Painted
Canyon in the Mecca Hills Wilderness Area.
We've gone to Joshua Tree
the last several years, so the last day before our flight out of
California we thought we'd find somewhere new to explore. We drove
down to the town of Mecca and out through orange groves, strawberry fields, and
vineyards (a very strange sight in the otherwise dry landscape), and ended up on a five mile long gravel road through the
Mecca Hills Wilderness where we found bright blue sky, brilliant
yellow blooming palo verde trees, and gorgeous rock formations. We went just to look around,
not prepared to hike (you know - flip-flops, hip replacements, generally just
feeling like taking it easy), but this is supposed to be a great place
to hike up through the canyon. Maybe next year we'll take it on! It's gorgeous...and I so want to see what's around that bend at the trailhead...
More about Mecca Hills Wilderness here.