Paso Robles to Joshua Tree NP via Palm Springs California

July 13, 2016       Day 4     Paso Robles to Joshua Tree NP via Palm Springs California

It was a wonderful morning waking up at daybreak on a hill among the grapes. I have to say last night was a unique experience being alone within several thousand acres of grape vines in the vineyard, the sky opening up to stars.  The moon had been up most of the afternoon and had set just before the beginning of dusk so it was a perfect night to view the heavens.  The lights of town were several miles away so did not cast extra light.  The slight breeze brought with it several different scents during the night.  Most were somewhat expected with the slight smell of the fields and cattle but occasionally you could smell the salt from the ocean maybe fifty miles away. The different grape varieties also had distinct smells after one concentrated on them.

I had a great night’s sleep which was needed.  I just blew up the air mattress threw it on the ground and with pillow in hand eased into a wonderful sleep.  No sleeping bag, no tent, or anything that could take away from where I was.  I was up and out before any of the farm workers arrived and headed into town for a cup of coffee and something to eat.  I found the coffee but nothing struck me that I wanted to order and the one fast food did not appeal to me at all.

Heading out of town I drove by several other wineries including the Hearst winery which was miles away from the castle overlooking the ocean.  It also had a café there called Jack Ranch Café and the parking lot was full so I decided to go in for a bite there.  It was fast and good food for the typical breakfast menu but there was also a great selection of fresh fruits.

It was about a forty or fifty mile drive from the vineyard to the interstate Hwy 5 and as it went from vineyards on both sides of the roads to more agricultural farms there was a large sign on the side of the road that read, “Food grows where water flows!”  I would think with the water conservation going on in California there are issues about using water to irrigate the crops.  It is a two edged sword, without the water there is no food, with water the food but the debate on whether it is the best use for the water in the area.  The temperatures were steadily climbing from 70 that morning through the eighties, into the nineties and then broke 100 degrees and continued to climb. I noticed that there was fluid pouring out of my body . . . what was this as it had been so long since I had sweated.  The humidity was high along with the temperature so everything in my body was flowing water.  I remembered the sticky feeling I had not missed for so many years now.  Having the windows open and some air flowing around me evaporated most of the wetness but it was a strange feeling to once again be profusely sweating.

Energy is another hot issue in California and it struck me funny that within a ten mile drive there were huge solar arrays on one side of the road, maybe a thousand acres or more then it quickly changed to at least a thousand conventional “West Texas” teeter totter oil rigs with most pumping away.  I guess both have their place.  It was odd to me seeing them so close to each other I guess co-existing but both producing.

As I approached the interstate it was very apparent the smog was awful.  It was a brown haze that covered the mountains, valleys, and fields.  It differed from the haze found in the south during no or light wind periods as this seemed a much thicker haze, it had a stale air smell to it in some areas as I drove about a hundred miles toward LA then east toward Palm Springs.  At one point I had a small vantage point while struck in traffic to view the buildings in downtown LA.  With the LA smog it looked like a grey ghost town of buildings.  It had an eerie look to it reminding me of a Stephen King novel.  It was not a very inviting place to visit on this day and hopefully when there is some wind it blows the smog layer away revealing a much prettier city and location.

As I headed east on I-10 to Palm Springs the temperature was over 110 degrees.  One of the things I discovered while driving was in Alaska I never used the air conditioner on my vehicle so today when I turned it on it didn’t really do anything to cool things down.  Maybe a little bit but it was just blowing “cooler” warm air out the car vents.   It is something I will need to check out before I continue much longer on the trip because it is going to be summer for a long time as I make my way to the southern states.

The view as I drove farther east and climbed over the mountain range was clearer but still a little hazy. You could see much further and the air was just hotter than one expects.  The desert had a dryer heat so I was not sweating like earlier but against the seat back I could feel the beads slightly flowing down my shirt.

