Early to bed, early to rise…

Indio-Joshua Tree NP-London Bridge-Laughlin-Vegas

After a few hours sleep, it is off to see the Joshua Trees. The second thing to remember about desert travel, bring plenty of water. The first thing to remember is, fill up before you leave the last services. If you have forgotten the first rule, ask the Park Ranger where the closest gas is. Speaking from experience it is 12 miles from the visitor’s entrance back down the same road I traveled up…

Having been to Joshua before… It is better to come from the south and go north. You build up rather than build down in expectations. The Cottonwood Visitor Center is smaller than it’s northern sister. Only a single Ranger is here to answer questions. And she even remembers you the second time if an hour after she tells you where to go… to get gas that is J. And the directions for what to see are about what I remembered from the previous trip which went from north to south.

The third thing to remember about desert travel, use the sun screen that you have packed… Don’t just pack it, USE it.

Going north into the Desert Park brings a gradual increase in sights. The first important stop is a short walk with a guide map available at the entrance. Remember to USE the sun screen!!! It may be a short walk, but a high desert sun is beating down. Some of the things you learn easy way on the walk if you read, or the hard way if you don’t… Teddy Bear Cholla earns it name as the jumping cactus. It is not the one that jumps. Instructions from removal are in the guide map. Bring a pair of pliers. I am sure there is a pair at the gas station.

Up the road, the cactus cousins change from the cholla to the Joshua Tree. The flat land changes into big rocks. Pulling into the White Tank camping area is a must. You can get up close and personal with big rocks, a few mammals, lizards, birds, and the ever present house fly… Really, it is worth the drive through and walk over the big rocks. The Belle Camping area offers a place to pull into to see Joshua Trees without getting run into on the main road. Than again, there is not all that much traffic on the main road…

One note about the main road for my northern friends… After a monsoon rain, think sand plow. And for those from Texas, think flash flood. And guess what time of the year July is? Monsoon session is correct. I am glad I didn’t rise that early. The roads were all plowed, and that helpful Ranger knew where the road were missing.

Ok, back to the sights. After Belle, there are many more Joshua Trees, hence the name of the park…

I always love forks in the road. Left or right? Making an easy decision this time because there are some Jumbo Rocks to the left and a good place to turn around ago go the other way. Skull rock is the main attraction here.

Back past the fork, and out of the park to the Oasis Visitor Center in Twenty-Nine Palms. The walk around the Oasis is filled with sights and sounds. The Quail family lives here. A few bunnies and lizards can be found if you walk quietly and slowly. No, not the lounge lizards and bunnies that are found in Vegas, these are four legged. J

Remember the single Ranger from way down south… Her telling me where to go comes in useful. The Rangers at the Oasis were more content to talk to themselves, than to a cooked visitor. The back roads from Twenty Nine Palms to London Bridge are easy to miss.

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City is spelled tourist trap max. The bridge is great! The shops are shops. But they give you a free gift from the last shop down the waterfront with you paid parking. A post card showing the shops and the bridge…

Back up the same road that leads down to London Bridge and off on the River Road. One of the few time I recommend cutting in front of that Cadillac rather than waiting. Think about retired people driving down a two-lane road with hills and without any passing lanes. 35 mph up the small rise, 35 mph down the big hill. Once there is a passing lane, the speed limit goes from 55 down to 45 and that same Cadillac can now travel 65…

After a quick stop and my favorite haunt, The Colorado Belle, it is off to Vegas to pick up the rest of the merry travelers…