Wonderland of Rocks - 2.16.2019
From the west entrance pay station of Joshua Tree National Park... we drove 8.9 miles on Park Blvd and turned left onto Hidden Valley Road... then we drove 1.2 miles and parked in a turnout next to the road... the Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill trailhead is another half-mile further up the road, but the parking lot was full today.
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Walking along the Hidden Valley Road toward the main parking lot for Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill... Queen Mountain is in the distance.
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After hiking a half-mile we have arrived at the shared parking lot for the Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill.
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We have left the main parking lot and are hiking NE along a path that borders the south end of the Wonderland of Rocks.
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A third of a mile from the paved parking lot for Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill we have reached the dirt parking lot that serves as overflow parking for the two hikes... however, the dirt road was closed today due to recent rainfall.
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The Wonderland Ranch (aka Worth Bagley Homestead) is a tenth of a mile from the dirt parking lot and is where we will enter the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Entering the Wonderland of Rocks.
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It is 'Modernism Week' in Palm Springs... so I bought this modern kitchen for Denali Girl... she seems to like it.
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A dam in the wonderland... and definite evidence of the recent rainfall in the area.
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Continuing deeper into the wonderland.
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Staying on the rocks to avoid the water in the wash.
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The Shark... the terrain will start to open up just beyond the shark.
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The terrain opens up... the Astro Domes are on the far left... and The Camel is out there in the center of the photo.
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Two climbers are on the South Astro Dome... but they are in the shade and you will need to look closely.
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Continuing north into the wonderland... with the Astro Domes on the left and The Camel on the far right.
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A closer look at The Camel.. this is where we will turn to the east and head over to the Red Obelisk.
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The Freak Brothers Dome... rock climbers delight.
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In a wash heading east toward the Red Obelisk... looking over at what I refer to as the 'Red Obelisk Amphitheater'.
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The Red Obelisk is prominent down there in the wash.
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Getting closer to the Red Obelisk.
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Denali Girl leads our approach to the Red Obelisk.
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Looking back at the Red Obelisk as we continue east in the wash... the face of 'The Camel' is out there in the distance.
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The terrain has opened up again... we will start hiking SE toward the silo shaped rock on the far right... Queen Mountain is on the horizon.
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Hiking past the silo shaped rock formation.
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We've been in the wonderland lots of times, but from here to the Wall Street Mill is new territory for us.
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Find Denali Girl... love these rocks.
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Angry looking dude is staring me down.
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Tighter quarters here.
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Denali Girl works the rocks.
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Crazy rock formations here.
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Kind of hit a dead end here... so up and over.
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Denali Girl heads up.
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Denali Girl looking for a way down into the next wash.
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Nice views... but we can't find a route down from this viewpoint.
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We will backtrack a bit to the left and look for a route over to the wash on the right.
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That is where we want to be... easier said than done.
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Denali Girl says we should go this way.
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Looking for a good route through these rocks.
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Yee-haw... off of the rocks and in a wash.
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The wash didn't last very long... heading south now... we will try to go down to the left.
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Up again.
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Gail explores a cave in the dead center of the photo... while I look for a route out of here.
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Looking back toward where Gail is exploring her cave.
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Ugh... it looks like the wash is going to get really brushy.
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Here comes Denali Girl... I told her that I think I have found a route that goes.
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Going down to the left here... but it looks kind of brushy.
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Did I mention that my route was kind of brushy.
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Through the brush okay... but going down into this hole to get through this series of huge boulders.
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I think the route will go.
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Denali Girl is willing to follow me.
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Denali Girl coming down.
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One giant step.
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At last we have reached a wash that looks like it will take us to the Wall Street Mill... I recognize that hill out there on the horizon.
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In the wash.
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Going between a couple boulders in the wash.
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Avoiding brush in the wash as best we can.
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Almost out of the wash... lots of water still remains from the recent rainfall.
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We are out of the wonderland and checking out the Wall Street Mill... we have hiked a total of 3.5 miles (2.5 miles was in the wonderland)... and an easy 1.5 mile walk will get us back to our car.
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Apparently our car has deteriorated some since we left it earlier in the day.
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Almost back to the paved parking lot for Barker Dam... our hike was 5 miles roundtrip, gaining 400 feet of elevation... if we had been able to park in the dirt parking lot, the hike would have only been 3.5 miles.
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