Where the streets have no name.

I visited with nature yesterday and hid out in the desert--in Joshua Tree National Park to be exact. I'm not exactly nature girl, so this was a new experience for me, but the scenery is truly breathtaking. Contrary to U2's song "Where the Streets Have no Name" (Get it? The Joshua Tree album. hehe) the streets in the park do in fact have names. Here are some pics.



This is a Joshua Tree. So named because the early Mormon pioneers believed that the trees resembled Joshua beconing them to the promised land. Joshua Tree's only live in the United States and they only live at certain altitudes of the Mojave Desert. (That means they live in only 4 states.) Can you tell that I watched a fine educational film at the ranger station?



Another Joshua Tree. If you look on the tip of the rock under the arm of the tree you will see a tiny black dot. That black dot is actually a mountain climber who had just reached the top of the rock. Aparently the National Park is a primo site in California for rock climbers. I'm not really surprised as there are some spectacular rock formations in the park. You can camp for up to 14 days in the park, in some of the most beautiful locations I've ever seen. Perfect if you are a star gazer. Camp sites include toilets and picnic tables--you can get showers in the town of Joshua Tree.



Speaking of interesting rock formations. This rock formation is known as Skull Rock--for obvious reasons.



My friend Rachel rocking the Frida Kahlo look and communing with the desert.