Socal - Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is named for the Joshua trees that are all over there.  It's huge.  It takes 4 hours to drive through the whole thing.  

we started with Mexican food at this big grocery store, the Northgate Market in Escondido.  They have a food counter area with all Mexican clientel.  

Joshua tree is a climbers heaven

lost his tail

Barker's Dam, built to water cattle, fought over by good guys and bad guys, ranchers vs miners vs cattle rustlers and every combo there within.

It's completely silent out here, it's a big star gazing location because it's so far removed there's little light pollution.  I was taking in these petroglyphs and then the old guy next to me farted.

I "bouldered" a lot and got up pretty high.  It's pretty scary because one mess up and you could be dead or paralyzed or something.  Jen said I was like an 8 year old kid running around and climbing on everything.

Keyes view.  You can see the Salton Sea on the left

the Joshua Trees

a little oasis?

Skull Rock.  You can just drive right up to it.

The Cholla cactus garden full of Cholla cacti.  We got there at just the right hour so the sun hit the cacti spikes and made them glow.

A sign warns not to touch them and for good reason.  Jen had to try and kick one and it got stuck to her shoe and they i tried to get it off with my shoe and then we both had super tenacious spikes in our shoes and we had to sit there and pull them out.

The sun was setting and we raced through the rest of the park for the Salton Sea.  It was pretty cool zooming through the winding roads as the sun set in the park

The Salton Sea is a dead sea,  I guess after flooding this sea was formed and somehow got salinated and everything in it died and the resort town around it went to crap also and now it's a hang out for hippies, meth vans, and weirdos.  

this was just on the shore as soon as you look down.  It really is a dead sea.

I'm guessing this is crusty salt mud that laps up on the shore