Dinata Misovec

The RV Park is very pretty in the daylight.

We were expecting hot weather so we got an early start.  Of course, we stopped in the visitor center to get a map and advice on where to look.  The ranger said they did not advise hiking due to the heat.  We entered the park at the Oasis entrance and made many stops to look and take pictures. I won’t comment on them all or I would be up all night.

Aside from the Joshua Trees, the park is famous for its rock formations.

Note Andy standing in front of rocks.

Note the rock wedged in the gap.

See the little domes on top of these huge boulders

This is a Joshua Tree forest.  They grow between 3,000 and 5,000 feet altitude.

It is a member of the Lily family!

Note Andy in front of the tree for scale.

Have a closeup look at the bark.

And up at the branches.

We drove up to Keys View for a look at the Coachella Valley and the San Bernadino Mountains obscured by the haze.

This little guy was not shy.

Andy sat on a park bench and the chipmunk ran underneath to the shade he created.  It stretched out with its belly on the sidewalk.

We could hear thunder over the mountain.

A large tour bus pulled into the parking area just as we got back to Scamp.  Good timing. I pulled over to take a picture of some blooming yucca I had seen on the way up and we noticed the rain in the distance.

I hurried to get a few pictures.

We exited the park at the town of Joshua Tree.  I asked the ranger at the gate for a lunch recommendation.  We opted for the Joshua Tree Saloon, the first one we came to outside the park.  That turkey/bacon/provolone/veggie sandwich on jalapeno cheese bread was amazing!

We reentered the park after lunch.

The mountains seem to be piles of rubble.

The light was changing rapidly with the passing storm clouds.

Andy took this picture of the hole in the clouds out his window.

Baby Joshua Tree.

This is Skull Rock and it really does look like a giant skull.  I only paused for a quick snap and did not get out of the RV.

Well, guess what.  It really does rain hard in the desert. I rained really hard.  Water was washing across the road in low places. Some people were pulling over; it was raining so hard. It passed.

We stopped back at the park headquarters/visitor center to look around and buy a book.

That was our day in the park. We were tired without hiking and returned to the RV.  I have to add that even though it was 98 degrees F today, we did not notice the heat much.  There was a good breeze blowing most of the time.