Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is located 140 miles east of Los Angeles. The park lies at a convergence of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Of all the National Parks that I've visited it was the first time that I felt I was in the middle of nowhere. Liz and I visited the park on Memorial Day. We had the park to ourselves.

The park was commissioned as a national monument in 1936. It became a National Park in 1994.

There are countless trails in the park that pass through extraordinary scenery. Two warnings when walking these trails; 1) Bring water. 2) Watch for rattle snakes.

Yucca plants abound in the park as well as many kinds of wildflowers.

Joshua Trees are not actual trees...they are a species of yucca.

"I think the American West really attracts me because its romantic. The desert, the empty space, the drama" - Ang Lee

There are 5 mountain ranges in the park; Cottonwood Mts, Coxcomb Mts, Eagle Mts, Hexie Mts, and the Little San Bernardina Mts. There are countless rock formations like the one pictured above. Thankfully, park officials allow visitors to climb and explore all of the cracks and crevices that have formed over the centuries.

Below, Cholla Cactus Garden. These cactus could be seen for miles. I quickly found out that the needles were very sharp and very difficult to extract from skin and clothing.