Route Editor
Route Scout
| Oak Grove to Joshua Tree, CA |
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| HAZ Member rwstorm's 1,034 Photosets 2011-06-03 2011-06-03 2011-06-02 2011-06-01 2011-06-01 2011-05-27 2011-05-25 2011-05-07 2011-05-01 2011-05-01 2011-04-30 2011-04-17 2011-04-16 2011-04-16 2011-04-15 2011-04-15 2011-04-14 2011-04-07 2011-04-02 2011-03-18
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The drop down from the pines to the cactus from Santa Rosa Summit and Seven Level Hill was spectacular. 
Once I reached CA111, I stayed with it through Palm Springs to check out the wind farms before hitting I-10 east of Banning. Then it was a short backtrack to CA62 and on through Morengo Valley and Yucca Valley. First time in the area for me and I couldn't have been happier! 
Before heading for Joshua Tree, I made the pre-planned side trip to the Integratron at Landers. After that close encounter with Van Tassel's saucer related secrets it was WAY past beer-thirty, so I stopped at The Joshua Tree Saloon to remedy that situation! Next, with a bit of a buzz I was off across the street to the visitor center at Joshua Tree to get information on the park and purchase some things. It was there that I learned that all the park campgrounds were full! 
How about that? Two days in a row with a busted game plan. (I think the fact that this was the weekend for the Coachella Music Festival may have been a factor. I wasn't even aware of this, as I don't pay attention to such things) The folks at the visitor center gave me the default advice for campers: try Joshua Tree Lake Campground east of town. So I headed straight over there to get a spot and set up the tent, etc. Not exactly what I had in mind, but better than nothing! Still plenty of daylight left, so I decided to head into Joshua Tree Park for some late day photos before returning to camp. Day three of my adventure was just as exciting as the first two! 
