Joshua and the battle of Jericho
Joshua Lederberg - Nobel prize in science
Uncle Joshua
Joshua - one of two of the greatest grandsons in the universe
And, Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is 140 miles east of LA. We entered from the south directly off of I-10 at Cottonwood Spring because we had spent the last 5 days dry camping in the desert on BLM land. I had been to Joshua Tree back in the early 90's. I must say I don't think much has changed.
It is a huge chunk of land made up of the Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert surrounded by at least six mountain ranges.
The entrance fee is $15, even if you are just driving through. There are several campgrounds that are really parking spots with outdoor toilets for $10-$15 per night. There are numerous hiking trails.
No hiking for me today. I pretty much drove straight through because I was hungry and jonesing for a burger.
It is surprisingly beautiful and inviting. But it is desert. The literature warns us that people have died here from preventable accidents. It also warns us to stay away from abandoned mines, supervise children, carry water, watch for flash floods, and watch where you put your hands and feet.
There are piles of stacked boulders every where. The brochure explains them as beginning as underground volcanic activity that then rose from deep within the earth. As it rose it then intruded the overlying rock. It cooled and cracked and came in contact with groundwater, which widened and rounded the cracks, leaving heaps of monzogranite scattered across the land like careless piles of toy blocks.
This was called Skull Rock. It looks more like Homer Simpson to me.
As I rounded a corner there was a sign that said NO Stopping next mile. Then Bam, the ground was covered with a garden of these short little Chollas for almost exactly one mile, then Bam, they were gone.
Next came an army of trees. The Joshua Trees. The Joshua Trees tell a story of survival, resilience, and beauty borne through perseverance.
The tallest Joshua Tree looms a whopping forty feet high. It is estimated to be over 100 years old. These trees do not have growth rings like you would find on an oak or a pine, so determining their age is difficult.
And they die. They fall over and die. Of course they do. I guess the beautiful famous Joshua Tree on the cover of the the U2 Album has fallen over somewhere in this gigantic desert and died. Nothing lives forever. Not even the grandest old Joshua Tree.
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