Blogs from Joshua Tree National Park, California, United States, North America - page 5

29 Palms, 13-10-2002. I wake up to a soft snoring, in the light of an early morning sun coming through small windows I discern a dark skinned female body next to me. Obviously the origin of the soft snoring. i try to figure out where I''m and how I ended up here...wherever here is, clearly it's not my 25 bucks room at the Hill View Motel...this place looks quite different, no big TV, nor fridge or coffee maschine, just a very small place with rubbish thrown all around the one-person cot I share with this dark skinned lady that is still snoring softly at my side. Small rounded windows...I'm coming to the conclusion I'm in a mini-van and with that realisation my memories of last night slowly emerge through the foggy sleep still inside my skull. ... read more

Joshua Tree National Park, on the way to Hidden Valley Campground, 11-10-2002. My neighbors, the elderly french couple in a hired mobile home, are still deep asleep when I leave the campground. It's very early in the morning with a silver line at the horizon showing the first rays of sun, the beginning of a new day filtering through the oustreched arms of the distinctive and omni-present Joshua Trees while I slowly cycle north leaving the hills behind and down to a massive plateau. A blueish early morning mist is hanging across the plateau giving the place a magical touch. The park might be a transition area between the Low and the High Desert but is nonetheless full with life. Travelling the world on a crappy old and overloaded bicycle I produce hardly any sounds unlike ... read more

On the way to Joshua Tree National Park, 10-10-2002. I wake up early to the noicy Quack Quack of snow geese that have invaded the campground. With the stale taste of californian red wine in my mouth and still half asleep I stick my head out of my little tent seeing these fat birds all around my tent and these old caravans that house a small colony of alternative hippies. Investigating goose beaks snap at anything that might be edible but the enormous bowl of spagetti bolognese on an old camping table, from last night has got a sturdy lid and while I eat cold italian spagetti for breakfast helping myself to a huge glass of wine from a half empty bottle, I contemplate last night's party. Most of these friendly old hippies have never been ... read more

USA, Salton Sea, Bombay Beach, 09-10-2002. I left the scarcely dressed ladies in front of my hotel alone last night and, after finishing up my six pack of Tecate beer, went to a nearby bar for a last Caguama - what the mexicans call a one-liter bottle of beer - before going to bed early and sleeping peacefully and undisturbed untill 09.00 h. in the morning.. Leaving Prostitute City - as I've nicknamed Mexicali - and crossing the border back into the USA presented me pas de problem. It's early afternoon now and a strong and dry sun is beaming down at me with a full 38 centrigrate strengh. On my right through the shimmering in the air caused by the intense heat I can discern the Chocolate Mountains and on my right the Salton Sea ... read more

A strip of Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree National Park is an area with very little water, scorching sun, blowing sand, beautiful spring flowers at this time of the year and a profusion of boulders pilled up in curious ways resembling toy blocks in a gigantic, sandy playground. Despite its harsh conditions, though sparsely, desert-dwellers thrive in this habitat: several types of birds, jackrabbits, lizards, squirrels, rats, snakes, some curious beetles that do a 'headstand' when threatened, besides other animals such as foxes, iguanas, desert tortoises, bighorn sheep and the greater roadrunner - a strong bird that moves fast and captures lizards and rattlesnakes (it inspired the cartoon character Bip-Bip, remember?) Obviously this desert is famous for the gracious, strange-looking species of yucca which seemed to stretch their branches to show the pioneers what directions to take ... read more