National Parks

To beat the crowds we visited Yosemite National Park this spring. We were pleasantly surprised to see rushing waterfalls, spring flowers and very pleasant temperatures!There were some roads closed from winter and the Mariposa Grove was closed due to an unexpected storm in January that produced 70-100mph winds. With that storm, the park lost 25 mature giant sequoias! The storm damaged trails, boardwalks and other facilities in the Mariposa Grove area. The park is still cleaning up from that wind event.El Capitan draws rock climbers so bold to climb a 3000’ granite wall and many even sleep in climbing tents…

We took a side trip without the Airstream to Joshua Tree National Park!  Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park.  The Joshua Tree is a member of the Agave family. Native Americans loved them, the tough leaves were worked into baskets, sandals and the flower buds  (raw or roasted) seeds made a healthy addition to the diet.Our first night in our tent was a challenge for a few reasons:Air mattresses were blown up too hard.We were chilly but could handled it.The tent was on an incline!All of the above was remedied…