Participants: Richard Cranston, Laurie Bitter, Mike Neary, Bruce Corning, Dave Lake, John McNelly, Joyce Trischler, Drew McNelly, Joel Thomson, Bridget Galvin, Marie Margol, Paul Domholdt, Jack Cook, Carolee Cook, Joe Silva, Penny, and Randy Ortland (leader).
Along with National Park status which was conferred in late 1994, Joshua Tree was subject to severe budget cuts. Two weeks before our visit Joshua Tree was closed briefly during the first government "shut-down" and was to close again about a week after our visit. These budget problems were evidenced clearly in the mood of the park rangers, still courteous, their enthusiasm seen in previous visits was noticeably lacking. Many of the ranger led programs had been cut back, and the entrance station was not even staffed until noon.
I arrived Friday in the early afternoon and was greeted by Richard, already set-up and unloading the last few items. About the time I finished setting up, John, Joyce and Drew arrived. The rest of the campers (except Jack and Carolee who arrived Saturday) came trickling in after dark. There was evidence of coyotes in the campsite, unusual for Indian Cove, and we suspected that the recent park closure had lured the normaly shy creatures from the higher elevations. Around sunset we heard some coyote calls but apparently they decided to keep their distance and we were not bothered further. Around the same time we lit the campfire - more for aesthetics than for warmth, the temperature in the evening hovered in the low 50s and only dipped to the mid 40s overnight. The sky remained mostly clear all night but star gazing was impaired by a half-full moon. Still and all the viewing was better than in the city and several "shooting stars" were observed. Gradually, the campers trickled off to bed with the last few retiring around midnight.
After breakfast Saturday the first group of hikers consisting of Joel, Bridget, Bruce, and Dave set out for the Forty-nine Palms Oasis. Marie and Paul set out for the interior of the Park on a driving sight-seeing tour. The rest of us opted for relaxation, well, except for Drew who was anxious to "hit the rocks". After some warm-up bouldering exercises John set up a rope on a nearby short wall and roped Drew up for the climb. Drew made it about halfway up before he froze and had to be "rescued" by John. A remarkable effort for a four year old, it seemed Drew had more faith in his father than in the rope.
After lunch several of us set out to the Ryan Mountain area to join in one of the few ranger activities scheduled. It was to be a short hike covering some of the history of the area. We were a little late in arriving and either missed the group or it was cancelled, there weren't many other cars there. We did a little exploring on our own and investigated some small caves and spotted a jack rabbit. We returned to the campsite as Richard was stoking the fires for the barbecue. By this time Jack and Carolee had arrived and soon dinner was in full swing. Although it was not planned as a pot luck there was plenty of food to share, all of it good, and nobody went hungry. After dinner we enjoyed another pleasant evening around the campfire.
After a leisurely breakfast Sunday morning we broke camp. About half our group departed early for home, but Richard, Laurie, Jack, Carolee, Mike and myself met up in town for the traditional after-camp lunch. Our traditional meeting place, the House of Happiness, had been renamed but we decided to pay it a visit anyway and were delighted to find the same owners. They were forced to Americanize their menu but still offered the excellent Chinese dishes we'd come to enjoy.