Fall Break: Fortynine Palms Oasis

The following day we got ready to introduce our boots to a new trail: Forty-nine Palms Oasis. 
It was a warm day, not too hot. It was going to be a good day!

Willow was a little trooper in the first half of the hike. She's already a great little hiker!

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy......  ;) 

 Looking down on the town of Joshua Tree.......

The hike exhausted Willow......

We could see the tops of palm trees ahead ~ almost there!

It warmed up enough on the hike that we seeked shade where we could.....

Fortynine Palms Oasis: a rewarding palm canopy; an oasis in the desert.......

We found a cozy spot to take in the views and appreciate the shade.....

Willow is growing so big already.......

The fall break flew by too fast as usual. It was great to see a little bit of Joshua Tree. We will have to come back and explore some more. It was sad to wave goodbye to Audrey. Next time we will add more days on this visit......

Fall Break: Barker Dam

It was great to arrive at our destination: Joshua Tree. Bryan, the kids and I explored the visitor center and did a nature hike. Ava and Isaac completed Junior Ranger Programs in both the Mojave Preserve and Joshua Tree. Audrey hadn't explored much of the national park because of the scorching heat. This time of year it cools down so that you can enjoy the great outdoors without a great risk of perishing.... haha

Hidden Valley:

We decided to take an evening hike to Barker Dam and wander amongst the various types of cacti, massive boulders, and of course the legendary Joshua Trees.......

Beautiful crazy Aunt Audrey......

In the thick of the Joshua Tree stand......

Little Joshua Tree; little Willow  :)

We stopped at some Petroglyphs. They would have been more fascinating if people wouldn't have painted over them! Grrrrr. Joshua Tree gets over a million visitors a year. I read that there is a crew in Joshua Tree that is devoted just to removing graffiti full time. I want to cry with Mother Earth.

Continuing on the trail......

Barker Dam:
Built around 1900 to hold water for cattle and mining use, the dam today forms a small rain-fed reservoir used by park wildlife. Water is gold in the desert.....

I took this photo, then used Picasa to sketch a photo, pretty cool......

The sun was quickly setting. I was too late for the sunset to take some good photos.
Next time ;)

I'll end this zen hike with a zen pose: Tree Pose........

We anticipated exploring more of the park. We were going to do another hike in the morning......