Joshua Tree

During a recent visit to Palm Springs, California, Jayne and I explored Joshua Tree National Park .

It is here that the Sonoran  and Mojave deserts  meet…

…containing a forest of strange Joshua Trees and a number of unique rock formations called Inselbergs .

The famous San Andreas Fault  bounds the south side of the park.

The Joshua Tree  is the largest of the yuccas  and grows only in the Mojave Desert. These trees are picturesque, spike-leaved evergreens.

With this being my first time in the park, even though I researched before going and looked at countless photos from other photographers, I still managed to have my own reaction to the location. I found it very difficult to shoot. This park has a personality that is different than say, the snow-caped peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park. I struggled artistically to capture the essence for me while trying to avoid the cliches and striving to be different.

Unfortunately, I came away with only nice pictures. The ones I did capture, I tried to emphasize the “desert” aspect of the scenes. I found that there was very little color at this point in the year, so many of my image treatments were in black and white, tending to show off more of the lines and shapes and forms.

Below is typical of the vegetation found in the park.

Here’s a picture of the famous Skull Rock.

There were many people climbing and learning to climb within the park. These were in Hidden Valley.

I couldn’t resist a self portrait.

And finally, I found this roadrunner in the parking lot at the 29 Palms entrance. I used to love the cartoon, growing up!

Enjoy life!