Day 23 – Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

Weather on the trip has been a little more extreme than we expected but we have clothes for all conditions so it has been okay. In the higher elevations of Utah we saw morning lows in the upper 30’s. Now we are at the opposite end of the spectrum.  We had two days above 100 followed by 98 yesterday and 94 today. Fortunately we took our hike early enough in Joshua Tree so that it was only 78, which was fine.

Palm Springs and Coachella Valley (from Joshua Tree NP)

I realize now I should have raved some more about how beautiful the Palm Springs area is. We actually stayed in Ranch Mirage but it was just as nice. Ditto for Desert Palm and Indian Wells. There are lots of gated community homes and a fantastic golf course about every two miles. If there is a poor section or even middle class section, we didn’t see it. We stopped touring just before Indio, where the big Coachella Music Festival is set for next weekend.

Hidden Valley (from our hike in Joshua Tree NP)

Joshua Tree National Park is an interesting combination of desert vegetation and piles of boulders. There are areas in the park with miles and miles of Joshua Trees, which is a version of Yucca. Joshua Trees can be seen here and there throughout the California and Nevada deserts, but for some reason they are plentiful in the park. The trees are not very big in size and normally live to between 150 and 500 years. They are also rarely even close to being symmetrical.

Cholla Cactus

Another interesting plant they have at Joshua Tree NP is the Cholla Cactus. They are known for their barbed spines that tenaciously attach to skin, so you don't want to get too close.

Skull Rock (Joshua Tree NP)

We are in Las Vegas tonight after driving through the desert for four hours and part way on old Route 66. Interestingly enough, even though there is basically nothing in the desert, we were stopped 3 times waiting for long trains to pass. What are the odds of that? By the way, we passed the 5000 mile mark on the trip today.