Joshua Tree and Beyond

Greetings from Campo, California.
The journey goes well and I shall begin where I left off last time.
From Yucca Valley we stocked up on 3 days of food, which really loaded us down. Then we cycled East into the town of Joshua Tree. After a stop at the local gear store to stock up on last minute camping gear, we downed a 22 inch NY pizza with ease. The two bros have been craving pizza in a big way. Then we filled up with water, one and a half gallons each, and began climbing into the park. The weather was hot and the climb was hard. After 5 tiresome miles we entered the park and the road leveled out. The park was magnificent! Lots of rocks, cactus, and other high desert scenery. We slowed our pace a bit, yes it was possible, and enjoyed the sights. We also had to stop at every interpritive sign along the road. This park is most certainly a rock climbers paradise! That evening after finding a campsite we headed off to explore the surrounding area. After dinner we got invited to a campfire and talked with some nice folks. By 9 we were all in bed.

The morning air was cold (42 degrees)! We got on the road and stopped after a few miles to explore Jumbled Rocks. We scrambled among the boulders and hike the nearby trail. We were like young kids exploring small caves, cubbies, and rock piles with glee. As we began to get hungry we had to down climb thru a rock strewn ravine to get back to our bikes for lunch. Having satisfied our hunger we set off downhill. A roadside sign told us we were leaving the Mojave Desert and entering the Colorado Desert, which stretches South thru Baja. It took us a while to get into camp at Cottonwood Springs, which was are first water supply point in about 55 miles. We decided to spend the next day hiking to Lost Palms Oasis. The hike to the sheltered canyon filled with exotic California Fan-Palms was well worth the effort and we hung around there for a while, enjoying the solitude. Then after returning to our bikes we descended quickly out of the park and into BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. The campsite that night was within the Box Canyon Wilderness. We found a single tree surrounded by vegetation, in the desert. Mark and I explored the surrounding area filled with numerous canyons and washes devoid of vegetation (think Badlands). We also had a good bonding talk around the campfire about the trip.

The next day we cycled to Mecca (not exciting) and along the Salton Sea. We took our first real shower in two weeks (very exciting!). That night we camped on the beach and finished off a bottle of champagne, and three wine-like beverages, all for under $12! It was a pleasant time ;-) The next day was full of suprises. We decided to do real laundry (not the usual wash bucket) in Niland, which is in the boonies. The locals told us about Salvation Mountain and Slab City. We got the grand tour of the mountain and a free meal at Slab City (the last free place in America, right next to a gunnery range). That night we had the aweful experience of camping at a county campground right next to a feedlot. Incredibly awful smell and we left the next morning without paying, all for good reason.

In Brawely we stocked up on groceries, as this shall be our last big grocery store in the states. Two cosmotology students approached us and offered free haircuts. So both Dave and I got free haircuts in exchange for a learning experience. Riding out of town we had Navy jets flying over our heads doing manuevers out of the local A.F base. That night we spent camped in the desert with a bottle of Jack (I don't like the stuff).

So onto today. We began climbing on interstate 8, which was awful, but the only way. Payback came later in the day when we enjoyed a marvelous downhill and gusting tailwinds. Tomorrow we shall enter Mexico via Tecate after almost 3 weeks on the road. We are excited and unsure of exactily what to expect. Hopefully all goes well.

Till then here's to adventure and good tailwinds ;-)