Joshua Tree National Park (Part II)

February 13-21, 2014 (oops! 2015): A synopsis of our adventures. (Part II)

Now, to wrap up our adventures in Joshua Tree National Park.  We’ve got a few more days in the park . . . and a few more adventures to experience, so here goes.

  

Camp neighbors we met shortly before entering the park raved about the self-guided driving geology tour that was an absolute “must do”.

Alrighty then!  We too must do it!  We’ve never been steered wrong by well-intentioned camp neighbors before.  Right?

We set off into the park through the North Entrance.  We make a quick stop at Skull Rock along the way.  Yeah, I guess it looks like a skull.

We turn off on Geology Tour Road with our trusty guide in hand. 

The first sentence in our brochure says, “This is your guide through some of the most fascinating landscape in Joshua Tree National Park.”  

Sounds great, doesn’t it?  I drive – Jack reads our way through the tour.  Well, 18 miles later . . .  18 miles of washboard roads . . . 18 miles of rocks and sand and dust and ruts and hot sun . . . what looked pretty awesome on paper turned out to just not be our thing.  So much for taking advice from camp neighbors . . .  again. 

Back on the main road we head west.  We gotta find something really great to make up for that not-so-cool 18 mile drive.  Jack’s checking the park map and says, “Let’s take a drive down to Keys View.  See what’s there.”

Oops!  Just passed it.  A U-turn, back in the direction we came from, a right turn south, and we’re on our way to Keys View.

We drive through the tallest and largest stand of Joshua trees we’ve seen in the entire park.  It’s absolutely beautiful.  Unfortunately, turnouts are few and far between and there’s no place to pull off for photos.

Reaching the parking lot for Keys View, we take the short walk up to the lookout point.

In the hazy distance, we can barely make out Palm Springs 20 miles away.  To the south the outline of the northern edge of the Salton Sea is just visible.  “Haze” is California’s fancy name for what the rest of the country calls “smog”.  “Haze” – it does have a nice ring to it.  Winds off the west coast funnel the haze through Banning Pass where it settles over the Coachella Valley for these fine folks to enjoy right along with their LA neighbors to the west.  Share and share alike I always say.

During a ranger-led hike we discover that Joshua trees bloom in the higher elevations first, which makes Keys View the ideal place to spot new buds.  Once blossomed out, the blooms will last up to 2 months.  It would be beautiful to see a forest of Joshua trees a month from now.  But alas, we will be off on other adventures long before then.

I almost forgot to tell the most amazing story about Joshua trees that even impressed Darwin – their pollination process.

Joshua trees and Yucca moths have a symbiotic relationship.  Since the trees don’t produce nectar, the Joshua tree relies on Yucca moths for pollination.  With their tentacle-like appendages that grow out of their jaws, the moths collect pollen from Joshua tree flowers. They intentionally spread pollen onto the female part of each flower they crawl onto.

The moth lays eggs on the immature seeds of the tree before she pollinates the flowers.  When the eggs hatch into caterpillars they will eat some of the seeds before beginning their cocooning process.  In order for the new caterpillars to eat, the moth needs to ensure that there will be Joshua tree seeds.  In order for that to happen, the moth must pollinate the flower.

Even Charles Darwin considered it “the most remarkable pollination system ever described.”

A memorable sunrise greets us on our last full day at Indian Cove Campground in the park.

It’s been a fun and educational nine days in Joshua Tree National Park.  We’re heading east to enjoy a little scenery with water in it for a few days – the Colorado River along the CA-AZ border.  Until next time – be safe.