The Journey to and Through Joshua Tree

As I headed out of Death Valley with its bizarre and surreal terrain, I decided to take a side trip over to Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas, NV to do a little rock climbing. Having tasted the joys of scrambling over massive boulders of sticky granite in Yosemite, I was intrigued by what might be waiting in this little, rocky hideaway.

My body had other ideas however. Rather than jumping onto the beckoning canyon walls, I found myself nearly passed out in a hidden oasis called Mountain Spring Ranch. Horses were having a languid brunch in the shelter of massive, craggy monoliths; and low, quiet oaks were lazily waving their arms as they woke up to the birds and morning light peeking over the mountain range. Stepping into that tranquil garden seemed to highlight the extent of how pooped I was! Evidently trekking around in Death Valley's 110+ degree weather was quite tiring, not to mention camping in it. (Ok, maybe it wasn't 110 in the middle of the night, but it was still plenty warm!) Add to that one night a ranger proceeded to tell me ghost stories of "people" he'd seen out there in the middle of the desert, and I spent the night frozen in terror fearing every snap of my tent in the evening wind was an old ghost crone coming to snatch my liver!

I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever move again; but sure enough, just as the sky began to change into that magical, afternoon light, suddenly it was time to go. I packed up and was soon driving up the scenic road through Red Rock Canyon.

Let me just say this place is amazing! Not only was it an absolute blast climbing over all those rocks, using arms, legs, momentum and gravity to traverse drops, leaps and crevices, the rock itself is absolutely stunning. For one thing, it's pink!--gorgeous striations of magenta, cream, dusty rose and baby pink intertwined, merged and blended into and around each other. The rock loomed soft and sensual like the curves and contours of a woman's skin; yet it was strong and powerful, completely impervious to footsteps and grabbings, a supportive expanse to touch, grasp, cling to and hang on. I've never really been into getting it on with another woman (though I have many friends of both sexes who do :), but I tell you, I was totally turned on by that place. Yowza.

I spent an hour and a half out there, just in awe and viscerally absorbed in my scrambling around. It was a fabulous all body experience. After I made it back to my car, I felt sated and inspired, ready for the revealing of my next destination.

The road out of Red Rock Canyon dumped right onto the edge of Las Vegas so rather than backtrack, I decided to take a little tour through the city of lights. As I was driving along wondering if I should run into a casino to try my luck, I noticed the full moon slowly rising above the horizon. A crazy, whimsical thought to stay up all night and watch its journey across the sky overrode my reasoning faculties, so instead of hanging out with actual people in a real city, I headed back into California to go into the heart of the Mojave Desert and hang out with the moon.

Now I love the moon and the night sky, but I had never done anything like this before. I drove around the Mojave roads looking for some place to stop and spend the night, and eventually found a fire-road with a rock outcropping that seemed perfectly suited to my evening's pursuits. I pulled over, stopped the car and just as I turned off the engine, noticed that it was exactly midnight.

If you've never spent a night staying up with the moon, may I suggest you give it a try. It's crazy and wonderful all at the same time. I sat for the longest time just looking at it, silly poems running through my head comparing the moon to a spotlight, a peephole, a cue ball and a little dehydrated marshmallow that had been left in a forgotten cupboard, leftover from a child's camping trip. The mind loosens many of its rigid confines in a place outside of time and sleep, and magical ideas appear. Roads beckon, brush glows, planets wait and little by little the moon moves.

It was a long night but delicious. It was particularly beautiful to watch how the light from the moon and the rays of the dawn slowly changed places in the sky: two sisters poised for a suspended moment in silent equilibrium overhead… then the receding of the moon and the advancing of the sun to continue the movement into day. I waited with the moon, watching her fight her rest, wanting to catch one more glimpse of whatever captured her eye; yet soon, she bowed her head, the blanket of the skyline rim slowly covered her face, and eventually, she succumbed to her sleep.

I was elated. Or looney. Perhaps both. Only later did I discover that this particular full moon had been a blue moon and that my best friend from college had had her baby that night. Quite a magical evening indeed.

By this time I REALLY needed a good bed and a long hot shower, or two or three or four. Found all that and more in Palm Springs; but even after making it into Joshua Tree, a little, mischievous voice continued to whisper to me to do the unusual and bizarre. This manifested itself by being inspired to spend two days sitting on a rock. Yup. A rock. Why this seemed like a good idea at the time I am still not completely clear, but after entering Joshua Tree through the back end (which is not always entirely comfortable, but fun for a change of pace!) I found a campsite and didn't move for two days. There was a great rock with a protective overhang that had a ledge about 25 feet high that I hung out on for most of the day. I read, I remembered, I slept and sweated. Stories from Sunday school kept coming to mind of Elijah in his cave and Moses in the wilderness. I pondered the possibilities of good and evil so clearly outlined in my youth and now so blurred with the experience of years. Was God in the roaring wind that sent sand blasting against my sun burnt skin or was he/she in the powerful rock that sheltered, loved and protected me? Was there a place beyond the delineations of right and wrong that one could experience out there in the wilderness; and if so, could I bring that expansive space that encompasses all back home with me to share....

Yes, sitting in a rock in the summer heat can bring some interesting ideas to mind. It also can be quite boring. Writing, thinking, playing with the self-timer on my camera and counting how many Joshua Trees were within sight can only occupy one for so long. Soon I was out and about, recharged and exploring this uniquely beautiful place. I had entered Joshua Tree expecting...Joshua Trees, of course! Coming in through the south only offered a vast expanse of dirt (not even nice desert sand!), but soon there were cute little teddy bear Cholla cacti and gorgeous mammoth rocks as well as one of the most gorgeous sunsets I'd ever seen. My last day was a delightful adventure of hiking, meeting a new awesome friend (hi Matt!) and of course, finally seeing Joshua Trees!

By the way, the colors seemed a little muted in reviewing this. Since these are probably my favorite batch of photos so far on this trip, I've posted just the photos on an iWeb page. They might take a little longer to download, but they seem a bit more vivid. Just an option in case you're interested. Much love to you.... http://web.mac.com/singinwildflower/iWeb/Site/7%20Joshua%20Tree.html

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