Yesterday we had a cold, windy, terrific day in Joshua Tree National Park. The temps were in the low 40’s. The winds were about 40, putting the wind chill in the upper 20’s. Sunshine blessed us and the photo ops were everywhere. We visited an ocatillo forest, a cholla garden, hiked into Hidden Valley, and drove to a 5,000 foot view of Coachilla Valley (Palm Desert) and The Sultan Sea.

Today we drove to Yosemite via the Mojave Desert to Mojave CA, then to Bakersfield, on thru Fresno, and are staying in Bass Lake at one of our Worldmark condos. The drive through the Mojave was interesting. I had no idea that the Joshua tree was so widespread. I guess that’s why it’s the indicator species for the Mojave Desert! The hop over the mountains to Bakersfield took us from desert, through oak forests and into farmland. From Bakersfield to Fresno we drove through vineyards, nut orchards, and vegetable fields. My allergies felt it. At Fresno we headed north into the mountains. It’s a beautiful drive. Tomorrow Yosemite National Park.

Here are a few photos from California that I didn’t post and some from Joshua Tree. As I said in the previous post, I didn’t take any photos in Arizona. It will be up to Jean to share hers with you.

Paul

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