Fifteen Minutes of Fame?

Cousin Scott and I were recently hiking in a somewhat remote area of Joshua Tree. We had gone past the "crowds" at Barker Dam (I'll share my Barker Dam photos in the near future) and went off-trail in search of some pictographs that Scott had never seen (although you've seen them in a previous post here).

Look closely and you can see Scott exploring the area.

Photographing the pictographs!

As we were sitting, enjoying the shady alcove, pictographs and a granola bar, we see a hiker coming our way. His name is Terry, and he is clearly an experienced hiker and has seen more of Joshua Tree backcountry than I have! As we talk about some of our favorite hikes, he stops me and says "I have to ask you what your name is?" I tell him, and he says "what's the name of your blog?" I tell him and it turns out he is a regular reader! What are the odds of running into a regular Spare Parts reader out here in the middle of nowhere?? He even knows Cousin Scott from some of my previous posts. How cool is that? For the next 15 minutes we talk and it seems so odd to meet a stranger out here in the middle of nowhere who knows my blog and appreciates what I do. Terry, I know you will be reading this. Just want to say thanks, you made my day, and I hope we meet again!!

A little later in our hike, Scott checks out Alister's Cave. Lots of rock art at this site, and some beautiful rock formations.

File this one under "things you see in the desert". Old trailers and RVs are a common sight out here, in various states of disrepair. Seen while we were driving around 29 Palms before our hike.

Another common sight... an abandoned homestead cabin. Someone's dream. Back in the day, the government gave out 5 acre parcels for free. All you had to do was "improve" the land by building a cabin on the site. Young families from LA snapped up these parcels as a weekend getaway, built little cabins, brought the kids out, and have many wonderful memories. As the years went by, many were abandoned, but a surprising number are still owned and the property taxes are being paid (which would be very low). They still represent someone's dream of "someday"... I'll go out and rebuild my little desert cabin and use it the way my parents (or grandparents) used it back in the day!

Back at Barker Dam, we came across two rock climbers. Can you spot the one climbing up the seam in the rock face?

Nice swirly clouds over Joshua Tree boulders.

Shooting into the sun from Barker Dam, just opposite the rock climbers.

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Thanks for stopping by!!