After returning from Ryan Mountain, we looked around for another short hike to finish off the day before driving back to Joshua Tree town – Skull Rock was nearby to the east, so we headed there to check out the formation and its adjacent 1.7-mile nature trail loop.  We found the trailhead easily enough since it’s right on the main road, and we embarked right away, taking only water bottles and leaving our packs in the Jeep.  There were a few people hanging out at Skull Rock proper and taking photos, so we walked the opposite direction down the trail hoping that the crowd would thin out by the time we finished the loop.  The path first led southwestward up a sandy wash, the surface soft enough to give our calves a healthy workout – there were numerous signs along the way, each pointing out interesting facts about the area’s flora and fauna.  Soon, we left the wash and surfaced atop a broad plateau turned reddish gold in the late afternoon sun, and we gradually made our way across the flats to Jumbo Rocks campground, turning west up the paved access road that led us back to the main park road.  Crossing to the north side, the trail led another mile or so back to where we started, never losing or gaining any significant elevation but always climbing over or dropping into the low hills and intervening ravines.  It was quite beautiful in the fading light, and we found the trailhead much less populated upon our return – we grabbed a photo of Skull Rock and called it a day, Cynthia having completed Mile 4 on the back side of our loop.  We briefly stopped near Ryan Mountain again to snap some photos of the sunset that didn’t turn out (a lame effort, honestly), and got back to Joshua Tree just after dark.  A nice way to end Day 1…