Desert living

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I'm going to group a few days into one update for the sake of catching up.  As I reported last time, New Mexico greeted me with snow which was lovely but slightly complicated exploring plans.  However, by the evening the snow had all melted and I was presented with a chance to go horseback riding!  I have ridden on a horse before, but I have never been in control of the horse I am riding.  Now it could be argued that I wasn't in control of the horse this time either, but at least the horse let me pretend.  It was amazing and a very fun way to get to see a bit more of the desert mountains.  I had a wonderful guide (my friend's mother) who not only is an excellent horse trainer but also knew all about the transitional ecosystem we were exploring.  It was the perfect way to get better acquainted with the desert I was going to be calling home for the next few days.

I departed New Mexico in the mid-morning with the goal of getting to the Grand Canyon.  I hopped back onto I40 and continued to be delighted by the crazy rock formations littering the landscape.  Despite a few curiosity provoked stops, I managed to arrive at the Grand Canyon well before sunset.  I have of course seen pictures of the Grand Canyon and thought that I had a good grasp on what I was about to see, I had no idea.  It is such a tremendous sight, it was difficult to even process.  I won't even try to describe it in words, below is a picture which also doesn't do it justice.  All I can say is that if you ever have a chance, definitely visit!  After the sun set and I got thoroughly lost trying to exit the park in the dark, I finally found a place to camp in the Kaibab National Forest just south of the National Park.  I embraced the facts of desert living and left the rain-fly off of my tent.  The full moon made stargazing a bit of a stretch but lent enough light to read by.  I awoke to a frozen water bottle so I think it's safe to say temperatures got a little chilly that night, but camping in cold weather is something that I can handle.  

My final desert destination was Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.  I was back country camping for two nights in the park, with a full day set aside for hiking.  I was excited for the chance to do some camping away from the car, though leaving Monkey Motion is always rough, and to get to see more of the park.  Most importantly I was ready for another full day of no driving!  Joshua Tree also proved to be chillier than I expected, with a steady wind that made a jacket and pants necessary during all my excursions, along with a sun hat and fanny pack that made for quite the ensemble.  I can thankfully say that I did not have any interactions with rattlesnakes or, more importantly, scorpions.  I did get to see a good number of lizards (and only took a few pictures of the them), birds, jack rabbits, small ground rodent things, a coyote, and of course tons of crazy plants.  

Another incredibly gorgeous place that was unlike anywhere I have ever been, and another place I highly recommend visiting if you ever have the chance.  I hiked out early on the second morning to find Monkey Motion patiently awaiting my return.  With the Pacific Ocean (and water in general) calling my name, I headed out of the park leaving my days of desert living behind.