Wall Street Mill, Joshua Tree National Park

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THREE

About a week ago I got an email from a guy who'd read my blog and wanted to go hiking. He would be in town for a conference and would have some free time. He assured me he wasn't a serial killer--I'm sure serial killers do this, too-- and sent me a bio to reassure me. He is the part owner of a vitamin company, Celebrate Vitamins, and had never been to Palm Springs before. Like many people who've never been to the desert he was quite surprised by the mountains and all the beauty of the area. He expected cactus, sand dunes and probably camels. I didn't have any plans for my hike today so I thought it might be fun to go with someone new.

I picked him up in Palm Springs and we headed out to Joshua Tree National Park. We didn't have much time so we went to the Mill Street Mill from the Barker Dam parking area. My son, Nikolas, came along.

We went to Red Lady pictograph. The Park Service sign tells you about the seriousness of doing any harm to these valuable historical resources. But you would think that the Park Service would have spell check. What are CRIMINIAL PENEALITIES?

The famous Red Lady of Joshua Tree.

After leaving the Red Lady we went to Uncle Willie's Health Food Store. I figured it was a fitting place to take the vitamin guy.

There is a lot of "historical litter" in this part of the park. This appears to have been used for-- I have no idea what.

One reason there is so much in this particular area is the presence of water. There's this old windmill that was designed to pump water.

Unfortunately, it's no longer operational but that's OK because we brought our own water. That's a good idea for any visitor to Joshua Tree because there is no water in this portion of the park.

Along the main trail to the Wall Street Mill is this sign which was placed by Bill Keys. Mr. Keys was a famous settler in the park and shot Worth Bagley over a right of way issue. Joshua Tree truly was the Old West.

The Wall Street Mill is registered as a National Historic Place and is a good example of an old gold mill. Ore was crushed before the gold was extracted.

The ore poured down on this side.

And a man worked in here to process it. There is a fence around the mill to keep souvenir hunters out and keep it in good condition. It looks a lot like things I saw at Knott's Berry Farm when I was a kid in Orange County.

There is a new sign here that explains the history of the Mill and how it worked. The Park Service must have gotten some new funding because it looks like they used spell check here.

If anyone wonders why someone settled here in this inhospitable place I think it's because they may not have had a choice.

Cars just don't hold up too well out here.

The Wonderland of Rocks here in Joshua Tree is like a playground for boys...of all ages.

We hike around a bit more but it would take more time than we have this afternoon to really explore even this small portion of this almost 800,000 acre park. I hope Nick the Vitamin Guy had a good time because Nikolas and I sure did. Can't wait to come back to JT.

Red Lady of Joshua Tree

Day Fifty Two

Joshua Tree National Park is only a little over an hour from my home but today the drive there seemed interminable. My two boys just would not stop bickering. I love those kids but sometimes I just wish I could hike alone, or at least drive alone.

I took the boys to do the hike over in Hidden Valley. It's easy, interesting and I figured I could herd the boys like these cattle if necessary.

It's very hard for boys to stay on the trail in this area.

Boys! Get down from there this instant! Your mother would have a heart attack if she saw you up there. Oh wait, those aren't my kids. Never mind.

If things get too bad I can always tie them to this tree.

We survived the hike and then headed over to the Barker Dam parking area. We stop to watch a climber finish "The Flake" on Intersection Rock.

When we get to our next stop Harrison, my oldest son, doesn't want to go but wants to sit in the car. Fine with me. So I set out with just Nikolas. From the parking area, we head out to look for some different artifacts. We see some petroglyphs, like the one above.

We also go look at the Red Lady of Joshua Tree. This pictograph is in an area that is very symbolic and has great importance in Indian tradition.

The rock in the foreground has a ceremonial mortero. On the day of the spring equinox at twelve noon a ray of light pierces the rocks and enters the bedrock mortar hole. This symbolizes the fertility of the season to come.

Here is a closer look at the mother mortar. It is surrounded by cupules, smaller indentations that are generally associated with girl's initiation rituals. They were also used to grind paint for pictographs.

Here is another rock in the area covered with cupules.

We walked over to Uncle Willie's Health Food Store and found it closed for business.

There is a little storage area near Uncle Willie's,

where we find another bedrock mortar,

and another pictograph.

It's nice to see that the park is environmentally conscious with wind power.

I wish I could stay all day but I'm afraid by the time I get back to the car it'll look like this. We've kept Harrison waiting WAY too long.

I do love Joshua Tree. I cannot wait to go back but next time--I'm going alone.