Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Road tripping to Joshua Tree - Part 2

Joshua Tree sits right between the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert.  It's truly an amazing place filled with desert scenery, harsh climate, crazy trees (called Joshua Trees that belong in a Dr. Seuss book) and amazing granite rocks. It's 800,000 acres and only two roads run into the park. It feels remote and other-worldly. It's hard to believe that anything could survive in this desert...but if you slow down and pay attention, the desert is filled with life. 


The harsh environment of the desert is evidenced by the temperature, which can be extremely hot or cold, and the lack of water. Joshua Tree only gets 4 inches of rain per year. How could anything grow on 4 inches of rain per year? But many plants and animals have adapted to this environment. It's stunning. 


One of our favorite travel writer James Kaiser writes about Joshua Tree, "Given the hard nature of the desert, wildflowers appear only when the conditions are favorable to their survival. Following rainy winters, wildflowers flourish for a few weeks in the spring, surviving just long enough to produce seeds for the next generation. Those seeds, in turn, can lie dormant for months or years until weather conditions are just right."


There is something surreal about walking through a landscape that feels so different from everywhere  else. As residents of California's Central Valley we are used to living in a desert....but this is entirely different - Joshua Trees for as far as the eye scan see, crazy rock formations, and every plant and animal perfectly adapted to survive in harsh environments. 


We spend the first part of our trip at a campground called Jumbo Rocks. We had an amazing campsite...big enough for both of our tents and semi-private with only 1 neighbor. 


In the evenings we'd walk on a trail right next to our site which overlooked the campground and gave a birds eye view of Jumbo Rocks rock formations. It was amazing. 


While we were in Joshua Tree, everything was in what's called a "Super Bloom" - Yucca and Joshua Trees were smiling at us each and every day.  A bloom is a smile, you know?


In the mornings it's our habit to wake up, drink coffee, and watch the sunrise. 


In the late mornings we typically go find adventures such as hiking or climbing.


After each day we'd come back to our campsite and and be greeted by wildflowers with vibrant colors contrasted against a desert landscape. Wildflowers remind us that the pursuit of adventure is not as important as the pursuit of beauty. 


Wildflowers are the proud assertion that beauty is what makes adventures enjoyable. The pursuit of beauty is a cherished focus for our lives.


Each night after a day of adventure we'd watch the sunset -- every sunset a reminder it is beauty that brings light to the shadows in our world.

These are good days.


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