day86

Day 86 (November 14, 2006) - Joshua Tree National Park

First thing in the morning I run into a nearby Starbucks, not only because I need my latte fix, but more importantly I can access WiFi, finish my work and meet my deadlines. Petr continues his nap in the parking lot. Along the way to Joshua Tree National Park, we drive throough the so-called "desert cities": glitzy Palm Springs, Cathedral Springs (where we stock up on provisions) and Palm Desert. They are all under development, expanding quickly into the desert. Everywhere you see giant billboards advertising new communities for the "55+ crowd". In particular, Cathedral Springs must have a population whose average age is 70 years. Neat houses along wide, spanking new streets, one open-air mall after the other, high-end golf courses with grass that won't even grow this thick in the Tropics, and across the street is the desert. How come are people attracted to life in a desert? Just imagine the amount of energy and resources needed to grow grass in the desert. Why do people around here put petunias in their flower pots instead of cacti? I don't get it.

At any rate, we get to Joshua Tree N.P. from the south and stop immediately at the Visitor Center for a map and suggestions on the best trails/walks for the day. The park is comprised of two distinct regions: the Colorado Desert to the east, with Cholla e Ocotillo cacti, a few palm oasis and abandoned mines, and the Mojave Desert to the west, with Joshua trees, amazing rock formations, canyons and other oasis. Joshua trees are in reality yucca plants of the lilium family. There were so named by the first Mormons who settled in the area. They produce one flower per year (in February) which wilts away quickly and starts a new branch. They have strange and peculiar shapes. In the eastern part of the park we walk in the Cholla cactus garden, keeping away from the pricks. We then reach a rocky area by the White Tank campground (I must remember this place!) and go on a geologic tour of the surroundings. The rocks are of a special type of granite, they look smooth and rounded by water and wind, but in reality they are very sharp to the touch. We climb and hop from rock to rock trying not to use our hands. We then proceed to Jumbo Rocks and to Keys View, an outlook from where in a clear day you can see even Mexico. Today the haze lets us admire just the huge Coachella valley and the San Bernardino mountains. Not bad anyways. A little detour takes us to Hidden Valley and Barker Dam, where a little pond with ducks shows a lot of fresh mountain lion tracks around.

By sunset, we are driving out of the park, passing by the towns of Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley. We are sleeping in Beaumont tonight; tomorrow we are going back to Los Angeles.