Three Nights in Joshua Tree - Day 4 the end

On the last day of our adventure Bucci and I woke in the back of the 4runner once again agreeing that it was a much more pleasurable place to sleep than the tent. After a quick oatmeal breakfast we packed up the camp, burned all the remaining wood in an amazing display of pyrotechnics and said goodbye to our campground neighbors. We headed off to the cactus garden in the southern part of the park. Joshua Tree National Park spans two desert regions. The Mojave Desert in the northern part of the park is where the Joshua trees are found. As you drive through the transition zone to the Colorado Desert these unique trees become sparser and the Cholla cactus becomes more abundant. The cactus garden is a treasure trove of these Cholla cactus. At the start of the trail we picked up and informative brochure which explained the mainy characteristics of the jumping cholla, pencil cholla and desert life in general. The trail wound through a natural stand of cactus so garden is a bit of a misnomer but it was a very interesting place.

Having plenty of time to get back to LA and no other plans for the day Bucci and I stopped in the ranger station at the Cottonwood exit station to inquire about taking a 4 wheel drive road out to I-10. The ranger said the 20 miles would take us 2.5-3 hours and we should be fine in our 4 wheel drive. We decided to try it for at least the first seven miles which would take us to Pinkham Canyon, then we could turn back if time was against us. The sign at the entrance to the Pinkahm Canyon Road looked similiar to that of Geology Tour Road so we didn't waste time stopping to read it. Big mistake - Pinkham Canyon Road is not only a four wheel drive road, it is a high clearance road. The scenery was gorgeous, the road wound its way far from civilization, through many washes and down throuh Pinkham Canyon. Along the way we came up against enormous rocks, steep dropoffs, large washouts and in general were in way over our aheads. But we pushed our fears aside and perservered through it all to make it the entire twenty miles to I-10. The car was badly scratched, Bucci's (who did an excellent job of driving) nerves were frayed, the beer bottles in the cooler were broke, but we reached our destination. As they say it's really all about the journey and from first to last in Joshua Tree we made the most of ours.