Day 14 - Joshua Tree part 2

I plugged in my headphones, turned on U2s Joshua Tree album and went rock climbing this morning! Not the climbing up straight cliff stuff but more the climbing up down and around big boulders kind. I felt like Chris Pratt from Guardians of the Galaxy. After exploring one group of rocks I would drive to another group and climb up. I felt very strong and free.

After this tidbit of climbing, I drove out the northeast side of the part and hiked to Fortynine Palms, a 3 mile round trip to a group of Palm trees set in the mountains. I was blessed with my fourteenth perfectly clear day and wide rocky vistas up the trail. And then the palm oasis were tranquil, like a good oasis should be! I felt a step faster today after a great night's rest and two weeks of hiking, and I flew up and down the mountain to and from the oasis.

Aunt Susu and Bill had prepared and sent an Easter care package and I needed to drive back to Joshu Tree town west of the 49 Palm oasis to pick it up. Luckily there were two northern park spots to check out along the route there. One was Indian Cove, a rock climbing area and campground. Easy climbing up the boulders.

After picking up the eater package (thank you Susan and Bill for the candy and chocolate!!! You're the best) I drove to Black Rock Campground for my internet-researched sunset hike up to Warren Peak, a six mile round trip up hiller to the northwest most peak of Joshua tree. I brought my cap-brim-flashlight, packed my down parka(chilly), and cruised up in one hour. The sunset vista was unreal and the full moon behind me remarkable. I signed the trail register INCREDIBLE and ate my newly-acquired candy and hiked back while the moon light replaced the sun light. The second pic below is of the moon not the sun.

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Day 104 - Glacier to Vancouver

The hike up Balu Pass was supposed to be fairly easy, beautiful and dotted with waterfalls, but when I talked to the park ranger and learned that Vancouver was an eight hour drive away, I decided to skip Balu and drive west. I left behind this pretty view. And drove many hours through pristine mountains, fewer and fewer snow-capped ones the further west I drove. Some of the valleys were flooded to make reservoirs, leaving scenic sights. I eventually made it to Vancouver and drove right on through to Point Roberts USA, a five mile by five mile coastal land just below the 49th parallel and thus in the USA. The park ranger had suggested this as a good place to camp but being late of the Thursday night before the Fourth of July there were no spots available. I drove around instead and stopped at a forested coastal park. After ten minutes of walking I came to my first grand Pacific view with Mount Baker 60 miles east. The San Juan Islands and Orca Islands could also b...

Day 122 - Mount Saint Helens

Mount Saint Helens is sinister and wonderful. I spent the morning at Rainier watching the end of the British Open on my phone, then drove south to Saint Helens. I arrived at the park's northeast entrance by early afternoon. A massive bulge of rock built up on the northeast side of the mountain before the 1980 eruption and then caused a tremendous landslide when the eruption started. I drove to the Windy Ridge at the end of the road, listened to a ranger describe before and after photos of the mountain, then hiked up to a high viewpoint. You can see the circular ridge with a notch missing where the landslide occurred, the desert-like exposed right-side where the landslide blew away life and covered 15 miles of terrain with 150 feet of dirt and rock, the greenery that was on the lucky side of the eruption, and Spirit Lake which was covered by dirt and slime and fallen trees for years. The mountain was over a thousand feet higher before it erupted. After taking in t...

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon. The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion. Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4. The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...

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