Day 130 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways
Where to Camp in Joshua Tree
We arrived in Indio just before 11 pm last night. We found a good Wal-Mart and stocked up before heading toward Joshua Tree National Park. Had I entered through the South entrance, it probably would have saved me 60 miles on my trip, but I picked the West entrance. After asking the advice of a ranger, Petey, VANilla, and I immediately searched out a campsite at Jumbo Rocks. Joshua Tree National Park, so named for the Joshua trees scattered all over the area, boasts nine campgrounds. Hidden Valley is the most popular among the climbers, and Ryan and Jumbo Rocks are the two that are in the middle of everything.
We pulled into the camping area where I always like to look at the campground map while I scope out a sight. It’s particularly important to me to find a site near a bathroom. No map was available, so we putted along at 15 mph looking at the parking spaces on the side of the road. The parking spaces were sites. I couldn’t believe it. Imagine driving into a shopping center with boulders replacing stores, pulling into a parking space marked by wood post with a clip to attach a reservation slip, and then camping there. Based on the sites, I quickly deduced I will be without electric, the bathrooms will be pit toilets, and I’ll have to rely on my own water.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!