Joshua Tree National Park is one of my favorite places in California. Last week I camped at the park with my friend, Celeste, a beautiful woman from Canada! Our first campsite, the one below, was bitterly cold and not sheltered from the wind. I am amazed I found a warm moment to play my guitar! Our second campsite, the one above, was more sheltered and also provided access back into the desert.
Celeste experimented with her camera and took this night shot of herself looking into the canyon behind our campsite. She kept at it until she got it just right. It is amazing.
Early one morning, I walked back into the desert before sunrise and had the whole place to myself. It was so beautiful to watch the sun bring life into the rocks and make them glow.
From our table I watched this lone Joshua Tree slowly light up against the backdrop of shadowy rocks. One evening after the sun had set, an owl started hooting from back in that canyon. I jumped up and ran back there, and sure enough spotted him. It must have startled him as he flew overhead into the next canyon, where he continued his hooting until it was very dark.
This is Celeste, totally full of raw energy and excitement, eager to explore life and see new things. You go girl!
The granite in this area is called White Tank Granite and is composed of quartz, feldspar and biolite. Even though it looks smooth from a distance, it has a rough surface that makes for great scrambling over the boulders. Wind, water and time have sculpted these rocks into various shapes and sizes, creating a very interesting landscape.
Celeste enjoyed stopping to take pictures even more than I did! Never thought I would meet someone like that. One evening we stopped to take pictures of "one more Joshua Tree" and came upon this enticing scene. Even though it looks like it would be fun to walk out into the desert, it grabs and pokes, and dumps sand into your shoes. It was still great fun.
Because of all the poky things in the desert, I always find it is best to stay on established trails. This one took us to Barker Dam.
Barker Dam was constructed in 1900 by early cattlemen in Joshua Tree. It was later enhanced by Bill Keys in the late 1940's. The dam is a water storage facility for rain and does not have a river or creek feeding into it. Thus when the rain is low, the water level drops, and can dry up completely.
Over the last 100 years, the annual rainfall in Joshua Tree has changed from 10" per year to 2" per year. The picture above shows an area of the landscape that at one time had been covered in water, but now is dry.
On our way back, this cactus caught my eye.
In the nearby town of Yucca, this old building provided a picturesque glimpse into the past.
Joshua Tree is filled with art, all kinds of art. Noah Purifoy, an African American visual artist and sculptor, created art from salvaged material. Purifoy died in 2004, but left behind his unique outdoor museum that is filled with all kinds of bizarre pieces. I liked this locomotive made from old bicycle wheels and kegs, as well as the three crosses below.
This artwork is the work of a landscape artist. Look at that fence behind the well placed cactus! Never seen anything like it. The cactus, like the one below, ranged from turquoise to purple and almost looked like animals or even people.
Throughout Joshua Tree, gigantic murals cover the walls of stores and office buildings.
On a hike out to Skull rock, we wandered through the desert, jumped up on the boulders, took pictures of everything and marveled at the fantastic shapes the rocks take on.
It was great fun wandering around on the rocks, exploring and finding treasure. The desert is full of treasure.....you just have to look for it.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7
That would be me above, lounging on a boulder and Celeste below, walking in the desert.
One of my favorite hikes was a rigorous hike up to the 49 Palms Oasis. I never did find out if there were exactly 49 palm trees in the oasis, but I did see some pretty cool stuff along the way. Red Barrel Cactus stood out against the nearly monochromatic desert surrounding us.
I passed by a dry wash and immediately had to go off trail and hike down into the little arroyo. It was all so interesting. Celeste eventually followed me down, but insisted on turning around when the wash went over the mountainside and we would have had to scale the cliff to get to the oasis. Good call Celeste!
These tiny yellow daisies were about the only flowers I saw on our entire trip. Within several months the desert will come alive with blooms, especially since we have had so much rain.
That would be me, walking up the trail to the oasis.
It's high noon at the oasis.....and real pretty indeed.
That would be me, tired but happy to be able to sit down and enjoy the surroundings.
The following day we took a hike up the Lost Horse Mine Trail, a steep hike that passed through so many beautiful rocks. I fell in love with each one, and had to enjoy just looking as it is illegal to take anything from the National Parks.
Everything up there seemed so rugged, like it could endure the heat, snow, rain and wind with no trouble at all.
A beautiful stone staircase led us up into the mine area.
Even though the Lost Horse Mine has a history of gun slinging cowboys, cattle rustlers and horse thieves, it produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold and 16,000 ounces of silver between 1894 and 1931! That would be worth approximately $5 million today. Hard to believe it was such a lively place when all we can see now are the remnants of rusting machinery, dry brush and lots of rocks.
The way back down the trail is always easier than huffing and puffing up the trail! So much gorgeous wilderness as far as the eye can see.
My friend Celeste fell in love with the Joshua trees and had to stop and take pictures of nearly each one! Well maybe not each one, but a lot of them. I took this picture in the late afternoon near Hidden Valley. The Joshua tree is not really a true tree but it belongs to the yucca plant species. It grows primarily in the Mojave desert between the elevations of 2000 and 6000 feet, and thrives profusely in the north western section of Joshua Tree National Park.
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Strange shapes that remain in my memory long after I have returned home.
I love to crawl through these narrow little openings and pretend I am a real explorer!
At the end of the day, it is good to remember there is always a new tomorrow. This sunrise reminds me that each day God will give us the grace we need. May God's abundant grace overflow into your lives and encourage you. Susan Little