We went down to Joshua Tree National Park over the long Thanksgiving weekend, which is becoming something of a tradition for us (see Thanksgiving at MacKerricher, Thanksgiving at Lassen). This was our campsite, complete with joshua trees.

We met up at the park with our friends Julie, Patrice, and their daughter Eva. They drove separately but camped and cooked out with us for two of the three nights we were there.

Here’s a panorama of Hidden Valley, our hike on Friday. I didn’t know what to expect from Joshua Tree (other than joshua trees). Turns out it’s well known (especially among climbers) for its piles of eroded granite rocks. Everywhere we looked we saw people on rocks, some professional, some just goofing off—like us.

Hidden Valley panorama

On Saturday we hiked out to the Fortynine Palms Oasis. Along the way, two tarantulas crossed our paths!

Compared to the hot desert sun (even in late November), it felt air conditioned in the shade of the palms. We all sat down to eat our well-earned sandwiches. It was a mile and a half to the oasis, with about 300 feet of elevation gain and loss just getting there—which we’d repeat on the way out.