With the previous week's terrible experience at the Burnt Rancheria campground, I really wasn't looking forward to camping at Joshua Tree NP. Mom and Adam picked me up Saturday morning and we headed up to the park. Realizing that we had left a bunch of necessities at home, we stopped at Stater Brothers where mom got lost in a fabric store only to emerge with a huge smile and a bag for beautiful fabric. We get to the park and it's 115°F in the shade! We were really worried about the campgound but luckily it had a permanent awning which was a life saver. Later that afternoon, my aunt and uncle showed up with their families and a great time was had by all dispite the heat. In the evening, we hiked the Hidden Valley nature trail before it got dark enough to attend the Star Party. Adam and I spotted bats flying around but didn't tell mom until the next day. That night, we make it back to camp to find that my uncle Linh had made a campfire so the kids put marshmellows on while I showed Linh the Milky Way (he'd never seen it before!) and Jupiter. Adam and I sat in the deserted parking lot drinking Blue Moon and watched the sky change in the darkness. About 3am, I was awakened by lightning, thunder, and rain drops. We put up our rain flies but it turned out to be un-neccessary as the water evaporated as soon as it landed. The next day, we hauled ass out of the park to beat the heat and headed to Desert Hot Springs to swim and cool off. I think it made the kids' weekend.
