was directly behind her, he was featured prominently. 

My only trouble horse-riding like this, on an easy trail ride, is that my right leg/knee seems to bend the wrong way, and it gets really sore after a while. I kept giving that leg breaks from the stirrup to change the angle.

It was a beautiful desert evening, with perfect spring weather.

Joshua Tree: Pioneertown

 Stace, Violet and I took a short Spring Break trip to Joshua Tree National Park this week, leaving on Wednesday morning, and returning Friday evening. We stayed at a mustang sanctuary/ranch, where we had a sunset trail ride Wednesday evening. Then, we spent Thursday and Friday morning in the park, with some fun stops on the way home.

It was a great trip!

Our first stop Wednesday afternoon was Pioneertown, an 1880s themed movie ranch built in the 1940s with places to stay for the actors and crew. 

Naturally, it reminded us of Melody Ranch, in Newhall. Many of the storefronts are operating as boutiques, so we had fun shopping. There was also a petting zoo, and a couple of places to eat.

Across the street from the main parking lot was a sign (road?) that said Wm S Hart - a bit of home!

We had a drink and meal at Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, which has a small music stage that has hosted many bands over the decades.

While we waited for our table, we had a cold drink in the back. 

Then, we were seated inside near the cool Western bar. The food was tasty and it was a good start to our getaway.