On our last minute round-up of places to visit, we decided to spend the last day of 2011 closest to Joshua Tree National Park. We had no reservations and had no itinerary plans whatsoever. It was purely out of spontaneity when we decided where to spend the last leg of our roadtrip. After refueling the green hornet's tank, we went for it! If only we had known the weather would remain warm throughout our vacation, we would have totally camped-out in all the parks we visited! But since we did not prepare for that bit of climate change, we ended up staying at some random but decent hotel within the Yucca valley. We wanted to stay as close as possible with mother nature and camping out would have been the perfect scenario, however, the opportunity did not happen during this visit but hopefully it will present itself again sometime in 2012.
JT national park is, no kidding, beyond colossal! We had only seen a mere speck of its approximately 800,000 acres of pure wilderness expanse. A one day trip will definitely not hack it at all. Nonetheless, it is a good start to begin with.
wished all of the trail's paths were as well defined as this one but its Not always the case. Note to self: When trekking in the wilderness, it is important to start early! back tracking can be risky when you are running out of sunlight!
Joshua Tree, according to wiki and short articles I've read in the past, was coined by Mormon pioneer settlers of the Mojave desert. This abundant tree, they reflected, reminded them of a famous biblical figure, Joshua, whose hands were lifted up in the sky in solemn repose as he was directing his people towards the Promised Land, hence the namesake: Joshua Tree. With a little bit of imagination, I could understand where the semblance was coming from...but I have yet to find that passage in the bible. 
Moving on, trekking Wall Street Mill Trail was our specific goal during this stay. Why? Because, the first time we came to visit, we failed completing this short trail. Why again? simply because we ventured on a different path winding elsewhere but Wall Street Mill's! Funnily, there were a few lost and frazzled hikers whom we chanced upon that same day too! It was, literally, a congregation of 3 lost couples laughing at our absurd coincidences and futile attempts to conquer Wall Street Mill's Trail! what a bunch of losers! hahaha
They said, "second time's the charm" and it certainly was in our case this time around!
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| just a forlorn and decrepit watermill along the path.. | | | | | | | | |
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| a fallen water tank in the middle of the arid desert |
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| Old fashioned water pump |
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| stamping our initials |
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| "Here is .... Here is where Worth Bagley bit the dust at the hand of W.F. Keys. May 11, 1943" - a bit of spooky history |
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| braving the blazing heat in the last breath of December |
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| one of the many late nineteenth century automobiles beautifully wasting in JT grounds |
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| We realized that once stripped of its glossy exterior, some exposed parts were actually made of wood! I don't think we would find that in modern automobiles anymore these days! |
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| The cool thing about this trek was finding historical pieces in its raw and rustic state. Everything we saw was "as is", nothing was roped off and unexplorable. No one was stopping us from touching or playing with remnants of history, it's unbelievable finding it in recognizable state still. No looting of that sort happened here. Thousands, even millions, of random individuals had been in and out of this trail for more than a decade, yet knowing I could still enjoy a piece of history in its rawness amazes me. That's a clear showcase of historical Respect folks! Amazing. |
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can't help it :>
then a second one to boot! WOW
and a third one not too far away from the lot
Ancient folks definitely know how to show-off, huh? | | | | |
This was once a popular cattle watering well, dug in the late 18th century by William McHaney
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| entering the side entrance of the Mill |
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| The old Wall Street Stamp Mill was last operated by William F. Keys between 1930-1966 | | | | |
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Inside the mill, showcasing late 19th century gold ore crushing machinery
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| no idea what these were and what it were used for... |
I can only surmise this was the office? or the loo? who knows...
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view of the the back mill
"The Wall Street Stamp Mill was entered in the National Register of Historic Sites due to its local technological/mechanical significance. It is a complete gold ore crushing mill featuring late nineteenth century two-stamp mill machinery"
To some, it maybe just an old water mill in the middle of the desert. For us, it was like becoming one with a surreal piece of art where the world is our untapped canvas and we were the oblivious painters. We are definitely hungry to uncover and explore the many hidden canvases or ancient water mills of this world! |
