Fall Road Trip 2023 - Prescott to Joshua Tree

It was raining when we left the hotel in Prescott in the morning, so we picked up groceries and had coffee. By this time, it had stopped raining but was still cloudy. The Highlands Center botanical garden/nature trail was nearby so we went for a walk before hitting the road. 

Cool sculpture on the side of one of the buildings at the Highlands Center 

Finally! Thanks to the rain, a bright jacket that adds a pop of color to my photos. :-) 

The road leaving Prescott is a very winding and scenic before it levels off towards Parker, on the Arizona/California border. Being near Lake Havasu on a weekend meant campgrounds were again a scarcity. We ended up at a “primitive” and “dispersed” camping area for the night which was actually ok as it was a large area for people to park and camp where they wanted, away from others. It was a warm evening, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset view. 

We continued to Joshua Tree the next day and went through another dust storm due to high winds. 

 

Thankfully we stopped at the visitor center before going into the park as we learned that all campsites must be reserved. We managed to get what seemed like the very last one available! 

 

We hiked a couple hours in the Twin Tanks area, mostly out of the wind, although it would be wrong to say we hiked on a trail. We had both downloaded offline maps but, after much frustration, we finally figured out there was no trail to follow. Basically, just pick a direction and head there. Andrew was very understanding of my “I-feel-like-crap-and-have-no-patience-for-ANYTHING” attitude during this time.

 

We did manage to find one of the tanks which was marked by big white boulders and had a bit of water in it, even at this time of year. 

Joshua trees are such funky shapes

One of the "tanks." Still some water in it, even at this dry time of year.

Large white boulders marked this tank.

At the "cholla garden"

Chollas as far as the eye can see. So much dust in the background from the high winds.

We got to Cottonwood campground and Andrew was thinking of going for a run before realizing that, with the time change, sunset was at 4:30 pm and he really didn’t want to be out there in the dark. 

 

The wind picked up throughout the evening to the point where several people, mostly in un-sturdy tents and vehicle roof top tents, packed up and left. We were very happy for the sleeping and eating setup in our van, but the wind was strong enough to keep it rocking back and forth all night.  

The next morning, we headed back north through the park and tried to stop for coffee at Joshua Tree townsite but everyone else had the same idea and the shops were packed with long lineups. We kept going and the wind finally let up during the day as we got closer to Bishop.