I was up early this morning to have time to squeeze in a hike on Panorama Loop in Blackrock Canyon before heading to Friendly Hills Elementary to set up for the reveal of my collaborative painting project.  It's a beautiful loop to hike, though the canyon, up and along the ridgeline, with views into the Coachella Valley and the towns north of the park, then back down through the canyon.  I lucked out yet again and did not encounter any rattlesnakes.  Did see some large cat prints and scat.  

This afternoon I brought the three paintings to the school to show the kids before tonight's event to share them with the public as part of the school's living history night.  Everyone was very pleased, so all in all, I think it was a successful project.

Beginning the hike up to Panorama Loop, which traverses the ridgeline in this shot.

There were a few Joshua Trees in bloom along my hike.

A nice example of gneiss.

This is a very large J tree, though it's hard to see the scale here.  The trunk is one of the largest I've seen in the park.

Mount San Gogonio in the distance.

The Santa Rosa mountains with Mt San Jacinto, and the San Bernardino mountains with Mt San Gorgonio.

The view north towards the towns.

  

Finally, I caught some photos of this elusive little guy.  I've seen so many antelope ground squirrels here, but they are so quick, photos are just a blur.  Until this guy.

The only mojave yucca I've seen in bloom this trip.

This large tree had a number of blooms.

A view back at the hike.