The winter in Salt Lake City has been dry and mild so far. I know this makes the skiers and boarders very sad, but I don't feel too sorry for them because they were skiing on the 4th of July last season. Despite the mild temperatures, I was still craving a warm getaway for the New Year holiday. A few people expressed some interest in heading south to Las Vegas and points beyond, but eventually Shawn, Jacob and I settled on a road trip to
Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.
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| Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park |
I flew back to Salt Lake on Wednesday night after visiting family in Massachusetts, unpacked, repacked, and headed out the door early Thursday morning. It was about an 10 hour drive, not including rest stops along the way for food and coffee! We arrived in Joshua Tree just after sunset to set up camp and settle in for the night. The night was cool and comfortable for sleeping and I awoke early the next morning to check out the sunrise.
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| Camping in Joshua Tree National Park |
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| Shawn enjoying the sunrise |
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| Enjoying the sunrise in Joshua Tree |
We drove through the park to Keys View to get a good overview of the terrain and scenery. The Salton Sea, along with Palm Springs, were visible in the distance from this 5,200 foot viewpoint.
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| Joshua Tree |
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| Hanging out with my juniper friend at Keys View |
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| Shawn at Keys View |
We hiked the seven mile Lost Horse Mine Loop trail after Keys View to enjoy the warm sunshine and awesome desert scenery. The highlight of the hike is supposed to be the mine, but I was much more impressed with the gigantic yuccas that lined the trail. It would have been amazing to see them flowering in the Spring.
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| Jacob and a Joshua Tree |
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| Jacob and Shawn lagging behind on the Lost Horse Mine Loop trail |
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| Yuccas |
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| Giant yuccas! |
New Year's Eve day started off with a great hike to Fortynine Palms Oasis at the north end of the park. After hiking through the barren desert, we arrived at the surprisingly green oasis and relaxed under the beautiful palm trees for a couple of hours.
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| Almost to the oasis |
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| Fortynine Palms Oasis |
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| Fortynine Palms Oasis |
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Fortynine Palms Oasis
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After the oasis, we checked out a couple of the park's unique plant species. There was a patch of ocotillos which appear to be cactus-like bushes but are actually plants which grow leaves when moisture is abundant and shed them during dry periods. There was also a large patch of beautiful cholla cacti which look soft and fuzzy but don't feel quite as nice to touch.
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| Ocotillo |
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| Me next to an ocotillo |
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| Ocotillos shed their leaves during dry periods, leaving thorny stalks |
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| Cholla cactus friend |
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| Cholla cacti |
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| Cholla cactus |
We headed back to camp to celebrate the New Year at midnight. The mild night and clear skies made for some great stargazing, and certainly one of the most enjoyable New Year's Eves I've had, in thr beautiful desert landscape.
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| Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park |
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| New Year's Eve in Joshua Tree |
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| New Year's Eve in Joshua Tree |
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| New Year's Eve does not get any better than this! |
We greeted the new year with a sunrise hike, a hike to the top of Ryan Mountain, and ended the day watching some very brave people slacklining and rock climbing.
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| The sun rises on 2012 |
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| Jacob on Ryan Mountain |
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| Slacklining in Joshua Tree |
For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot
