Joshua Tree National Park
A drive through Joshua Tree National Park might take a couple hours, viewing the park from the road. An exploration of the park would take a lifetime. Joshua Tree National Park has over 550,000 acres of wilderness filled with a variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Every now and then, man intrudes in this wilderness and leaves his brief, passing mark among the surreal geologic features that cover the landscape. Let’s go see what we can find.
The Desert isn’t Dead - Joshua Tree National Park
Back in early May, opportunity presented itself and said, “Hey, your aunt and uncle will be in Twentynine Palms for a couple days, it would be great to spend some time with them and show off your vast knowledge of neat places to visit in the park.”
Red, White & Blue! (orange, purple & yellow, too) - Joshua Tree National Park
I was lucky enough to be able to spend all day Sunday in the park. My trip plan consisted of obtaining Beef Jerky at the local 7-11, icing down my Dr. Pepper and Prime, grabbing some other snacks and then heading straight to the sandy washes south of Cottonwood Springs, to look for colorful things.
What was that? Joshua Tree National Park
“What was that, way up that canyon?” are probably words you’ve said at some point. Then the trick is, find a place to safely pull off to park, so you can climb into that canyon and see what you can find.
GoPro or Go Home - Joshua Tree National Park
With the really wet weather this past winter, the rain, the snow, the “precip,” many folks were saying those magical words……super bloom.
The Barbed Wire Trail - Joshua Tree National Park
Once the hiking boots hit the trail, anywhere in Joshua Tree National Park, toss the game plan out the window. Oh, you may come back to it and somehow end up where you had set out to go (often with a <squirrel!> side trip that turns out to be more interesting than the original goal), or you may get lost and die alone in the unforgiving Mojave.
The Sawtooth Ascent - Joshua Tree National Park
And this one seems to create a jagged, sawtooth-like set of steps that lead from the bottom of the pile up towards the right. Why haven’t I ever tried to climb those steps to see what’s on top, I asked myself.
“I dunno.”
Toys in the Desert - Joshua Tree National Park
So a few weeks ago, Joshua Tree National Park called me and said, “Hey, you haven’t been here for a while. C’mon out. Use that America the Beautiful Pass. Hike. Take some pictures. Relax. The rocks miss you.”
The Sanctuary of the Rock People - Joshua Tree National Park
I am not an anti-rockite. I like them all; small, medium and Jumbo. Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary - they’re all good. I like to scramble on them, climb them, and get scraped and abraided on them. I especially like to photograph them. I’m a rock people.
Chasing the Light - Joshua Tree National Park
My plan was to stick around to see the moon rise and maybe get a picture, and then watch the eclipse process. But before that would happen, there were a couple hours to fill. What to do, what to do…..
Live Oak Picnic Area - Joshua Tree National Park
I can’t remember ever having visited this area without taking a picture of the namesake Live Oak. But it happened on this trip. However, I did get a picture from underneath it while enjoying its welcome shade.
Stirrup Rock Afternoon - Joshua Tree National Park
The Stirrup Rock area out at JT is somewhat of a lesser known, dare I say, “secret” area in the park that doesn’t get a lot of visitors.
Across the Street from Skull Rock - Joshua Tree National Park
Skull Rock is most likely one of the most iconic attractions in the park. Who can resist stopping when those two large, eerie eyes catch your eye as you slowly drive closer and closer.
Yucca brevifolia - Joshua Tree National Park
No trail, just open JT environs with cholla, yucca, cactus, sticker bushes, Joshua Trees and rocks. You never know what will turn out to be the focus on a hike like this, one with no real planning or destination in mind. So I set out to see what I could find.
Unnamed Peak with a Wonder(land)ful View - Joshua Tree National Park
In the old days, we used to say, “On paper, the plan looks good.” But who uses paper anymore?
Twin Tanks - Joshua Tree National Park
Totally old-school “take a bearing!” There’s no trail whatsoever, just park at the lot and follow Patty’s directions. I always enjoy a hiking/discovery challenge, so I headed out to see if I could find the twin tanks.
Boy Scout Trail - Joshua Tree National Park
The only thing I knew about the Boy Scout Trail before today was that the one-way distance was roughly 8 miles. And while it was on my list of undone things that I wanted to do in the park, in all honesty it was towards the bottom.
The Towers of Uncertainty - Joshua Tree National Park
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Park the truck along a turnout on the Geology Tour Road, leaving the relative safety of being on a maintained and a somewhat regularly traveled dirt road, and set off on foot across the desert….
Johnny Lang Grave - Joshua Tree National Park
Johnny Lang first saw Lost Horse Valley in 1890, when he and his father dove a herd of cattle into the area and set up camp. One morning, they awoke to find their horses gone.
E’s Arch - Joshua Tree National Park
Well, I was out wandering around in the rocks just north of Twin Tanks the other day, and that's truly a great area to wander. So many washes, twisting, turning.
Interesting Rocks - Joshua Tree National Park
I think it’s fair to say that Google Earth is a temptress. How often has she led me to unknown places of wonder and beauty, places of history and charm, places from which even more can be discovered. When things are slow at work, why not spend some time with her, searching for places to see what I can find.