Joshua Tree National Park

We had an incredible day exploring Joshua Tree National Park in California.

The Joshua Tree, which grows in fiercely adverse conditions in the Mojave Desert in Southern California, is found off the beaten track. The spiky yuccas are sprawled across the desert but found in greater numbers inside the National Park. The tree was named by early Mormon settlers, after the Old Testament prophet Joshua, as its branches reminded them of Joshua raising his arms to pray.

The trees themselves have an air of otherworldly mystery about them as they grow in solitude, twisting and writhing,  gasping for survival in the wilderness. At night they are silhouetted against the vast deep purple skies standing like sentries of the galaxy, alien creatures with a hidden history.

Dr. Seuss of "Cat in the Hat" fame used the Joshua Tree as inspiration for his colorful Truffula trees in The Lorax. From a distance the trees may look fluffy but up close they are spiky.

We got our obligatory National Park passport cancellation stamps at the Visitor Center and then set off to explore. As well as the beautifully twisty and spiky Joshua Trees, we saw a spooky granite rock formation called Skull Rock and at the Keys Lookout we got a panoramic view of the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea and the San Andreas Fault. See if you can spot me with the tallest tree in the park (41 feet tall) and the little grasshopper I found on a Teddy Bear Cholla.

Of course I have to mention U2’s album, "The Joshua Tree." The album is brilliant, fierce and I love Bono's raspy intensity in "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." His vocals reflect the desolation of this timeless landscape and the spiritual triumph of this beautiful, steadfast solitary tree, itself apparently lost in the vastness of the Mojave Desert. We listened on repeat all day! Kim was sick of it!