Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon - Joshua Tree National Park
Explor Date: February 21 of 2021
Getting to the park rather late on a Sunday afternoon, there were only two cars ahead of me at the west entrance Ranger station, which was nice. After a short drive along Park Blvd, I was soon parking at a convenient spot and suiting up. Following an abandoned road leading to who-knows-where (one of my favorite places), I was sure there would be something for me to find. Come along and see.
This Joshua Tree looks exactly how I feel some days.
A path branched off from the old road I was following, heading east. With some interesting-looking rocks off in the distance, heading towards them seemed the natural thing to do. The big group on the left is known as Reggie Dome and is part of a group known as Parking Lot Rocks. The big chuck of rock on the right is known as B-52 Rock. In between Reggie and B-52 is a small, rock-choked passage that takes one to Bubba Rock (not visible in this photo).
Here’s a closer look at Reggie Dome. There are probably over a dozen named routes to the top, but some of my favorites are: The Chief, Fender Bender, Irresponsibility Lesson, Tender Flakes of Wrath and one I can relate to, What a Drag it is Getting Old.
Up close to B-52 Rock. And the moon. There’s a moon in the sky, it’s called The Moon. For those inclined to reach the top, might I suggest Private Idaho, Romper Room or There’s a Fine Line Between Genius and Insanity. This pile almost looks like it’s easy enough to just scramble up there….
Do fence posts without wire really constitute a Fence?
As always, the faithful Pinon Pine provided shade for a quick rest stop. It wasn’t really hot enough to need the shade, I just like sitting under their limbs.
In a crack, in a rock, in the desert.
Booooo! Booooo!
Fences can’t stop shadows.
Beyond the Fence
I guess if you have to run into a fence that stops your exploring progress, it might as well be one made with old branches and barbed wire. I’m guessing this one is maintained regularly by the park patrol. With the sun getting close to setting, some great golden hour light was settling over the desert rocks.
Baby Cholla
The sun was setting, the light was fading. Perhaps it was time to start heading back to the truck.
Instead of heading back and retracing my steps, I decided to take a more direct route back to where I had parked. Sometimes that’s how you find neat stuff.
San Gorgonio off in the distance, with a bit of sunset glow.
A healthy Joshua Tree provided the last shot of the evening. Did you know that Joshua Trees grow as a vertical stem with no branches for the first several decades of their life? Their growth rate is generally from 1/2 to 3 inches per year. Somewhere between 5-10 feet, their first blossoms appear. Here’s where the crazyness happens. After flowering, the blossoms dry and eventually drop off, leaving a bit of dried stalk. New leaves will grow beneath the dead portion and a new branch begins to grow, in a totally random direction. The new branch will end its growth when it blossoms. Insect damage on a stem can also create branching.
By my very unscientific estimate, this Joshua Tree is probably well over 100 years old.
Thanks for coming along on this Sunday afternoon amble. As I rambled along, I was not singing a song, but I was having a grand time.
For even more pics, and some in 3-D, check out Murbachi’s Parking Lot Rocks page.
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