Swirly trees and Iguanas!!!
Driving to the park entrance we drove past many swirly Joshua trees for which the park is named. I really think Dr. Seuss was greatly influenced by this part of the country because although his cartoons are naturally more animated the simplicity of his 
drawings are found in the landscapes out here. These Joshua trees are the silliest trees I have ever seen but they are also so neat. Surrounding these trees seemed to be just rocks and dust. As we seem to usually do we ended up hiking in the desert at the hottest partof the day - right at noon. This park is the most extreme desert area we have been to. Although there were not rolling sand dunes it was so hot and the sun just baked down on our shoulders. The most prominent plants were hearty dishes with mostly brown leaves and cacti. There were cactus species
that we had not seen before, my favorite of which was a reddish-pink cactus. The spikes were swirly and spiraled out from the center. The hike went up and down the desert hills and there was no shade to be found. About a mile into the hike we saw in the distance what looked like a mirage.
drawings are found in the landscapes out here. These Joshua trees are the silliest trees I have ever seen but they are also so neat. Surrounding these trees seemed to be just rocks and dust. As we seem to usually do we ended up hiking in the desert at the hottest partof the day - right at noon. This park is the most extreme desert area we have been to. Although there were not rolling sand dunes it was so hot and the sun just baked down on our shoulders. The most prominent plants were hearty dishes with mostly brown leaves and cacti. There were cactus species
that we had not seen before, my favorite of which was a reddish-pink cactus. The spikes were swirly and spiraled out from the center. The hike went up and down the desert hills and there was no shade to be found. About a mile into the hike we saw in the distance what looked like a mirage.
In the distance was a palm tree oasis. As we traveled forward in the direction of
the hidden desert paradise the palm trees sunk behind the brown desert hill leaving nothing but dust and cactus behind. The fact that the oasis sunk behind disappeared as we approached it made it appear more like a mirage and was interesting to think about the first people who stumbled upon it. We were lucky to see a desert iguana hanging out on a rock. As we approached he was naturally startled and took refuge in a crack in a rock. We had to be careful and drink water because the heat and the dryness just sucks it right out of you. Finally we got close enough to the oasis to see it once more. The palm trees were huge. They were the biggest palm trees I have ever seen and it was strange to see them in a desert. The most comforting thing about the oasis was the shade it offered from the sun. There was standing water although it looked more like murky swamp water than what the movies make an oasis spring out to be. There were birds chirping and flying about the trees. We even saw a hummingbird. We drank some water and ate some dried fruit while we were cooling off in the shade.
It was hard to leave the oasis knowing that we had to hike back through the desert to get back to the car. The walk back seemed even hotter than the walk there, but it was so cool to go to a real desert oasis. I will always remember walking towards the palm trees where there is nothing else around. I will always remember the feeling
that the oasis did not seem to get any closer until all the sudden they were upon us. I wish we had seen a desert tortoise but we had a nice hike anyway. We were happy to stay in a hotel here because it is so hot. While we were hiking we were glad to get back to the car. We were able to lay and lounge. Sometimes it is nice to just hangout and veg out. 
1 comment:
I've been on that same hike. And yes, it was hot as hell.
What's your number?? Can't wait to see you guys.
Xoxo,
gabby
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