One of several juniper trees around my campsite at Mid Hills campground that has been chopped down by campers for firewood

It was chilly and windy last night, but I slept reasonably well and wake up later than intended. I was considering leaving Mid Hills today, but I think I'll stay an extra day, lazy camper that I am!

An elderly pinon pine near my tent at Mid Hills campground drools sticky and waxy

After vitamin C drink and two cups of instant Via coffee, I make a pouch of Mary Jane's Farms Kettle Chili. Really good, but I'd call it lentil stew, not chili. Then I try Natural High 3 Berry Cobbler, which also turns out to be good, but over-sweetened.

I ride down to the entrance kiosk of Mid Hills campground to sign up for an extra night of camping and deposit my fees

It's a 1.2-mile round-trip ride from my campsite at the far end of the campground.

I start the short hike from Mid Hills campground over to Eagle Rocks and pass these diminutive flowers near the campground road

These might be fleabane (Erigeron concinnus).

Except for this campsite, Mid Hills campground is almost empty this morning, which is surprising for a Saturday morning

Mid Hills campground can be busy on weekends, but it looks like the cold weather system moving through the mountains here has kept people away. That's fine by me, and it's one reason I'm staying an extra night!

A few mariposa lilies bloom in a rocky area at Mid Hills campground

Here I leave the campground road and start hiking cross-country over to Eagle Rocks.

Reaching the turrets of Eagle Rocks from Mid Hills campground requires climbing down into an intervening wide canyon

I walk out to the edge of the plateau here to look for the easiest way down.

I choose to follow a drainage downward into the canyon below Eagle Rocks

It's a bit steep, but it provides fairly good traction for the descent.

I pass a patch of white thistles on the way down to the canyon below Eagle Rocks

I've noticed that these thistles, while blooming, always seem to have insects feeding on the flowers.

After crossing the canyon, I climb up the hill toward the Eagle Rocks turrets

I'll start by exploring the area of the turret to the north (right).

I passed the south end of Eagle Rocks while hiking to Chicken Water Spring last year, but didn't have time to explore the rocks

Looking ahead, I conclude that some of the rocks might be easier to climb than I first thought.

The big rock outcrop ahead at the top looks insurmountable to non-rock-climbers, but I'll continue upward to see how close I get

Scrambling over the rocks here is a lot of fun. I'm tired today after the all the hiking and mountain-biking this week, but I'm waking up now.

I turn around to take in the views northeast, toward Mid Hills campground on the first ridge, between a couple of rock piles

I can see to Pinto Mountain in the middleground, where I hiked a few days ago, and to the New York Mountains in the background.

I climb up the eroded rock in the upper area of the Eagle Rocks, Mojave National Preserve

A few plants grow in the tight spaces between the rocks.

Manzanitas, which are not usually a desert plant, grow here and there in the Eagle Rocks area

The 2005 brush fires burned most of this area; many manzanitas here have sprouted back from the roots after fire damage.