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It seems like my life is conspiring to expose me to every possible climate available in the Western US. After 2 weeks in Salt Lake City, Utah and a week back home in Los Angeles, the whole family was off to our annual Thanksgiving spot, Palm Desert, California, where one of my sisters resides. We have been from the mountains, to the sea, to the desert, all in one month.

Low desert adventures

Palm Desert, in the Coachella Valley, along with Palm Springs and other desert communities, lies in the low Mojave desert. This desert not only has tremendously high heat in the summer, but can also yield some fairly cold low temperatures. The nights slipped in the mid-40's most evenings with the day time highs in the mid-70's.

Just to the east of Palm Desert is Joshua Tree National Park. I have been meaning to visit the park almost since we moved from Ohio nearly 15 years ago. Even though my sister lives within 1 hour of the entrance gate I had never made it, until this week. On Friday, my sister and I packed my 2 1/2 year-old son, Joe into the car and headed out to the park, while my wife and mother-in-law attended a play in town.

The park is named for the Joshua Trees which populate most of the park, but there is much more to see. Entering from the south side of the park, off of Interstate 10 we slowly rose into some high valleys and small peaks. Just past the entrance station we turned off to Cottonwood Canyon. This area is the quintessential definition of a desert oasis. Large rounded boulders surround the campsites and lead you up canyon to a refreshing pool surrounded by its eponymous cottonwood, shining brilliant yellow at this time of year. If you go 100 yards outside of the canyon you are immediately back in the desert with its palo verde trees, cactus and other scrub brush.

Further into the park we came across a huge interior valley that remains much as it has always been. Only the most meager of dirt roads leaves the main asphalt park road to head into the interior. The sweeping vistas are a site not seen often in today's California.

Centered almost exactly in the park is an area dubbed the "chollo cactus garden". This area is filled with excellent specimens of this cactus, sometimes called the jumping cactus, as it is extremely quick to lose its spines into anything that happens to brush by. We followed a short, 1/4 mile nature trail through the heart of the garden, taking many pictures of the fluffy looking chollo illuminated from behind by the bright sun. The tiny hairs that cover the main stems of the cactus, beneath the actual spines, seem to glow like an aura around each plant.

Both the Joshua Tree and chollo are very particular about where they grow. They need just the right combination of temperature differential, elevation and, of course, water. This causes them to be grouped in these natural "garden" areas where all the components are perfect.

While Joshua trees exist in other parts of California, Nevada and Arizona this is the only place where I have seen such old and extensive growth. In the park there are areas where the trees form a veritable forest -- quite a feat for a plant that has to compete fiercely with everything around it to survive.

The final stop on our trip were the areas of huge weathered rocks, cliffs and boulders where campers, hikers and climbers come to "rock-hop", free climb, rappel and just admire their beauty. They are quite striking as you approach them across the severe flatness of other areas of the park. The monoliths rise on the horizon like sleeping giants. As you look more closely you can see a person here or there scampering ant-like across their tops and sides.

If you are in the Southern California area and especially if you are interested in cactus and other desert plants, you should make Joshua Tree a stop on your itinerary. I found it a wonderful combination of both travel destination and an example of how our gardens can take the uncultivated world and bring a small piece to our lives and homes.

Keep digging!

Douglas