“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.
When I say "Candy Bar," do you think about yummy sweet treats or giant quartz monzonite rocks with crazy names? What if I added, "Snickers, or Mounds, or Big Hunk?" I guess it would depend on whether or not you're a rock climber, a confectionery connoisseur or had recently view Murbachi's 3D imagery of a group of climbing rocks in Joshua Tree National Park known collectively as "The Candy Bar."
Read MoreOk, 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 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 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 MoreThe day was perfect, mid-70s with clear skies, the slightest breeze and no one in the area. Once you've been in the desert long enough, you get a feeling of how "visited" an area is. The Golden Bell Mine is a seldom visited place. Hidden behind a low hill, there's no evidence from the road that there's something interesting behind it. Like many of the awesome places in JTree, you gotta get out of the car and do some exploring (and of course, pre-trek research always pays off, and helps keep you from getting lost, breaking a leg, dying of thirst and being eaten my coyotes and turkey vultures, but that's another story).
Read MoreJoshua Tree National Park, the California Gold Country, forgotten places in the Mojave Desert. These are a few of my favorite things.
