Joshua Tree National Park

“The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something… To see clearly in poetry, prophecy, and religion, all in one.” –John Ruskin

A getaway is customary for me when there is a long holiday weekend here in the U.S., and I welcome all opportunities for long-weekend, get-away travel. For this Memorial weekend, I decided to visit Palm Springs after considering some other familiar destinations: Montreal and Miami. Mainly Palm Springs attracted me for its value, climate, and surrounding geographical jewels.

I traveled all day to visit Palm Springs from New York; there are few, if any, direct flights between the cities. The anticipation of toasty dry desert weather eased my irritation of long distance travel. While I was eager for the warmth, I was concerned of passing through the irritating air traffic hub in Chicago where flight delays are typical.

After my 5 a.m. alarm sounded, I was at LaGuardia Airport by 6 a.m. Skipping all the irritating travel rituals, I stepped into the 92-degree warmth of Palm Springs. With three-hour time savings, I was ready for my lunch.

During this trip I revisited Joshua Tree National Park (I first went in 1989) with the kind guidance of Wilfred Valle and Thomas Stallman. We embellished the hike by exchanging different ways of describing the views and grandeurs of the park. Although the park has not changed, nature has weathered its beauty, like everything else in life.

I captured the park in two ways: the rock formations and the ground’s foliage. For this week’s blog, I want to share the rock formation images. I hope that you will enjoy the strangely desired organic shapes and beautifully ambiguous compositions captured. I discovered a wild frontier of inspirations within the desert landscapes. I start the Palm Springs blog series with Joshua Tree National Park; and then I will continue with landscapes around the city of Palm Springs, and interior décor style of the nest where I stayed.

I am starting the warm season with a bang: hot, sizzling desert comfort!