Week 35: the one with the desert magic.
Joshua Tree National Park, California to KOFA National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona
Hello, hello! This was another BIG week with so much to share — so let’s jump in!
Magic Monday
When I signed off last week, we were camping in Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR) and there was a chance of SNOW in the forecast. I had my fingers crossed that we’d get some…
So I set my alarm for 6 am and peeked out the window…
…and there was a light layer of SNOW!!!
We threw on some clothes and bundled up and went for a walk — which turned into a hike! I’ve always wanted to see snow here so I was super excited!
Here’s a quick little video so you can (virtually) come on the hike with us:
I couldn’t stop taking photos. (Long time readers probably aren’t surprised by this, ha!) Pure desert magic.
I wish we had scratch n’ sniff screens because the air smelled so dang good.
The best part? I had a big pot of oatmeal cooking away in the van in the Instant Pot while we were out, and it was ready to eat when we got back. Plus the van was all warm and cozy. Best morning in a while.
New Camp Spot in Black Rock Canyon, JOTR
Later that day we had to switch camp spots because ours was booked, darn. But just look at this view that we woke up to — this was the actual view out the van window:
Whoa!
Most of the snow had melted at ground level, but there was still some up in the mountains, which we got to see close up when we hiked the Panorama Loop Trail.
JOTR / Panorama Loop Trail
We had time for one last hike in the park, so we decided to do the Panorama Loop Trail since we did part of it the day of the snow.
Here’s a little description from the park website:
Hike up a sandy wash, then follow the ridgeline of the Little San Bernardino Mountains. Enjoy scenic views, dense Joshua tree forest, and pinyon-juniper woodland. This trail is 6.6 miles and has over a 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Warren Peak can be reached from a spur-trail off of the Panorama Loop. Bring a good map when hiking in the Black Rock area because there are many trails that crisscross and intersect.
We can confirm that there are way too many social trails that crisscross the lower section of the trail — one of my pet peeves is when people go off trail. Grrr.
Once the trail starts heading up it’s all good tho. And look at these views! Panoramic indeed:
We were both surprised to see so many pine trees, and Joshua trees growing at that elevation.
The air smelled so good and the views were incredible.
Just look at these mountain layers:
We got back to camp just as the sun was starting to set:
What a great day!
Joshua Tree / The Town
Before leaving the area on Friday I just had to stop by the town of Joshua Tree. (Note: Jason isn’t a fan of towns, but he loves me so off we went! :)
I just had to stop by Joshua Tree Coffee — their decaf really is delicious! I haven’t been able to drink regular coffee for years now — it makes me too jittery!
I got a cup for the road too, and put it in my thermal mug to keep it piping hot. So good!
I also had to get a picture of the mural on the side of the laundromat — love it! I remembered it from the first time we were here in 2018 and we washed clothes there.
One Last Drive Through JOTR
Then we were off to our next stop. Driving back through the park only added 15 minutes to our journey, so it had to be done!
Plus it gave us a chance to stop by the Cholla Cactus Garden:
The “official” Cholla Cactus Garden is currently closed to improve trail conditions, and when we came through the park the week before there were tons of people parked on both sides of the road in the area around it.
This time we had the place to ourselves, so I got to roam around and take pictures.
They’re just so cool, and I love how they catch the light!
I was sad to leave, but sipping on my coffee and soaking in the views helped.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Several friends and readers have told us that we HAD to check out Kofa National Wildlife Refuge near Yuma, Arizona — so that was our next stop. (Thanks so much for the recommendations and please keep them coming y’all!)
There’s dispersed camping here, which in this case means you can camp in established spots up to 100ft off the road. The hunt was on for a spot as the sun was sinking down in the sky.
We passed up several open spots until we found this one just as the sun was setting:
I told J this was it!!
We got parked and watched the sunset — and discovered we’ll have our own private cholla cactus garden for the next few days!
Sunset was so amazing, just look at this sky:
I can’t wait to try and paint this!
Annnnnd that’s a wrap for this week! We’ll be here at Kofa for a few more days, then we’ll have to head on down the road so we can get to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Colorado for my artist residency starting February 10th. (Find out more about the residency in this post if you missed it! There’s a sign up for the workshop, too.)
Until next week, we’ll leave you with this moment of peace when the moon and Venus aligned. See you then! — Lisa & Jason
Hi Lisa. Try to see the native palms while at KOFA. Enjoy. Kathy
The photos are amazing! So fun to see! Thanks for sharing!