JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

4/12/13

Today we went to Joshua Tree National Park in 29 Palms with Bill and Jeanne Snyder to look at the blooms in the desert.  Here are some pics of the entrance to the park.  We stopped here to pick up literature.  

 

 

some cool art work that was at the entrance

 

 

here we go on a trip thru the park...enjoy

 

Some interesting facts about the park.  There are two parts to the park--the Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert.  The Joshua trees only grow in the Mohave Desert and nowhere else in the world.  They can grow over 40 ft at a leisurely rate of one inch a year. Branching only occurs after it has flowered.   It's clusters of cream colored flowers bloom February thru April.  

 

It was cool because you could tell when you entered the Colorado Desert because the Joshua trees were not in sight. The Colorado Desert is the Eastern half and it is below 3000 feet.  It is so interesting how things only grow in the different deserts when they are right next to each other.  The only things that is different probably is just the elevation.  I was always yelling when I walked out into the desert to take a picture because I sure didn't want any snakes, kangaroo rats, lizards or any other critter to surprise me.  I have never been one to think the desert is pretty but I enjoyed the trip thru the park anyway. 

enjoy my pictures, wish you had been with us...

 

so pretty --  yucca

 

 

I think this is a beaver tail cactus in bloom

 

 

cholla cactus.  The blooms jump at you so I was afraid to get too close for a picture.

 

 

not sure what this is but it had pretty yellow flowers on it. 

 

Joshua tree the clouds are pretty behind it.

 

 

blooms on the Joshua tree

 

I think this is a beaver tail cactus

 

closeup of a bloom on the Joshua tree

 

 

look closely and you can see the guy climbing the rocks. 

 

this guy made it to the top of the rocks...

rock formation

 

 

rocks are everywhere

 

 

way up high...

 

 

me, up high on the mountain...

 my crazy Ronnie always sticks out his tongue,  I need my sunglasses on so I wont squint so much.

 

 

Ocotillo, typical of the Colorado Desert.  Beautiful red blossoms in spring and often again in the fall. 

 

 

hope you enjoyed the pictures of our trip thru the desert. 

 

wish you were here...

 

living the retirement...