Joshua Tree National Park

Ehrenberg, Arizona - HOT!

Tuesday we hung around the park, visited with our neighbors and put all our stuff away for tomorrow's move.  Wednesday morning our first stop was Pilot/Flying J. We went to the Flying J in Thousand Palms on Varner Road.  If you plan on going there, be prepared for tight quarters and confusion.  We were there for almost an hour filling the propane and the fuel tanks on both the coach and car.

Even with the debacle at the gas station we arrived at Cottonwood Spring Campground early and found a nice pull-through site next to the hiking trail.  It's a piece of cake setting up at most National Parks because there are no hookups and in this case no room to open your slides (although we managed to squeeze in far enough to open our bedroom slide).

First stop is always the Visitor's Center

We paid our $7 fee at the Visitors Center, bought a t-shirt and took a copy of the trail map.  We opted for the loop to Mastodon Peak which offered a varied terrain and a beautiful view of the Eagle Mountains and Salton Sea with a summit elevation of 3,371 feet.

It is so quiet here that we could hear our ears ringing.  What a change from the highway noise, trains and planes we heard at the TT in Palm Springs.

Peaceful Meditation

Zebratail Lizard

Mojave Yucca - fibers were used to make nets to catch rabbits

Teddy Bear Cholla - sometimes referred to as Jumping Cholla

The trails were well marked

This morning was just beautiful but warming up fast (expecting temps in the 90's) so we took a stroll around the loop, had breakfast and headed out.  Twenty-four hours without phone or Internet service is our limit.  As soon as we had 4G we pulled over and got our emails and voice messages.

One of the messages was from Ken about a problem at the Soldier's Home.  Dad is like a juvenile delinquent at the Soldier's Home and they had to write a report on his behavior.  He had a screaming/swearing fit with the guy he plays pool with, he threw a pool ball and he shoved a nurse.  Shoving the nurse was the last straw so they had an ambulance take him to the hospital for a full evaluation.  Of course, they found nothing.  He's been like this all his life and the only hope is to adjust his anxiety medication.  The doctor believes dad is incompetent to make any decisions (especially regarding his medical care) and may begin incompetency proceedings.  And the drama continues.

Arrived in Ehrenberg early this afternoon and the first thing we did was plug in and turn on the AC.

Life is a journey not a destination.  So true!