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Joshua Tree NP

Jim 2011

Jim 2011

Novice
Finally "retired" again. Have been away from all this, got called from the company I retired from and went back for 5 months as a Contractor. Finally called a halt at the end of March and spent the first week of April in Joshua Tree NP with our Raindrop and our daughter and grandchildren. There are a number of campgrounds in J-Tree but only one, Cottonwood Springs, has water. No power, just water and flush toilets. More than enough for a Camp-Inn. Tremendous winds on Sunday and Monday, had to really stake down my daughter's 6-man tent as well as our little side tent. Camping is difficult when you can only do what ever you are doing with only one hand. One hand for the job, one hand to hold everything down around you. Not even a glass of water would stand up to the gusts. We have the galley "wind shields" but we still had to open both storage bin lids which provided an adequate wind shield for the stove. That was the only way to keep a flame under a pot. By Tuesday the wind was calm and it stayed that way until Thursday afternoon. The wind came up again while we were out hiking and damaged (BROKE) the frame of our 10X10 Coleman Sun Canopy. Had a shade wall hooked on (a single panel that blocks the sun from that side) which, acting as a sail, torqued the upper "sissor" frame until a cross member broke in half. I had it very well staked down with guy lines at each corner. It didn't move which of course is what caused the upper frame to distort and break. I could have tried various repairs but it was so distorted that I knew I could never get it right. Now looking for a new Canopy. I know there are lots of "threads" here on canopies but haven't reread them yet. So a word of caution, we love the desert and camp out on it often, but beware the winds. Wind speed was reported to be in the high 30's steady with gusts to the high 40's. It felt higher.
Jim & Mary Anne
 
Jim and Mary Anne - certainly empathize with you re the wind. We experienced it all the way north from Joshua Tree NP to Oregon. Seemed to be worse in the afternoon but we did have a couple of impressive nights, also. We stayed with Jenn at Cottonwood Springs for one night. The next night, we stayed at Black Rock Campground, which is at the northwest end of the park (outside of Yucca Valley). It also has water. We had to leave the park, turn onto Hwy 62 and go west to the turnoff to the campground.

Glad you had a good time despite the damage to your shelter. Kathy
 
Thanks Kathy, I had forgotten about that little campground back by Hwy 62. It is so isolated I don't think of it as a part of the park but I now remember it does have water. And Jenn, if this land is truly MY land, please ask everybody to get off my property. :-) I swear it is getting more and more crowded everytime we go camping no matter where, or when, we go. Only saw one TD this trip, a single older lady with a T@B. She says if she has to back it up she goes somewhere else.
 
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