Cross/Chuckwalla Mtns.

[Dave G]

I joined Bob Huey for a nice hike up these peaks. Great weather all day, but the wind started blowing hard towards the end. I opened the door of my Jeep, the wind caught it, and the screws attaching the door limit strap were ripped out of the sheet metal!

Also, we saw quite a bit of what looked like bear scat; didn't know there were bears in that area (?).

Pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21042415@N ... 080946690/

[KathyW]

Dave:

That wind must have been really strong to take the door off the hinges - I hope it isn't real costly to fix. Thanks for sharing your pictures and map - they're nice. I'd like to spend some time up in that area eventually.

Kathy

[Cy Kaicener]

Thanks for the pictures Dave. If the wind was so strong at the cars, I cant imagine what it was like higher up on the ridges.
The Sierra Club - HPS are hiking these two peaks on Saturday and say that the poppy fields should be blooming

[Dave G]

Hi Kathy~ I just need to remount the little bracket they call the "footman loop" into the door with larger screws. The original ones tore out. Thanks for asking.

Cy~ I didn't see much color (flowers) up there at all yet. Guess it's still a little early. Maybe the warm weather this week will help out and the SC folks will get their poppies.

[tomcat_rc]

I would say that probably not for another 2-3 weeks - we did the hike the week before Dave and summited Cross's neighbor Pk4762 - the hills are full of poppies, blue dick and more - but none blooming yet - I saw one little blue dick bud starting only. Would be better show to wait a couple more weeks.

Good job Dave - but if you let Bob H drive you walked an extra 1/2 mile both ways - he does not like the 4wd sections of that road.

[Kevin]

If it's flowers you're after, do Onyx #2 near Weldon. The hillsides are awash in color with yellow coreopsis and orange poppies in full bloom - zillions of them it seems. As you climb higher, the chia is starting to bloom along with lupine. Many other flowers too, but I don't know their names.

There are few joshua trees down low which have a flower bud on them - about 12" long.