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| no partners | | Host: gummo a la carte
Status: slightly sober
Mood: mas o menos
Mission: to hit Joshua Tree NP and Cibola NWR before the sandhill cranes head north.
Goals for this trip: to find and photograph some sidewinders and a bobcat, and to check out some new spots to explore. Also, necesito aprender espanol con mis audiolibros de la bibloteca.
Weather: Sunny- high 70s, low 80s 
Song: The Hillside Strangler (https://www.youtube.com/embed/PkcDFl-Db5M)
Highlights: 2 sidewinders, ~10 baby igunanas (no adults), a friendly burrow owl, sandhill cranes, a bobcat, coyote.
Lowlights: I could not sleep the first day, got sick, and cut the trip short. Barker Dam looks awful with the drought and graffiti. Also, JTNP is under construction and much of the southern part is closed.
Day One:
I first explored the Southern section of the park to get my herping fix in. Sadly, much of the southern section is closed off and the park will be starting road construction too. I only found baby snakes and lizards, so I assume the adults don't come out until later there. I then explored the Northern section of Joshua Tree to check out Barker Dam, which looks awful right now, and to hit a new area called Wonderland of Rocks. Wonderland of Rocks looks like a good area, but most of the trail is loose sand, and I was not in the mood to stomp in the sand, so I cut the hike short. The only lizards out in northern area are side-blotched lizards. I did not see any signs of bighorns and the park was surprising more empty than usual.
Day Two:
I was planning on exploring more of the northern section, but I could not sleep and could not shake this headache that haunted me, so I decided to drive to Cibola that night and cut my trip a day short. In Cibola, I photographed my first bobcat while driving. I seen 3 bobcats previously, but they are easily spooked and hard to photograph. The photo is awful but it counts as a completed HAZolution goal, so next year's goal will probably be to get a better bobcat photo.
The sandhill cranes at Cibola were in full force, but they were more shy than last year and fewer of them. Perhaps, some migrated north. I saw a burrow owl on a post that allowed me to basically come within 10ft of it without looking bothered at all and stayed on that post even when I left. Still suffering from a headache, I decided to head home.
End Notes:
Cibola NWR is great, but the only issue that I have with Cibola, is that they are always doing some sort of maintenance, and the rangers there take Cibola a little too seriously. Cibola is worth seeing, but it's small and kind of a dump. It's next to a junkyard (I think) and various farms and rundown houses. I once created a herping area for myself by placing some boards and stuff in an area that thought would attract snakes. Although, I think my little herping area would have made Cibola more desireable to visit and attractive, the rangers disagreed, and unfortunately, discovered it and "cleaned" up the area. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
