Off_White Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 Trip: Joshua Tree Thanksgiving - Date: 11/24/2011 Trip Report: We got outta Dodge for a 9 day trip to Southern California. First stop was San Diego for family & old friend visits, along with an afternoon tide pooling at the beach After a few days we headed off to meet a crew of friends at Joshua Tree for the holiday. These folks have been doing Turkey Day there for nigh onto 20 years, and my wife and I are occasional attenders. It was great to get out there and play in the forest again. The weather was awesome this year, not too windy, sunny, afternoon highs in the upper 50's and lows around 30. We've had much worse at this time of year. Climbing as a mob is seldom epic, and not necessarily photogenic, but we all had a great time with a little leading and a lot of top roping. I'd forgotten just how run out the norm is there, especially in the middle 5.8 to 5.10 grades, lots of ground fall potential and DFU territory. Here's a shot looking down, the stuff explosion is all from our crew Of course, there was plenty of time for lounging in the sun and gabbing, telling lies, and reading. We stayed in Ryan campground this time: smaller, lower key, and a little easier to corral 3 sites together. Each afternoon had a steady line of folks on the classic Headstone formation. Campfire living can be pretty grand, and this was a prime example. I've known some of these folks for 30 years, so there's lots of yarns to be told and things to reminisce about. It's also an anniversary of sorts for me; my first time climbing was Thanksgiving weekend at Joshua Tree in 1973. The Thanksgiving dinner itself is pretty damned amazing, easily the equal of any I've had at a house. Multiple dutch ovens are deployed, including a specialized one for cooking a turkey. The menu included: 16 lb turkey 9 lb ham Sausage stuffing with gravy Spaghetti squash with garlic & parsley White sweet potatoes (grown in Moab) Scalloped potatoes Sauteed broccoli Cranberry sauce Baked apples German chocolate cheesecake (from scratch on site) Brownies with whipped cream And of course beer, wine, hard cider, Martinelli fizzy cider, and schnapps It made for that classic OMG holiday stuffed feeling, and we ate ham sandwiches all the way home, coming up the east side of the Sierra with a layover with some old friends in Truckee. Travel conditions were excellent for all legs of the trip, with only a couple sections of mild rain. Hot damn, I'm already psyched for next year. Quote
ezra Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 Thanks for sharing, that's a good looking dinner.... Quote
goatboy Posted December 2, 2011 Posted December 2, 2011 Very nice. We were there too. Great place for Thanksgiving, year after year. Quote
Sherri Posted December 2, 2011 Posted December 2, 2011 Looks like a great way to celebrate a holiday and an anniversary, Off! Quote
Whatcomboy Posted December 3, 2011 Posted December 3, 2011 Thanks for the pics. I gotta get down there! Quote
Drederek Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Very nice, I see what looks like someone on 'walk on the wild side' in the background of the headstone picture. Quote
Khartoum Wood Posted December 6, 2011 Posted December 6, 2011 Now that's a way to spend thanks giving.rockin! Quote
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