“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.
If you've ever wondered how far it is from the west entrance of Joshua Tree National Park to the south entrance, it's approximately 52 miles via Park Blvd. and Pinto Basin Road. I know this because, I recently entered the confusing (at least to me, at present) world of video cameras and decided to make a video of that drive.
Read MoreI was hiking in the Wonderland of Rocks recently (a favorite pastime of mine), searching for a particular rock. Okay, you're probably thinking, "a particular rock? There's eighteen hundred and forty-nine tragazillion rocks in the Wonderland, how is he going to find one particular one?" Well, I had a plan. And some good directions. And a map. Coordinates. And a GPS. And snacks. So I was pretty sure I would find what I was looking for.
Read MoreAs with many of the mines in J Tree, few details are known about its origin, ownership and production over the years. The scant records so far discovered reveal that on May 27, 1895, a lead ledge that became known as the Eagle Cliff mine was located by Robert Muir. My hat's off to him. Back in the 1890s, it would have taken a true explorer to discover this claim.
Read MoreIt was a beautiful morning for a hike in J Tree and the destination was the Desert Queen Mine. Even though most of the machinery, artifacts and buildings that were part of the mining operations are long gone, the lure of an old gold mine is still strong.
Read MoreI haven't been able to figure out who "Alister" was (perhaps an early-day rock climber/explorer?), but this impressive rock art site in J Tree's Wonderland of Rocks bears his name. I also haven't been able to figure out why it's called a "cave," as it's really more of a ledge up on a cliff with a nice overhang above it. But I've taken creative license with naming places I've discovered in the park, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it...
Read MoreJoshua Tree National Park, the California Gold Country, forgotten places in the Mojave Desert. These are a few of my favorite things.
