Happy US Thanksgiving!
6:30am Jonathan and I were waking up in our luxurious Visitor Centre parking lot "campsite", relaxed, had coffee and some food and then drove over to the Best Western a block away to see what the rest of the crew were up to. Got there by 8:30am ... Grandma and Papa and the kids enjoyed their breakfast, we all watched some of the Ghana vs Portugal World Cup soccer game on TV. Jonathan and I each took advantage of the shower availability in the room.
We left the hotel sometime around 10am and drove to the Visitor Centre at the Joshua Tree West Entrance. (about a 10min drive). We went inside to get the kids their Junior Ranger badges, and Jonathan bought himself a Joshua Tree t-shirt, and mum and dad picked up some souvenirs too. Oh and I bought a J.Tree sticker for the rig and some postcards, and we picked up a map of the park.
We decided to check out the Barker Dam Trail first and by 10:45am we were on our way into the park via the West Entrance.
We walked the short 1 mile loop at Barker Dam/Petroglyphs from 11:30-12:30pm. It was sunny with a cool brisk wind, and we managed in shorts and fleece jackets. The petroglyphs were pretty neat. After that little walk, we had a quick snack and then headed to exit the park by the North entrance.
Saying farewell to Joshua Tree National Park, we drove the highway north past huge chloride mounds at the side of the road and into the Mojave Desert. This is where we came upon a small section of the original Highway "Route 66"! A fun little surprise along the way where we stopped at the iconic Roy's Motel and Gas. https://visitamboy.com We parked and had a wander around the grounds looking at what was left of the motel (empty rooms with no doors) and peeked into the diner - no longer functioning as a diner, but had lots of Route 66 memorabilia and some gas station type snacks and drinks for sale. Grandma bought the kids a small snack/treat and we all chatted with the lovely woman behind the counter. We also got a very enthusiastic welcome from a wiggly pittie-x named Xena! I bought a snack as well and the lady gave me some change and then said, "wait!! Let me exchange that for you! I keep forgetting to give these out..." and handed me a Jefferson $2 US bill to exchange. Kinda fun that we had just learned about the $2 when we were at Montebello in Virginia! Fun souvenir to tuck away.
We took some photos of the rig by the Roy's sign, then tucked back into the RV by 3:15pm to head for the Mojave Preserve - munching our snacks and treats along the way. Papa took shot gun seating to take a few photos, Ollie listened to his music and ate nerds, and Grandma, Amelia and I played a drawing game - each taking a turn to add something to an art masterpiece.
By 3:30pm we were at the Mojave Preserve and within the hour we were at Kelso Dunes in the middle of the Mojave Desert! The sun was starting to set as we drove the 6 mile dirt pothole rode to a wild camping area. Jonathan and I didn't let on to the rest of the crew that we were *quite* low on fuel as we drove down that road. It felt very adventurous as it was to be driving as the sun set into a somewhat desolate area of unknown! We found the wild camping zone about 1 mile past the trailhead that lead you up a hike to the top of the sand dunes.
What a beautiful spot! there were a handful of other campers/trucks there for the night. The skies were a gorgeous blend of pinks and oranges, and nothing but sand and some small shrubs all around that extended up to the huge dunes on one side and distant mountains on the other. Quite stunning!! It didn't take took long for mum to get her head around the fact that we were in the middle of the desert away from any amenities! "It's so FUN! what a fun adventure right mum?!!" hee hee. love it. My folks are troopers. They just roll with it.
Spent a lovely chilly evening enjoying the spectacular views, adding new stickers from the past few days to the rig's side panel. Papa was given sticker application honours by the kids (I've been demoted after my last few stickers have been applied with bubbles!). Jonathan dragged the fire pit out to huddle around and visit. I got the ukulele out for some attempts at the couple of tunes I know. Amelia had a go and was pretty interested! xo It was dark and cold but we had blankets and layers to stay cozy round the fire.
Tucked in for a yummy taco salad dinner and the kiddos got into some serious lego building. One lego scene included a desert complete with tarantulas, saguaro cactus, and fighting ninjas.
Jonathan and mum and dad and I sat around the fire for awhile and stargazed trying to figure out dad's little astronomy guide he purchased. 6pm and dark... felt so late!!
We didn't stay up too late as it was cold and dark! Tucked into our little beds ... Grandma and Papa on the "double" bed in the back of the rig, Jonathan and Amelia in the dinette bed, and Ollie and I snuggled up in the top bunk. Everyone cozy!
