Our last day in Joshua Tree we did the Skull Rock ranger-led hike, the Arch hike, and the Cholla Cactus Garden, all on our way to the Cottonwood visitor center on the south side. We camped on the BLM property just outside the Park. Just FTR, we
really liked Joshua Tree, mainly for the rock heaps and despite the Joshua Trees. Members of the staff
seemed amused at our suggestions for more accurately re-naming the Park: "Weird Rock Formations National Park," "Heaps and Piles National Park," "Two Deserts National Park," "Monzogranite National Park," "Islands of Rock National Park." Anything but "Joshua Tree." Advice: go on week-days. Week-ends the place is crawling with climbers and wannabe climbers.
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| Skull Rock; obviously a Conehead skull |
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| More heaps and piles |
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| Happy face |
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| Skull Rock in perspective |
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| Windows |
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| The Arch |
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| Cholla Cactus Garden...now in the Colorado Desert |
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| Should be re-named "Cholla Cactus Forest" |
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| You have been warned |
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| You have been warned again |
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Relevant quote: "If the plant bears any helpful or even
innocent part in the scheme of things on this planet, I should
be glad to know of it" (J. Smeaton Chase, California Desert
Trails, 1919) |
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| Another desert sunset sky |
1 comment:
That is a great (and apt!) quote. :)
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