When you enter Joshua Tree Park it becomes very evident how they got the name. This has to be the largest concentration of Joshua trees anywhere. There are also huge outcrops of boulders and rock all stacked up like God playing with building blocks. The hike started at about 4600 ft above sea level and we climbed through a wide canyon two miles to an old mine at 5050 ft.
Lost Horse Mine was discovered around 1890. A cattle rancher (Lang) was looking in the area for a lost horse and a prospector told him of this find so he bought the claim for $1000. The mine operated from 1894 to 1931 with the production of 10,000 ounces of gold. Like all stories about gold mines there is determination, ingenuity and a touch of greed woven into the story.
In the photos that follow you will see that there was a fire through the area on May 24, 2009 that took out a great patch of vegetation. Spring has only just come to this altitude as there were few wild flowers and most plants had only a small amount of green showing. We had a beautiful day of sunshine but with a light wind it was a cool 7 C (45 F) hike.
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| Volcanic hill with rock deposits. The top has basalt columns that must be visited next time I hike here. |
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| 2009 fire still very evident |
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| Rock formations really stand out with the vegetation burnt away |
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| Mine shaft and stamp mill |
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| Old ruins above the mine shaft. It would be great to find old photos to explain what these buildings were used for. |
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| This winch is in line with the top of the mine shaft and was probably used to lift the ore from depth. The shaft was 500 ft deep and had side tunnels that stretched 100 ft. |
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| This foundation was about 10 ft deep. If they had a house on top of this spot it must have had a great view of the surrounding mountain ranges. |
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| Rock piles all tumbled by nature's forces |
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| Juniper (Juniperus californica) seems to be thriving in this cooler weather |
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| Many varieties of Yucca are also growing in this area |
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| An old juniper long dead but not giving in to decay. These twisted and gnarled limbs will be around for a very long time. |
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| A Mojave yucca with an old bloom still attached |
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| A Prickly Pear Cactus is finding a secure location nestled in this rock formation |
The second part of trip was to Keys View a lookout in the San Bernadino Mountain Range. Sitting at 5187 feet above sea level you get a commanding view of the Coachella Valley and the San Andreas Fault.
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| This guy living at the lookout will pose for handouts but I didn't feed him so he quickly left. |
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| The ridge in the middle of the valley is the San Andreas Fault |
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| These rock formations are the result of volcanic activity. Magma - in this photo is a molten form of the rock called monzo-granite. It rose from deep within the earth. This on in particular is used by many rock climbers. |
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| The Joshua trees have this rock formation surrounded |
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