Our first taste of California is Joshua Tree National Park. It was established in 1936 to preserve the groves of the unusual, spiny-leaved Joshua Tree. Apparently it got its name from Mormon travellers around 1851 who saw the twisted branches and the upraised arms - this reminded them of the biblical leader Joshua (he followed Moses as leader)! The park is stunning with amazing boulders which house some campsites right out of the Flintstones! The park houses 2 desert landscapes, each unique and special.
As we travel toward San Diego the landscape and the temperature changes dramatically. It is like crossing a barrier from desert to lush; from steamy hot to damp and cool. Our last night in Arizona, near Parker, our van was about 98F in the night - Rip got up around 3 am to take a shower and found me asleep on the grass outside our van - I had come back from a shower myself, wrapped in a towel and just plopped myself on the cool green carpet! That was a first.
San Diego brings new and incredibly beautiful tree - we are told it is called "red bud" but there is nothing red about it. It is bright purple and it is blooming everywhere. Wow!
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Cool :) - Hope you were able to snap shots of the wildflowers and the resident bird species along with the migratory bird population - hear there is a fascinating variety.
ReplyDeleteLove to you both, BiG HuGs, Evelyn