Joshua Tree NP Day 2

Well I didn’t get my pictures processed last night and had to finish them this morning. So, I didn’t get the early start that I had hoped for. It is what it is. Maybe tomorrow. Once I got started, I headed up to the north west entrance. That is the side of the park that has the most Joshua Trees and many granite rock mounds that look like they came directly out of the movie Galaxy Quest, if you have seen that movie. I first stopped at an unnamed trail and walked around there and took some pictures. When I left there, I went Quail Springs. While I was walking around taking pictures, I noticed something moving in the bushes. I kept watching and then saw what it was. There were two desert quails moving in and behind the bushes that I was standing in front of. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a clear shot of them facing me. So, I got one of them from the side and the other from the back. Later in the day I found a sign that was printed by the national park service that said that these quail are very rare. They believe that their dwindling population is because of invasive foliage that burns easily, and the quail’s natural food is being destroyed by the fires and not growing back. From there I went to Hidden Valley. This is an area surrounded by huge rocks. This area was used by rustlers to hide what they stole. The trail is a one-mile loop with a lot to see. It is also popular with rock climbers. Now there is something that I don’t understand. But I guess to each his own. Maybe some of them don’t understand why I search for that one picture that I can cherish forever. It was a cold and windy day all mover the park but nothing like what it was at my next stop. Keys View is a place to view the valley below from an elevation of 5,185 feet. The temperature was 41 degrees and the wind was blowing at about 40 to 50 mph. Needless to say, I didn’t stay very long. My next and last stop for the day was Hall of Horrors. I didn’t see anything that was horrible and nothing in the area that explained why the area was named Hall of Horrors. I’m going to keep looking to find out. You can see my photos at https://kgarrett.smugmug.com/Around-The-USA/Joshua-Tree-National-Park/Joshua-Tree-Day-2/