5in29: Day 5
2024-12-15. 29 Joshua Tree National Park, CA to Phoenix, AZ
[The previous posts are available at AABB’s website]
Van Life:
Campsite slot #89 offered many different views.
The night temperature was 37 degrees again. The morning was chilly.
We had our first cooked breakfast. Yummy and nutritious.
The house battery seemed to be working well this morning, and the rest of the day. We now suspected that when the Vegas office switched the van, they didn’t fully charge this van, and they didn’t tell us about it, or didn’t know about it, or didn’t know what to do with it since they fired their mechanic last week. After connecting to shore power for 13 hours the night before at 29 Palms, the house battery is all charged up and functions properly.
We wanted to be sure the house battery continues to function properly. So, we decided to spend the night at an RV camp to connect to the shore power every two days.
We called ahead the Desert’s Edge RV Park in Phoenix, AZ for the night. We wanted to make sure we had a good battery charge, refill the freshwater, empty the gray water, and empty the toilet. Plus, tomorrow will be Monday. Roman has a regular working day, I have work to do. So, we plan to spend a sizeable chunk of time at the RV Park.
Attraction: Ryan Mountain, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Somewhere it said this trail was the hardest inside the park. The hiking level is labeled “hard.” It was estimated to take from 1.5 to 2.5 hours to finish the 3 miles of round trip.
We hiked it to the top! This was not for the faint of heart (my smartwatch was not working, but I could guess my heartbeat was as high as it could be). It was not for shaky legs—every step had to be firm and steady. And, it was not even for the absent-minded—one needed to strategize each step, and not to look down or aside. It took us 59 minutes to the top (including stopping for water and photos), and 50 minutes down without stopping.
The summit was windy and cold. We forgot to check the temperature. But if someone says it was 30 or lower, I’d not disagree. To my surprise, my phone had a strong cell signal—there was no signal during the entire time we stayed in Joshua Tree Park. I could check in to my FB and share a couple of pictures.
We explored the rest of the park. We left the park feeling we knew it very well. If we had more time, we might hike all the trails available. It was such an enjoyable place to spend time and connect with nature. We were glad we originally planned to spend more than one night and could do that even with the LA hiccup.
It took us 40+ minutes from the Ryan Mountain parking lot to the southeast gate at Cottonwood Visit Center, which is close to I-10, the highway leading to our next stop.
