Photo Essay: Joshua Tree

Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, I first heard the term Joshua tree in 1987 when local rock band U2 released their classic album of the same name. Completely enthralled by the music, I was also captivated by the moody black and white photographs on the album cover which depicted the band in a landscape very different from the one I had grown up in. Some twenty years later, I finally had the opportunity to visit the park with my wife Jennifer during a winter break road trip.

Located about 140 miles due east of Los Angeles, California, Joshua Tree National Park straddles two deserts, each with it's own distinct ecosystem. The hotter Colorado desert sits to the east of the park, and to the west and higher in elevation is the cooler Mojave desert.

With U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" playing on the car stereo, we entered the park from the town of Twentynine Palms and it wasn't long before we saw the trees after which the park is named.

Stopping off at various rock formations and monoliths, we got a sense of the ruggedness of the terrain and the beauty of the desert landscape. Above us, rock climbers inched their way up world class climbing routes or worked out on the many bouldering problems scattered about the park. I wished I had packed my climbing shoes and crash pad, but there would always be next time.

At Hidden Valley, we did a short hike through a landscape straight out of a Hollywood western, although while we were there the trail was quite crowded. With miles of hiking trails and nature walks, had we visited the park for longer, it would have been more enjoyable to take a less popular hike.

From the overlook at Keys View, the views of the Coachella Valley were partially obscured by smog that rolls into the valley from Los Angeles and the surrounding cities, but we could make out the San Andreas fault and, in the distance to the south, the Salton Sea.

Back in our car, we then headed towards the Colorado Desert part of the park, stopping off briefly at the Chollo Cactus Garden for short walk. The "jumping" cholla is a cactus so named because of the ease at which the plant can attach itself to unsuspecting passersby. The spines are barbed making their removal very painful for anyone unlucky enough to touch, or be touched by, one of these plants.

And so, with U2's "One Tree Hill" playing on the stereo, we continued our winter road trip, driving south and out of the park.