Joshua Tree

When you go to the mountains, or to National Parks in the forest, you can't get away from John Muir. In the desert it's Edward Abbey.  I read Desert Solitaire while visiting Arches Nat'l Park in middle school. That fact is one among many that makes me wonder if I was the weird kid in school.  Feel free NOT to answer that pondering, or at least commit to lying about it. 😉

About the desert Abbey said:

"There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount, a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand, insuring that wide free open, generous spacing among plants and animals, homes and towns and cities, which makes the arid West so different from any other part of the nation."

What we learned at Joshua Tree is that there are organisms that thrive in the desert, but humanoids from the North Coast are not amongst them. 

Erica at 90 degrees. I put this picture first, only because it shows up on the FB preview, and I'm almost liquified in the next one. HA! But the below picture is how this adventure started. 

Erica at 100 degrees: My face is burning off!!!!!

I created this humorous picture from the comfort of the Jeep. I firmly believe that our ride has the best AC in the state. 

Joshua Tree National Park is located at the confluence of the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. Several days ago, we probably could not tell you the difference, but we feel pretty well versed in it now! For starters both of them are H O T. Even so, each desert has specific plant life and geologic formations. 

Our first look at the park was an hour or so before dusk, and it was still 100 degrees! If you're from a place where it easily can rain 100 inches in a year, this is too hot! And if you happen to run air conditioning in that place so that your space is a brisk 68, the air conditioners in this part of the world aren't cutting it! Our hotel room was almost 30 degrees cooler than it was outside, but it was still a sweaty sleep. 

Anyway, the first night, we drove through the big loop that most parks have, and saw about half of it in the beautiful light before nightfall. The first half of the park, and the pictures below, are from the Mojave portion of the park. We thought we might see some creatures creep out as the temperatures cooled, but mostly we just saw ants. So many ants. The light was beautiful, and there are a few pics in the fading light. I firmly believe that black and white photos convey heat much better than color. 

Joshua Tree Park is obviously know for its Joshua Trees. They are odd trees that bear some resemblance to saguaros in that they have arms sticking out at odd angles and are a bit comical. 

What was a whole surprise were the cholla cactus. They are so cute! From afar they look like fluffy little clouds, but of course, they are super prickly. There were a few in the Mojave Desert, but an entire "garden" in the Colorado Desert. 

It was here in the Cholla Garden that we learned that two and a half minutes is how long we can last in the desert if the desert is 110 degrees. It was hotter in the Colorado Desert by about ten degrees, and those ten were very impactful. Never thought 98 degrees could feel so good!

After the garden, we made one last stop, which was an overlook of the valley. I don't even know if that's the right terminology, but we could see out over to Palm Springs, and the San Jacinto Mountains. 

In addition to the plant life, there is amazing, and varied geology. I didn't retain most of it, but if you're rock people, I'm sure it's easy to look up! ;) We had two take aways from this park: 

One: How does anything survive here? Even observing the evidence of survival, it's hard to understand. What is knowable is how dangerous the heat is. I won't forget being that hot again, and feeling the slight panic of my body overheating. Don't get excited, it was 2.5 minutes, we were with other people, had water, and right near our car. We are adventurers, but the smart kind. But still.

And the second take away: Travel is an amazing gift. Without being here, without feeling the heat and observing the landscape, there is no way to understand this place. I still don't understand much of it, especially how people traveled through this area hundreds of years ago without all our modern conveniences. Why do people settle here now?   And how blessed are we to be able to choose where we live? It's an amazing privilege. 

I don't imagine we will pass this way again, and that makes this experience all the more special. National Parks always hold a surprise, always show you something that makes you stand in awe of nature. 

#findyourpark