Okay, okay. So we’re waaaay late in getting anything posted. But better late than never, though, eh?!
Never having been there, our recent trip to JT was a delight. Having Dog-Man with us made hiking to remote areas impossible (no pets allowed on trails cuz supposedly they could have diseases that would virtually wipe out all animal life in the desert.) However, the roads allowed for some spectacular views and we were actually able to get out and about a little bit here and there. (Oops, don’t tell the rangers!) Three weeks ago when we were there the flowers were amazing at the southern end of the park with dozens of different wildflowers, brush and cactii blanketing the sandy floor. We can only imagine what it must be like now–there was a tremendous amount of plant life elsewhere in the park just on the verge of exploding.
Neither one of us got what we were hoping for in the way of spectacular photos. We both had the usual excuses like “the lighting was terrible, the sunsets were anti-climactic, the wind was howling (but it was!) and blah, blah, blah. It didn’t help that we were both too into sleeping in (it was a vacation, after all) to snag the sunrises, either. But it was an inspiring trip nonetheless. We scouted out a number of great locations and it’s definitely a place we both are itching to get back to with camping gear, no dog (sorry, T!) and good hiking boots. (Oh, and a totally bitchin’ hybrid 4×4 would be nice, too.)
Here’s just a small random sampling of some snappies we shot. Stay tuned for more…
Sunset
Wildlife
Skull Rock
Southern End
On our way home, we detoured through the Salton Sea area and were fascinated by it’s vulgar beauty. Years ago a posh recreation area for the likes of Hollywood royalty, it is now in a state of decay and devastation. On the other hand, it is now home to about a gazillion birds and the Sonny Bono Bird Sanctuary is beyond words–absolutely incredible. The Sea and surrounding “towns” have been utterly destroyed by flooding and human neglect with dead fish lying on shore by the thousands. However, it is also undeniably beautiful in its vast loneliness, the water a blue unlike any other and the remnants of a bygone era are in evidence virtually everywhere you look. More on this later as well…
Here’s a look at the some of the “junk”…
Dead Fish
Flooded
Abandoned Trailer
Just More Trash
March 16, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Great photos ladies! Especially love the shot of the hawk. We were down there a couple of years ago (after one of our rainy winters) and the wildflowers were incredible! Looking forward to seeing more photos of the area.
D
March 19, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Great images! I was only at Joshua one time, and wish we had the wildflower displays that are going on this year. Wonderful shots here.
April 10, 2008 at 6:24 am
Wow…fantastic images. I particularly like the hawk and the Salton Sea images. Would love to see more!
May 7, 2008 at 9:45 am
What are you talking about, you have some great photos, can’t wait to see one that you think is great….
By the way I once passed through Joshua Tree driving a rental 4×4 and there are some great unmarked trails, and like you said you do need a 4×4 or two to pull you out when you get stuck, a GPS would be handy too.