Day 2

May 3rd

We woke up early on Sunday to make an early start of it and were in the road by the crack of... noon.

Packed and ready to go!

Loaded up with all our gear and a tank of water we found that Beluga struggled a bit on the passes we had no trouble with before. Turns out that belugas are fond of arctic waters and less happy climbing hills in the desert.

Due to our late start, we diverted from Joshua Tree Park to Santa Barbra and parked in front of a friends' place. Dinner and wine followed.

Today we a pressed around LA and up into the high desert and Joshua Tree Forest. Stopped once when climbing a mountain pass to cool down and ponder Beluga's future with respect to Colorado and (later) the Rocky Mountains.

After setting up camp in Joshua Tree we hiked to the top of a scenic overlook and took many pictures.

 Images to come when we have better coverage.

Out to watch the sunset and enjoy one if the darkest places in California... on a full moon.

Did we mention that this is one of the darkest places, best for stargazing? That is if you don't have a full moon! Or for that matter, any moon. The rangers say the least bit of moonlight carries beautifully and you can hike in the dark with ease. 

Joshua Tree at sunset right outside our "front door"