Another visit to the high desert

Mary and Terra came out to Twentynine Palms to visit over the weekend. It was really nice to have the family together again. I sort of go into hermit mode when I am in school and just don't do much but go to the gym and then to school. We didn't do all that much, but it was a great trip. The weather did not favor us, and we had to adjust our plans to visit Joshua Tree. Our original plan was to go climb up Ryan Peak, but it looked like it was going to rain, and there was much more wind and chill than we were prepared for. Instead, we took the geological car tour which was really fun too. Finally got to have it explained to me what all of the piles of rocks were about, and learn a bit about the different kinds of rocks. Mary took a class on Geology while she was at college, so it was fun for her too. Terra was wanting to get out and go hiking, but it was just too cold. We ended up taking a few pit stops and pictures though:

Getting the kid kitted out for the chilly wind.

Monzogranite rock piles, around 87 Million years old.

Hammin' it up.

The kid is a surprisingly good photographer.

This is Pinto Gneiss, it was in an isolated part of the park, and is around 1.7 Billion years old. Cool Cactus bro.

More pinto gneiss.

We climbed up to get a good picture or two. There was a really great old cedar right next to us that smelled amazing.

Beautiful Desert, Joshua Tree in the distance.

After our trip to the park we ate some "Meh"xican food and went bowling!

Caught some great sunset shots.

I've been trying to hype up the sunsets here, this one was average.

After that, we at at the carousel cafe, and had a Banana Split! Wow, I hadn't had a banana split in forever, they are really good. Why don't I get them more often? Simple, good.

Finished off the trip with a visit to the Mara Oasis, and had a nice brunch. Great trip, and it was good to see my girls. They are wonderful.