“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.
Ok, so most of my 49 constant readers are probably thinking to themselves, "I've never heard of the Desert Queen Dam. Sure, I've been to the Desert Queen Mine, the Desert Queen Well, I've taken the tour at the Desert Queen Ranch and read about the Desert Queen Petroglyphs, but what is this Desert Queen Dam? I think this guy's been out in the sun too long."
Read MoreI really like the texture and saturated colors of linen postcards, and their slightly soft focus, due to printing on an uneven surface. Out of all the linen postcard categories, my favorites are the Large Letter postcards. They typically have a small “Greetings from,” or “Visit” up in one corner and then the name of a place, town, city, etc. in large block letters. Inside the large block letters are local images from named place.
Read MoreI know what you're thinking. "Lower Ivanpah Tank? What the heck is that?"
It's a newly-named tank/dam I recently located. Well, I had help. Whilst studying Google Earth, the fabled 3D photographer, Murbachi (Joshuatree3d.com), had spotted what appeared to be a man-made dam a short distance east of Ivanpah tank. I had no idea there was another tank in the area, so we set forth to discover it.
Read Morehe Hi-View Nature Trail is located up in the hills behind the Black Rock Campground, in the northwest corner of JTree. If you're looking for a family-friendly campground, Black Rock can't be beat. Numerous sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. Restrooms and actual, real life WATER are available here, something most of the other campgrounds in JTree do not provide. Tents, campers, RVs, even an area for horse owners to camp or stage a ride. There is also a nature center located in the middle of the campground.
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.
