USA Road Trip: Week 3 (Part 1)

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This area was extremely dry and hot. We started out by driving to the beginning of the Pacific Crest Trail, near the Mexican border. The other end of the trail is 2,650 miles (4,265 km) away, in the Cascades, at the Canadian border. If you do it at one time, it should take, on average, about five months. Many people do it in stages, though.

We went through a few deserts, Mojave and Colorado, to see two of California’s national parks - Joshua Tree, and Death Valley (8 of the 59 national parks described in our Moon guide are in California). Words of caution in this area - drink LOTS of water, wear a hat and sunscreen, and buy gas when you can. Around California, gas was about $3.50/gallon; near Death Valley, it was $5.25/gallon.

“Joshua Tree’s stunning, alien landscape both startles and charms. Powerful geologic forces have whipped the rocks here into twisted shapes and scrambled boulder piles. Among the eroded chaos, spiky Joshua trees reach out in unpredictable angles, forming jagged, moody backdrops to the dusty desert roads of the Mojave” (Moon, USA National Parks - The Complete Guide to all 59 Parks, Becky Lomax, 2018, p. 155). According to Lonely Planet, “Mormon settlers named the trees because the branches stretching up toward heaven reminded them of the biblical prophet pointing the way to the promised land” (Lonely Planet, USA’s Best Trips - 51 Amazing Road Trips, 2018, p. 496). We saw four different types of cactus or trees in the park; since we arrived late in the evening and the information office was closed we couldn’t get a “park guide” and we kept guessing which was the Joshua tree. We were wrong on all counts, but figured it out eventually when we finally got a park guide. They were all very cool, though.

Death Valley - “From the glaring salt flats of Badwater Basin 282 feet below sea level , to snow-capped Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet, the park’s complex geology spans eras of seas, volcanoes, tectonic forces and fault lines. Dotting the landscapes are hidden springs, mining camps, ghost towns, petroglyphs, and the sacred spots of indigenous people who call the valley home. Decaying or preserved, battered by wind or watered by secret oases, these places stand as testament to the frenzy of human hopes and the fury of imagination” (Moon, p. 146). Both parks were extremely hot; we were there in early May, and it was already past the high season in the park. There are signs that people shouldn’t go hiking after 10:00 am because it was already too hot, and absolutely no shade. Even in an air-conditioned car you could feel the sun beating down on you.

That said, though, both parks were fascinating to explore. And if you’re into stargazing, the night sky was just amazing - clear skies, and little to no light pollution. But bring a jacket at night - it is the desert, so cools off drastically.

We had a really hard time editing the next few batches of photos, so we’re ending this part of the blog in Las Vegas. It was a good place to regroup (and cool off).

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