Headin' to Arizona

I'm headed for Arizona on my annual spring trip.  First day was down the coast on a sparkling sunny day, mostly with the top down.  I stopped in one of my favorite beach towns, Cayucos, and found a local hangin' out on the pier.

Surf at Pismo Beach from my motel room balcony.  Pismo pier in the distance.  Always pleasant here...Pismo is a great beach town and reminds me of the Australian beach towns in its comfort and informality.

Today I hiked to 49 Palm Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park.  This was my second time on the trail, but the first was 40 years ago...in 1973!  The oasis is looking good.

Cool barrel cactus on the oasis trail.

Cholla flower.

I have only seen these bright red cactus flowers in JTNP.  I know many of the cactus species in the SW US, but not this one.

Mojave yucca in full bloom.

Hiked the Pine City trail this afternoon and found this gnarly dead pinyon pine.

There are cool rocks in Pine City, along with the pines.  There was never a city here...just a miners cabin or two which are long gone.

A profusion of fine cactus flowers. 

Millennia of freezing, thawing, and erosion have produced countless funky rock fields in JTNP.  It would take months or years to explore them all.

The Lizards are back in their element!  They found a fine basking rock at the Hidden Valley picnic area.  I didn't even see the graffiti on the rock until I looked at the photo.

Joshua Tree blooms, with cool rocks in the background.