Jan. 26th -28th Joshua Tree: More adventures with Mike

Jan. 26-28
   Following our visit with our former neighbors in Temecula, we returned to Joshua Tree National Park where Mike had secured the perfect camp site at White Tank.  It was a large space with a fire pit nestled in between giant boulders.  The great rocks provided some wind protection, however, the katabatic winds picked up every evening and lasted all night.  The days were relatively warm around 50 degrees but the nights were very cold.  the first night was particularly cold, around 35 with wild winds.  We had packed in all of our supplies which included gallons of drinking water.  We were off the grid for about 48 hours, without satellite connections or electricity.
  Since Mike decided to stay there while we visited our friends, he managed to meet up with other campers, hikers and bikers.  Two bikers from Berkeley were next to us.  They were on a road trip together as they were both between jobs.  One of them, Caleb, was soon to be off with his father to Nepal where they will be doing some charity work building a school for the locals.  His buddy, Cooper, was on his last bike ride because his now serious girlfriend doesn’t approve of motor cycles. Cooper had Mike decorate his tent by spray painting a scene of Joshua Trees.  Cooper was thrilled with the design.  Both young men were fun be around.  We had a lot of laughs around the fire.  Since I was the only woman, they called me mom the Desert Queen!
   One other nearby camper was fondly named desert Dave.  He was Native American with wild stories to tell.  He was a lonesome sort, likeable, spiritual but with a sordid past including time in prison.  He knew all of the trails in the park and had a collection of found objects.  He gave me a piece of jade he found and told me it was good fortune. He seemed to be fragile like the environment that he lives in, spikey, sharp with a tender heart.
  On the second day, Caleb had a fall on his motorcycle.  He suffered minor injuries to his ribs and hand.  He was going too fast on the sandy dirt road and made a sharp turn too quickly.  With a little help from tools and homemade bandages and Neosporine, all should be fine.
  Although very cold and windy, the night sky was bright with a waxing  moon and millions of bright stars.  Mike climbed a large heart-shaped boulder and hung tiny white lights from the top outlining the heart shape, a beautiful expression of his love for this park.
  In the morning, we packed up all of our gear and said good-by to Mike and desert Dave.  We were filthy and smelled like the Smokey  fire that had been burning all night. Mike was on his way to San Diego to meet up with a Jackson buddy.
   Time spent in Joshua Tree was cold, with harsh winds and sharp cacti everywhere. Survival here is difficult with a daily struggle for water.  In spite of the harshness that exists, there is beauty and a reminder that this delicate landscape needs to be preserved.  As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Here is your country.  Cherish these natural wonders. Do not let selfish men and greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”.