Joshua Tree National Park is a large desolate tract in the Mojave Desert. Approximately 800,000 acres, it is a little larger than the state of Rhode Island. Named for the Joshua Tree species of the yucca plant, it was designated a National Monument by FDR in 1936 and made a national park by Congress in 1984. More than half the park has subsequently been designated "wilderness area", which means no vehicles of any type are allowed. North of Coachella Valley, the park is significantly higher elevation. When I left camp early Saturday morning, it was 46F, but dropped to 42F as I entered the park, and reached 39F while I was touring.
I last visited the park in 2003, went to all the features and hiked quite a bit. Not wanting to repeat all that, I simply drove through and took a couple roads not taken last time. Entering the park around 9 am, I saw hundreds of cars already there. Some were probably camping there, but I suspect many locals go on a week-end to hike the scenic trails. I saw a few rock climbers and several guys carrying the "landing pads" used by the "bouldering" crowd. Many bikers were on the roads, and horse trailers were parked in a couple spots.
Incidentally, joshua trees may grow up to 40 feet tall and live 150 years or more. Since they aren't really a tree, there are no rings to help determine age. In addition to the trees, the park is known for its unusual rock formations, placed there mostly as a result of earthquake activity. Several faults run through the park, so earthquakes aren't infrequent.
In the next photo, a rock climber is working his way up the formation, near the center of the picture.
The park service has done a really nice job of integrating picnic areas and campgrounds among the rock formations. Trails also are well designed and maintained. The park is truly a great recreational facility for locals and tourists alike.
On Monday, I took a ride on the Palm Springs Tramway, one of the most popular attractions in the area. The tram takes people to the top of Mount San Jacinto, some 8000 feet above the valley floor. There is a state park on the mountain, so riders have the opportunity to hike the park's trails once they arrive.
Since the advertising says the tram rotates, I expected to mount the Go-Pro on a window and record the trip up. However, only the floor of the car rotates, not the entire car. Anyway, the sun was hitting our car so strongly, video just wasn't a good idea.
I checked before leaving camp and saw it was 34F with a 17 mph wind at the summit. Time for a jacket and gloves. Even so, it was too cold for me to even consider hiking.
There are three rotating trams in the world, one in south Africa and one in Switzerland, and this is the largest.
The old tram car style (non-rotating) is on display. The new cars, installed in 2000, hold up to 80 people for the 10 minute ride to the top. In total, more than 20 million passengers have ridden the tram since 1963.
A former gas station at the foot of the mountain was designed in the mid-century modern style, the same as both upper and lower tram stations.
Since I was already in Palm Springs, I decided to visit the "Elvis Honeymoon Home", as it's billed for tours. Elvis bought the home in 1966 and he and Priscilla lived there when they got married and for a short while after. It's another good example of mid-century modern, one that I actually like. The roof line reminds me of a "flying wing".
I also took photos of a few other homes in the neighborhood, almost all of which are mid-century modern.
As Bob Hope said . . "thanks for the memories" . . didn't do Elvis . . but did the others
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