For Birthday Weekend (Dave and I have birthdays just 2 days apart!) we went on a quick weekend camping trip to Joshua Tree. It was my first time there, and I'd heard so many things I wasn't sure it would live up to expectations. It was amazing.
Joshua trees are really bizarre looking palm/cactus/hat trees. Actually, they are a yucca (not to be mistaken with the edible yuca, or cassava). They only grow about 1.5 inches per year, and can live hundreds, up to a thousand years! We were lucky to see some of them in bloom, which can happen between February-April. They are pollinated by a particular yucca moth. Even crazier, researchers think that during the Pleistocene giant sloths were responsible for dispersing their seeds and played an important role in Joshua Tree dispersal and colonizations! Knowing a little bit about the ecology of an area (or the ancient ecology!) can bring a whole new dimension to the way you see things. Giant ground sloths facilitating dispersal of super weird yucca trees? Awesome.
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| The flowers themselves have fallen off, but you can see where they bloom on this young Joshua Tree |
Anyways, apparently spring (and Labor Day weekend in particular) is the most popular time of year to visit and camp at Joshua Tree National Park. We hadn't made any reservations and there were no campsites available, but luckily you can do backcountry camping throughout the park- and it's free! We got a couple of recommendations from the information center and set out. There is designated parking and you fill out a permit at the lot to let the rangers know you are out there and which car is yours. Then you hike at least a mile from the car and then 500 feet from the trail and you can camp, totally undisturbed, pretty much anywhere.
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| The view from our campsite |
We found a spot up above a river bed and watched a spectacular sunset and the stars all come out. The temperature was perfect during the evening, though we both woke up chilly in the middle of the night. As soon as the sun came out though we warmed right up.
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| Hiking back from backcountry camping |
We had a little time to visit the Cholla (sounds like choya) Garden the next morning. These are cacti that are like velcro- they grow in segments and can practically leap onto you if you get too close. I've been in areas with lots of cholla, but never like this! The cacti were also flowering. We visited a few more spots and went on a short hike, but I'm looking forward to going back and exploring more. It is such a unique place, and only about 2 hours outside of LA!
