Joshua Tree Looking South

Well actually we just moved to a new BLM location, how we see the park is the same.
It didn't take long to discover most of the activities and sight seeing were in the north end of the park, so a move to that end was warranted. Again Campendium to the rescue and we discovered BLM land by Joshua Tree Village and Twenty-Nine Palms. Edged against a solar field, there were over 300 acres of land and enough space to set up on that the neighbors were few and far away. Access to Joshua Tree Village was quick, and a few more minutes down the road were Walmart, and the famous Wi-Fi providers of Starbucks and McDonalds.
Our first day after setting up was spent relaxing, and visiting with a neighbor who baked a delicious loaf and shared it with us over tea and travel conversations. That is to us one of the best parts of this lifestyle!
After consulting the park map on Monday we decided to walk/hike the Barker Dam trail. Built by ranchers for a water supply, the dam is still intact, as well as the cattle waters. It was again the perfect day for a hike, a great dinner one back home, and a night of Yahtzee.

Now you know I love my outlet malls, and for that Palm Springs did not disappoint. So we took a drive on Tuesday, hoping to find Don some new shoes. Although that didn’t happen, we did have a nice day.
The next hike on our list was the Wall Street Mill. Starting from the same location as the Barker Dam, the Mill hike takes you through a forest of Joshua Tree to the remains of a gold processing mill. You will see many photos of their abandoned vehicles, as well as a few of the mill itself. Oh and since this was the wild west, a plaque commemorating a gun fight/land dispute.
We like a cycle of exploring on foot one day and by truck the next, so off we went to Barstow to look at a new boondocking spot for the future, and ensure Highway 247 was passable, as it had recently experienced closures.
Our next hike day was Lost Horse Mine. This was the toughest hike we did in the park as we chose the “all the way up” part as the first stage. Lost Horse is another gold mine. Although it is under construction right now, you can still hike ALL THE WAY UP and see the areas and structures that existed. It was kind of cool to see the workers and their camp set up, and if you see the photo with the white Jeep, that is a Parks vehicle and a Ranger going to visit the workers. This was a long hot hike so after showers and a change of clothes, we treated ourselves to dinner out at the Joshua Tree Brewing Co.

Saturday was laundry and market day. I let Don sleep that one off, but when I got home I was insistent that we find him those shoes, so off we went again. And no he still doesn’t have new shoes.
Sunday we literally did nothing. Don read, I binged on Netflix, and we finished the day off with a wifi visit to town.
Tomorrow we are moving to Pahrump!