Jade, George Patrick (GP) & Andrea needed to time adjust so we took an easy start to the day. Jade had a bit of a cold and so we had to make sure she got lots of rest. However given that she was carried everywhere, it didn’t hinder us too much. The airbnb owner had very kindly provided us with a high chair and a sleeping cot. Since Jade was still in her sleeping tent, her bed actually became her tent inside the generously sized closet, so she even had her own room!
GP, Andrea and I headed in to Joshua Tree town for them to pick up some additional supplies. I also managed to pick up some toys for Jade at the local thrift shop – including a very fun 6 sided play hub with bead maze, gears and more. I made a deal with the shop owner that I would ‘rent’ it for the week and return it before we left. It provided many hours of fun for Jade (and us!).
After nap time and lunch, our venture into Joshua Tree park started with the hike into Wall Street Mill. The spectacular landscape was scattered with remnants from the mining days including several abandoned vehicles and a descriptive head stone. Worth Bagley had been killed by W.F. Keyes in a shootout over a property dispute and was subsequently convicted of murder.
Next off to the Barker Dam. As usual, Michael frequently ventured from the group as he took photos. The landscape was quite open, with a couple of trails crossing paths. On the return portion of the circular dam trail, Michael ended up chatting with another photographer (Canadian girl from Calgary), and then he subsequently ended on an alternate path. GP, Andrea, Jade and I waited for him at the parking lot for over 1/2 hour before GP returned on the trail to search for him to no avail. So we waited more. GP went on the search again as the hour grew late and the sky started to darken. In the meantime, Michael managed to find his way back to us – he had landed in the wrong parking lot and had to make the trek back to us along the road. He then went on a search for GP to no avail. Eventually GP returned and we were able to head home! In the meantime Jade had fun watching the hare which frequented the area by the parking lot. Luckily she slept for much of it!
