Winter Wanderings to Joshua Tree National Park

It has been many years since I traveled to the desert in winter, and I’ve been missing out.  The landscape is austere, beautiful, the sun is plentiful, and the temperatures are pleasantly warm to my cold Vermont bones.  This was a trip I was not expecting- we were traveling to LA for a wedding and had two days to kill after it. The first morning we hiked Nix Nature Center near Laguna Beach, which began and ended with 3/12 foot white sage brush, with a rich middle canyon full of  enormous prickly pear cacti of several species, many types of sagebrush, cholla cacti, and blooming shrubs of which I wish I knew more about. Reduced again to a plant novice.

Salvia apiana, White sage

morning dew on this beautiful white sage specimen right in the parking lot of Nix Nature Center

So Big!

Craig here to show the scale of how large these shrubs were growing out here. This was a particularly large patch. They are becoming less common due to people over harvesting for smudge sticks.

Vistas aplenty

Vista from the Canyon Trail- we hiked the perimeter of the ridge and then down into a seasonal stream canyon with large live oaks and lush growth

Prickly Pear Cacti

There were several species here, many of them several feet tall and wide.

Random yellow asteraceae

Desert flower….wish I knew which one

There for a wedding, we had initially thought about going the city route, but at the last minute I started thinking about all of the vast and unique parks that might be within a short drive, and we charted our course for Joshua Tree National park.  Last minute rentals and relief at getting back to nature greeted us as soon as we left Topeka Canyon

The winding road from Topeka canyon through the mountains moved us quickly into high desert, and the large mountains in the distance were capped in snow.  Every valley was flat, salty and sparse. Absence of abundance seems to make each sign of life that much more special. As we wound our way through Yucca valley the distinctive Joshua trees began to appear slowly along the highway until they became the predominant large vegetation.

Entering the park is like entering a dream from 10,000 years ago

There is something so surreal and alien entering a Joshua Tree woodland.  Tall, twisting shapes, spread apart with large teddy bear cholla cactus and sagebrush scattered underneath them, and impossibly large red granite boulders and rock formations distributed through this surreal open valley.  Aside from the obvious large formations, the ground is sandy, and many types of rodents and reptiles make their home in the roots and holes of the tough vegetation.  

Protective entrance...

Cholla cacti of some kind, used as a protective barrier to one of the many small rodents that make their homes among their roots. There were hundreds of these little burrows throughout the area. Apparently many creatures make use of these tunnels, but we did not see many of them on this trip

Sunset Magic

Sunset in Joshua Tree National park is truly the magic hour

Gigantic Agave Blooms

This was another species of Agave common in this area. The gigantic flower spikes were impressive, making me feel small in comparison.

Joshua Tree root systems

I loved finding this small clone growing out of the exposed root system of a fallen mature Joshua Tree. Their roots were ropy and fibrous, spreading out over a wide area to soak up as much water as possible when the rain comes

A young Joshua Tree

The iconic Joshua Tree is a type of agave, and grows extremely slowly-1-2 inches a year, and only start branching after they flower. This one is a little taller than me and has yet to flower, but is still older than my parents.

Ruins of the West

The colorful crumbling cement of this old settlement seemed more like a movie set than anything real. It was only abandoned around 80 years ago, nature has taken a harsh hand here.

Deep sunsuet

iconic

Where did all the cowboys go?

Such a brief but amazing visit makes the desire for an extended spring visit so much more appealing.  Perhaps this is the start of a new desert obsession……

Until the next installment- Much love and happy growing

Hattie