I could see the familiar sight of many wind turbines on the horizon leading into Palm Springs. There are many days the wind funnels around the mountain and across the desert making it a wonderful place for literally thousands of wind turbines spinning producing a cost effective and clean energy source.  Both sides of the highway have the wind turbines.  They are in the fields, on the rolling hills just outside of town and leading out the road to Twentynine Palms and the northwestern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.

I veered off the interstate onto highway 111 leading into main street Palm Springs.  I stopped at the welcome to Palm Springs sign leading into town so I could take photos of Placido Flamingo in front of the sign.  There was a cable television installer truck across the street who was intently watching me and my actions with Placido.  He started to cross the street possibly to help take pictures but then turned around and got back into his truck. He smiled, waved as I drove off into downtown PS.  

I was headed to take photos with the large statue of Marilyn Monroe but as I approached the corner where she had been on several previous trips but it was a big construction zone with a new large hotel being erected on the site.  I looked up and discovered that the statue was now in New Jersey on display and the Palm Springs City officials are trying to work out bringing her back permanently.  It was too bad she was not there as it would have been another great photo of Placido’s travels.

I headed out of town and stopped by a local Mexican grocery store to get some supplies before heading out to Joshua Tree to camp for the night.  I bought some fresh salsa, chips, water, ice and other items and got onto I-10 heading east for about 40 miles to the park entrance.  When I was at the store I noticed one of my straps holding my five gallon can of gas had come off so proceeded to re-strap everything.  All appeared tight and I hit the highway but about ten miles from the turn off into I heard a loud slap on the side window of the car, looked into my rear view mirror to see the red gas can hitting the highway and bursting splashing the contents all over the highway.  There was no one around me so luckily it was not damaging anything and the contents did not explode in the heat.

I stopped for photos at the sign to the park entrance, entered using my America the Beautiful Pass and proceeded to the ranger station at Cottonwood and drove past the camp ground and Mastodon Peak where I had previously hiked with a friend several years ago. I drove for a while up towards Twentynine Palms entrance and stopped in the Queen Valley at the Jumbo Rocks Campground. The temperature entering the park was one hundred fifteen degrees so I took my time setting up camp and kept hydrating.  I decided after setting up half the tent that it was going to be too beautiful a night to sleep inside one and proceeded to tear it back down stow it and pump up my air mattress to lay out on the ground.  I had my chair, a campfire just as nightfall approached and great food for the night.  Not probably the healthiest but it was great chips/salsa, a few beers, and some Mexican food from the grocery store.  Enjoyed it as I sat there watching the heavens open up after darkness set in.  My eyes adjusted after about thirty minutes then it was an amazing light show of stars, the Milky Way, several recognizable constellations and a slight warm breeze.  Relaxing alone in the darkness, I could hear the sounds of several coyotes in the distance but no other campers or people around that I was aware of.  There was total solitude with my thoughts, my music, and God’s show in the heavens, another enjoyable evening on the road. The two small bundles of firewood I had carried from Alaska were down to glowing red embers when I lay down to sleep for a few hours.  Other than the air mattress this was like the old west during the cowboy nights on the range.  Deathly quiet most of the night with the occasional nature sounds, a gentle breeze and a blanket of stars overhead to soothe me to sleep. 

I awoke about an hour before first light and prepared for a several mile hike.  Flip flops traded for hiking boots, plenty of water in my hydration day pack, and a couple snacks. I left the campsite and hit the trail just after first light and made the three and a half mile trek returning to my rig just after the sun broke the horizon.  It was still hot but was enjoyable before the sun heated up the countryside.  I was on the road before 9 AM heading toward Lake Havasu and interstate 40 heading east to Winslow Arizona.

Mark Evans and I have a kinship for traveling adventures alone meeting new people along the way.  It is mostly freeing but at times I feel at a loss not sharing this adventure with someone.  Writing this travel excerpts is my way of sharing the travels with everyone.

Until the next bend in the road . . . in California, Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas . . .

Ice