On the Road Again - The Joshua Tree

The far southern part of California is mostly desert. This area is home to the Salton Sea, the Mojave National Preserve, and Needles, where Snoopy's brother Spike was said to live. It's also the location of a National Park I've always wanted to visit, the Joshua Tree National Park.

Something I learned this trip is that the Joshua Tree is actually not a tree, but a succulent. It starts off looking like a palm or a pineapple, but grows to be as much as 50 feet tall and develops a hard bark as it ages. It's also hollow, which is where I guess it stores the water it needs to survive the harsh, dry conditions. The second pic below is a cross section from a dead and fallen specimen.

I left Pasadena yesterday and headed toward the park. It was about a two hour drive and even though I left the LA area during morning rush hour, I somehow managed to not hit any traffic snarls. When I paid the admission fee, the park ranger asked me where I was from. "Pennsylvania," I responded. "What part?" she asked. "Outside of Philly," I said generically. "Where?" she almost demanded. "Bucks County," I replied. "Where in Bucks County?" was next. "Um...Pipersville." Turns out she grew up in Warminster. Small world.

They say that Joshua Tree is in the "high desert," a term I'm not really sure about. I suppose it means a desert that's at a high altitude, which seemed to be the case, as I kept climbing and climbing to get there. Fortunately for me, that meant instead of the 100+ degrees outside for most of the drive there, the temp dropped to a mere 90 by the time I was in the park. I didn't think I'd be able to hike, but I did some, trying not to push too hard.

In addition to the ubiquitous Joshua Tree, the park is also home to some really neat rock formations. I've seen a lot of rocks over the last two weeks, and it never ceases to amaze me how many types, shapes, and sizes there are. The one below is very popular for rock climbing, a pursuit that I did not attempt.

Tonight I'm staying in a town called 29 Palms, which is oddly...specific. If one dies, do they have to change the town's name to 28 Palms? I'll head east towards Phoenix tomorrow!

Ciao for now!