Goldstrike Canyon, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest NP

After a week at Lake Mead and finally getting all of my car registration stuff done in Vegas, I was more than ready to leave and head to better adventures somewhere else. As I was preparing to head out, a friend hit me up and invited me on a backpacking trip in Goldstrike Canyon, just south of the Hoover Dam. That turned into one awesome adventure before I set off into Arizona, where I visited the Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest.

Amboy Crater Super Bloom Instameet

Time to catch back up on the blog! After my weekend backpacking in Joshua Tree, I stayed in the area for my sister’s wedding nearby the following weekend, before spending the next week in LA. Alas, time came to hit the road again, and I kicked it off with an official Instameet put on by the Bureau of Land Management at Amboy Crater in Mojave Trails National Monument, where an excellent super bloom of wildflowers is taking place. I even spent the night at a small parking area adjacent to the crater before heading on to 8 Mile Road in Lake Mead National Recreation Area for the week to take care of my car registration in Las Vegas.

Joshua Tree Camping and Backpacking at Black Rock

On Friday afternoon, I packed up from Arizona and headed towards Joshua Tree with plans to spend a couple of weeks in the general area. After one night at a free spot on the South end of the park, I drove to the Black Rock area on Saturday and did a single overnight backpacking trip into the park’s wilderness. Getting back to the trailhead on Sunday, I went immediately to a campsite at the Black Rock Campground that I had previously reserved for the week.