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Joshua Tree

A large part of Southern California is desert. And much of the rest of Southern California is “semi-arid.” Even though the area gets more rainfall than an actual desert, it cannot support a large human population without importing substantial amounts of water from elsewhere. The entire densely-populated region stretching from Santa Barbara in the north through Los Angeles to San Diego in the south is all too frequently subject to severe droughts. It depends on major engineering projects that divert water from the eastern Sierra Nevada region and the Colorado River.

Two particular areas of this large desert region are national parks that offer unique geology and biology (and scenery). They are Joshua Tree, in the southern desert north of Palm Springs, and Death Valley, located in eastern part of the state near the Nevada border (a small part of the park is in Nevada).

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Pictures of joshua trees Photo of a joshua tree Perhaps a better name for Joshua Tree National Park might be “Joshua Trees and Rocks National Park.” Those two features define the entire area.

Even though the “joshua tree” has a woody trunk, it isn’t a tree at all. It’s actually a kind of yucca that’s related to the lily. Mormon pioneers, steeped in Biblical lore, saw them throughout their journeys in the Southwestern desert and thought they resembled Joshua praying with outstretched arms, leading them to the Promised Land.

Photograph of rock formation and young joshua tree Picture of Joshua Tree rocks at sunrise The frequent earthquakes in the Joshua Tree area mean the park is full of rocks. The rocks and boulders come in all sizes, ranging from large ones that are popular for climbing to shattered and broken ones that lie in piles or are strewn on the ground. There are also boulders balanced so precariously that you have to wonder how they survived all the earthquakes.

Photo of split rock in Joshua Tree NP Picture of round rocks in Joshua Tree NP
Photograph of a rock fissure in Joshua Tree NP Picture of Skull Rock at sunset

Pictures of cholla cactus Photo of cholla cactus There are other interesting plants besides the joshua trees. The cholla (pronounced “CHOY-a”) is a kind of cactus that may look cute and cuddly. It’s sometimes even called the “teddy bear cactus.” But it’s anything but cuddly. In fact, it bites! The “fur” is actually very prickly spines with little barbs at the end. Get anywhere near one with your hand, or even with a clothed arm or leg, and the little barbs will attach themselves painfully to your flesh. Cholla barbs get into inappropriate places so easily that the other name for the cholla is the “jumping cactus,” since it almost seems to jump right for the nearest limb. It’s obviously a very effective defense mechanism against rodents or lizards who might want a succulent snack. When taking these pictures, I was very careful to avoid touching the cholla. But somehow a little cluster jumped onto the bottom of my camera bag. Removing it required a thick wad of newspaper.

Picture of an ocotillo at Anza-Borrego At left is an ocotillo (“oak-o-TEE-yo”) in bloom. It’s another kind of cactus with leaves that are small and tough (to minimize evaporation of water into the dry air) but, fortunately, not sharp. This particular ocotillo is in Anza-Borrego State Park, a bit south of Joshua Tree.

Photo of date palm fronds Picture of date palms at Mecca, CA The Coachella Valley, south of Joshua Tree, is a major producer of dates. At right is a cultivated stand of date palms, in Mecca. You can see how the fruit grows in clusters on the palms. As far as I can tell, the Mecca in California in no way resembles its Arabian namesake. So my visit there does not entitle me to the honorific title of “Haji.” There was, however, a pillar of fire guiding me toward Mecca. It was smoke from an incineration facility that was burning tires. A local culinary specialty is the “date shake,” a vanilla milkshake to which a puréed paste of dates is added. It tastes very good indeed.

Picture of the Salton Sea At the southern end of the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea was created by accident around 1905, when poorly-built irrigation channels flooded an ancient basin. It’s the largest lake in California, 57 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide. The surface is 69 meters below sea level. Like Mono Lake in northern California, the Salton Sea has no outlets, so it is becoming increasingly salty (it is now slightly saltier than the ocean). It’s also a migratory bird sanctuary as well as a popular boating recreation area. Unlike Mono Lake, some 90% of the Salton Sea’s water comes from agricultural runoff. The pesticides and heavy metals in this runoff make the lake controversial for environmentalists. On a hot May weekday, I found the Salton Sea a rather desolate and strangely alien setting.

Death Valley National Park


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