JOSHUA TREE PARK ADVENTURE!
Let’s go out to the desert and explore the Joshua Tree National Park and other sights around it! We wanted to see the Mirror Egg and go hiking was the main plan but we ended up hiking around the park and going to the Indian Cove Trail along with some some great food at a local diner!
Driving out to the desert would be a long drive but to beat the heat we drove out the night before and stayed at a nearby hotel. Up and early for the drive and was surprised to see the mountain in the distance still covered in snow, with a high elevation it will stay cold #globalwarming.
The Joshua Tree park is setup to protect the natural habitat and give a place for nature lovers like ourselves a chance to explore it all. The Joshua Tree is a unique tree that scienctists are still learning about them to this day but you can learn more on the Joshua Tree Park’s Website. It’s spikey so you or most animals cannot hurt or eat it.
Kind of hidden and hard to find if you follow the directions online so you will have to explore to find it off the paved roads. Oh there it is! Walking up to the object was a metal trick and my brain kept on saying it is not real or supposed to be there.
Yes it is real and made out of some polished metal that has some signs of human interaction that does not appreciate “art” but it was still very cool to complete our mini mission to get to it. There is a great view of the valley once up there.
Let’s get some lunch! We stopped on by the Cross Roads Cafe since it had a ton of great reviews. Check out my Yelp review to see more about that stop! Back tracking a bit now after lunch to go into the Joshua Tree Park.
Inside the park there will be more sights of the vast rocky mountains and Joshua Trees. Being that this place is a “desert” I will do my best to show you all waht I found within the park to show you all it is much more.
Check out this giant dandelion looking bush with flowers. I’m not sure of the name for any of these plants but I do admire them in their natural beauty.
There are markers along the road to give guidance to find and see the viewpoints or interests of the park such as the “skull rock” that is resting in a large curved rocky formations. These rocks have been weathered over the centuries to make these odd shapes.
The rock does look like a skull, I looked for treasure but didn’t find any so we wondered along the marked trails to see what else is in the area.
In a desert landscape we found some of these purple flowers that were like cupcakes along the trail and had to take a picture to show there is more than just dirt out here!
ALong the trail and rocks were lizards everywhere getting the sun and checking us out when we were walking by. Some of the lizards which looked like the normal Fence or Swift lizards were not use to people and more curoius so I was able to get really close to them.
While still looking for some sort of treasure near the Skull Rock I was able to spot this little cotton tail rabbit and most likely a younger ones since it tried to hold still so I couldn’t see it… I still see you! I really liked these trails and area since we were able to find and see the local wildlife in their natural habit.
In the shadows of the larger rocks were these beautiful flowers. Sheltered from the harsh sun they are able to grow and bring some great color to the area. I was able to take so many great shots while out in the Joshua Tree National Park I made a quick video and posted on my Instagram @the_brian_holt check it out.
Now since we have wandered along the main driving road and little stops here and there we had our sights on the Indian Cove Trail since the map stated it was less hiking and more nature and sights. It was a decently hot day and we wanted to take it easy and still enjoy the park.
Along this short looping trail we found a concetration of flowers and plants in this valley so here is what caught my eye!
Several different cactus species in this area that were scattered along the trail. This was more like a tree and large thorns.
And this cactus was more like a fuzzy bush but not so friendly if you decided to give it a hug.
Several different types of flowering bushes all beautiful and using thorns to keep animals away from eating them.
Now this swatch of trees confused me when we came across them in the sandy riverbed. I’m not an expert but they seemed out of place for an arid location but in the riverbed which was dry sort of makes sense. The trees reminded me of the pepper trees but had snap dragon like flowers all over them. These flowers will not hold up in the harsh conditions is my though but here they are.
Here are some other purplish flowers on a different plant that was more like a bush. This has got me thinking about why there was so many purple shades of flowers here. I am guessing it is due to the hue and how they handle the sunlight or contrast to the tan sand and make it easier for the bees to find, not sure really.
Maybe I spoke too soon! I found some vibrant red flowers to add to the diverse color scheme out here.
Along the sandy trails and out in the sun we would see several at a time these little lizzards. These are the Desert Iguana and they blend in with the sand and like to run and hold their tail up while doing that, very odd comapred to the other lizards out here. I am assuming they go after the ants out here and there was plenty of them to eat.
Always looking out for the bugs and smaller critters I found this Black Ant colony and had to snap a picture. I didn’t see any other kinds of ants out here like the common Fire ant that is a house hold name.
Almost every stop I took to take a picture of flowers had either bees or butterflies doing their thing. This reminded me that everything and everybody has a bigger part in this world even if they don’t know it yet.
The big rocks make for great vantage points to view the landscape and avoid any ants. Silence as you listen and enjoy all the nature surrounding you then you notice the faint bird chirps and insects all around you. Nothing like the city life.
Hiking and exploring the Joshua Tree National Park was amazing to say the least. Adding to my most memorable hikes list for sure!
Since I took so many pictures from this hiking trip I only put some on this blog but if you want to see more of them you can find them all and many others on my Flickr account(linked below)
Written by Brian Holt
