Joshua Tree facts

Foresters might be slightly offended by the Dr. Seuss-like Joshua Tree's inclusion in the general category of "tree" when it seems so inferior to mighty monarchs of the forest. Except for the bark, the weak-rooted, spiny-leafed, slow-growing Joshua Tree shares no characteristics with a tree. Squirrels don't even climb them! Of course, it does enjoy the status of a protected species.

Worry no longer!! The Joshua Tree, yucca bevifolia, is NOT a tree at all. It is a Yucca in the Agavaceae family. The main trunk, for lack of a better term, has a soft, loosely-fibrous, spongy center where moisture is held. It has no growth rings to determine age. It is quite tempermental and has very specific needs for healthy growth and sustainability. Elevation, precise amounts of rain at strategic times, sunshine and just the right number of winter frosts determine whether there will be blossoms. Not all will blossom every year.

Not being a Forester myself, I'll just leave it at that...lest my ignorance come shining through.

Snow in the Desert!

We are feeling housebound as it is cold and windy much of the time. There was more fun to come; two weekends in a row a little blizzard blew in and we awoke to snow on the cactus. Yippee. There is nothing more to say.

Joshua Tree Nat'l Park

What an adventure we had Down Under, but it feels great to be home just in time for Christmas! A month is a long time to be away. That said, here we go again...but just up the road 25 miles. I brought back a bit of Koala Bear Flu from Australia that tried to kill me. Imagine, Americans have no immunity to that sort of virus.

We've settled ourselves into the Camp Host site at Black Rock Canyon Campground. Al will spend his volunteer time in and around the campground and adjoining Ranger Station. I will volunteer at the busy west entrance Visitors Center in the little town of Joshua Tree. We've spent time hiking, biking and getting familiar with the Park...so we can tell people where to go and how to get there.

We do not tire of waking up every day in a National Park. The Joshua Trees are unique...in a Dr. Seuss kind of way. The weather at 4000 ft. elev. is not very warm and the wind howls down the canyon at unbelievable speeds. Palm Springs is 25 miles...downhill. One can leave Joshua Tree dressed in winter clothes and arrive in Palm Springs where everyone is dressed in shorts and sundresses. What were we thinking??

Our uniforms are so cute, we've decided we'll stay until the end of March!