As I sit in the departure lounge at LAX waiting for the flight to my next destination, I scroll through the pictures on my phone. I feel like I’ve already seen so much. The photographs from Joshua Tree National Park stand out. If you’ve never seen a Joshua tree before, it kind of reminded me of a cross between a tree and a cactus. According to Wikipedia, Joshua trees were so named by a group of Mormon settlers. The shape of the trees reminded them of a story from the Bible in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer.
Joshua Tree National Park is filled with, you guessed it, Joshua trees. But the Park also stands out because of several giant boulders and mountain-like boulder formations (making for some good climbing fun). The Joshua trees, boulders, and other unique plant life in the Park combine to create novel landscapes within easy driving range of Palm Springs.
As we explored through the Park, I told Chris about how I’ve really liked all my trips to national parks in each of Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Chris reflected for a moment and then told me about someone he knows who makes a point to visit a different national park each year. I really like that idea and think I will aspire to do the same.
Who’s in?
Bonus Material:
Earlier in 2016, I was lucky enough to visit some other national parks in Canada and the USA including Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Pacific Rim National Park in British Columbia (home of the West Coast Trail). Here are a few pictures:
Impermanent Establishments 