Whether you plan to visit Joshua Tree National Park some day in person or want to enjoy it virtually, come join me for a tour of this beautiful dessert oasis.

A little Throwback Thursday for you… as back in my swingin single days, I took a three week solo road trip out west.  It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences that I will never forget, especially because it was my last epic single girl hoorah before Hubby and I got together.  This week, I saw someone post an Instagram from Joshua Tree and I got a little nostalgic.    Joshua Tree National Park  is home to about 800,000 acres and is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

 

 

The town of Joshua Tree is pretty small and is the quintessential hippie drippy trippy town.  Cool vibes and funkalicious shops will leave you with the nostalgia of your patchouli-scented college years.   Palm Springs is close by, as is Twenty Nine Palms (aka 29 Stumps if you are a JarHead).  I ended up staying at a lesser known town called Desert Hot Springs.  It had the hot springs just like Palm Springs, but it was a much more frugal place to stay.

 

 

Back to the park… this is a view overlooking the Coachella Valley.

 

 

The landscape and topography was like nothing I had ever seen before.  Joshua tree has two distinct desert ecosystems in one place – the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert.  The California desert heat was therapeutic.  I don’t know if it was the air, the dry heat, or the vacation, but it’s one of those places where all of the cares in your world just melt away.

 

 

 

 

These are called cholla cactus.   There was a great hiking trail through the cacti.

 

 

Now, onto the Joshua Trees, what the park is famous for.  According to the official Joshua Tree National Park Service website, “Mormon pioneers considered the limbs of the Joshua trees to resemble the upstretched arms of Joshua leading them to the promised land.”

 

 

 

I was so impressed with the beauty of the Joshua Tree, that I woke up the next morning before dawn, and drove to the park just to take pictures of the sunrise.

 

 

Another great feature of the park are the stone formations.  The stones are sticky and porous, which is why it’s one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the United States.  If you play your cards right, I may just write a post one of these days of my rock climbing adventures there.  Believe it or not, I climbed The Eye…. back in the day when I wasn’t a Little Grandma.  #bucketlist.

 

 

This rock is called Skull Rock.  Not sure why though…

 

 

 

I will leave you with one last picture of the Joshua Tree.

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What about you?  Have you ever been to Joshua Tree National Park?  Do you ever plan to go?

 

Love, hugs, and reaching to heaven.

Holly

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