Joshua Tree

Alana and I went to Joshua Tree national park this past weekend. It is a desert park straight east of Los Angeles by about 150 miles (see map below). The coolest thing about the park is that it is home to two very distinct types of deserts. The western half of the park lies in the higher, cooler Mojave desert, where all the big Joshua Trees are, while the eastern half of the park is in the California desert. It is lower in elevation, hotter, and has the more classic aesthetic where you would expect to see John Wayne riding toward you on a horse. It was a much-needed escape from L.A. for me. I was starting to get anxious and mad about transportation stuff, so it was nice to hike in the sunny, warm mountains and breathe some fresh air.






We had to listen to some U2, even though I've always thought their album Joshua Tree is way too sappy and not that creative.



All these above photos are of the Mojave desert (the wetter, higher, cooler one). The photos below are of the other desert in the park, the California desert (the drier, lower, hotter one).





Here's a real live oasis, where there's a trickle of water, and more insects than I've seen anywhere else in southern California yet. Despite what I originally thought (hoped?) even these palms were imported by settlers in the 19th century.


The Misty Mountains -- not really, but they would be if this landscape were Dillofied.


Other ephemera: Bill Clinton spoke at UCLA last week in the sculpture garden right next to the geography building. He was supporting proposition 87, an initiative that will be on the California election ballot on November 7. It's main purpose is to make laws and invest money towards using energy sources alternative to fossil fuels. If you look here you can see the geography building where my office is behind Slick Willy.