“Yeah, Desert Sky - Dream beneath the Desert Sky”
A drive through Joshua Tree National Park might take a couple hours, viewing the park from the road. An exploration of the park would take a lifetime. Joshua Tree National Park has over 550,000 acres of wilderness filled with a variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Every now and then, man intrudes in this wilderness and leaves his brief, passing mark among the surreal geologic features that cover the landscape. Let’s go see what we can find.
Let's face it. Some of the rocks in Joshua Tree National Park are creepy. Many have fearsome names that arouse feelings of dread, terror and foreboding (Skull Rock, the Hall of Horrors, the Old Woman). And I'm sure we can all agree that many are bloodthirsty, lying in wait for the unwary to make one false step. Knowing this, I still pulled into a turnout on Park Blvd. and headed into Spooky Hollow to see what I could find.
Read MoreA mid-day drive along an empty Pinto Basin Road, heat waves shimmering in the distance, the unforgiving desert seeming to grasp at both sides of the two-lane blacktop. It was like driving through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of sand. I was on a journey, a journey into a wondrous land. Then I saw the signpost up ahead and knew my next stop was Porcupine Wash. It was time to see the porcupine. This is what happened:
Read MoreI recently had the opportunity to meet Robert Miramontes -- rock-climber, author and photographer -- and he was kind enough to guide me to the top of Valhalla Dome. The approach we took was a bit out of my comfort zone, but the payoff at the top was well worth the adrenaline generated in getting there.
Read MoreIf you're wondering what or where Little Hunk is in Joshua Tree National Park, and why I would want to play hooky there, read on. Little Hunk is a popular rock formation in the Echo Rock area of JTree, with at least ten main climbing spots and over 175 different routes to complete the climbs. It's accessible from a number of different spots: the Barker Dam parking area, the Echo Rock parking area, and even from several turnouts along Keys Ranch Road. The later two routes are the shortest, both traipsing in at less than 1/2-mile, one way.
Read MoreThe Covington Flats area of JTree is located in the northwestern portion of the park. While it doesn't get a lot of press, and there's not much solid information about the 'Flats to be found online, it is well worth the small adventure of getting there. Why? Because some of the park's largest Joshua Trees, junipers, and pinyon pines call either Lower or Upper Covington Flat home. From this point on, beware. If you don't like Joshua Trees, you may not fully enjoy this post....
Read MoreJoshua Tree National Park, the California Gold Country, forgotten places in the Mojave Desert. These are a few of my favorite things.
