Joshua Tree

12/07/2010

This National Park rivals the White Sands as far as awe-inspiring landscapes go. Joshua Tree may very well be my favorite place to camp out of all the parks I’ve camped at growing up, only second to Yosemite. The massive, smooth rocks, Dr. Seuss looking trees, the desert air, and the overall serenity of the entire area is all at once calming and energizing. I already long to return and spend more time there.

Check out the Cholla cactus below. It means “teddy bear” cactus in Spanish, but you definitely don’t want to give it a hug! Curious as I am, I had to test how prickly this gorgeous plant really is. Despite having read all the warning signs telling me to stay away, I merely waived the bottom of my foot over a spiky little ball that the plant had shed and it immediately jumped up and latched itself to the bottom of my flip flop. We had to pry it off with a pocket tool it had dug itself in so deep; hence it’s nickname “jumping cactus.”