A New to us National Park

There’s a bit of excitement when you find a boondocking spot that everyone raves about just outside a national park you want to spend some time in. The reviews on the BLM land just outside Joshua Tree National Park were outstanding, so that’s where we headed. Easy to find just off Highway 10, there must be a hundred spots, and that is just a wild guess. Hopefully we would arrive before the overnighters and find a spot.
But wait, just as we were stopped for fuel Don noticed the trailer had an odd angle to it. A quick climb under to find a broken shackle bolt. Not too serious as it appeared a recent break and no damage, thus far. Next step to find somewhere that could jack it up high enough to change. No surprise Don had an extra bolt from the last shackle issue in Wickenburg a couple of years ago. The attendant told us about a repair shop a few minutes down the road so off we went. I will say it was an interesting stop but in the end the bolt was replaced and we were on our way. I was going to rant a bit about the lack of initiative some people have at work, but we all experience that so I won’t. But maybe don’t take a repair to a Bossman Centre if you are not a long haul trucker.
So better late than never, we pulled into the BLM land. It was very busy and full, and after driving in all directions we decided to walk and see if there was something we missed. Thankfully there was a spot that we determined would fit both us and Ken and Brenda, so we pulled in.
The next day we didn’t know if we should hike, drive and explore, or what. We decided to drive through and around the park and check out the trails and acquaint ourselves. In the past we had driven the main road through the park, but that doesn’t tell much. We headed out with lunches packed and enjoyed the day getting to know the place.
When we arrived back home our friend Ivan was parked in the backyard! Now that Hailey is on the fast road to recovery Ivan is free to explore a bit more, and less worry about his pet.
On Thursday Don, Ivan and I headed out to hike a trail. We picked the Mastadon Trail, and what a perfect selection. The dessert is on fire with flowers, the views and we SAW A DESSERT TURTLE!!
I think I will save some days for another post.