Roadtrip Southwest - Day 1

 

I have returned from my latest vacation.

I covered three states (one new one to add to my 50 states countdown)

Drove well over 1000 miles, two national parks.

A gazillion cactuses and lots of sand.

After a nightmare of a travel day, I finally arrived in Phoenix, AZ.

Well midnight, several hours behind schedule.

Why?

Well, my first flight was delayed because the plane couldn't land

in Dallas-Fort Worth due to weather.

The plane was held in a holding pattern so long we had to land

in Arkansas to refuel before finally being allowed to land in DFW.

Fortunately, my connecting flight was also very delayed, so I didn't miss it

and at last made it to Phoenix.

But my hotel was in Blythe, CA.

So, I picked up my rental car (at the 24 hour rental car center)

and drove through the night. It is very dark in the desert in the middle of the night.

Once you leave city limits, there's nothing but the

shadows of the moutains and a full moon, if you're lucky.

I managed to get an hour and a half of sleep

before getting into the car again to meet my tour guide for my visit into

Joshua Tree National Park.

Had to get an early start after my short nap, because my tour guide was setting out at 9AM.

And Blythe was still a couple hours from Coachella Valley.

But these are the moments where you feel you are alive.

Propped up on coffee and adrenaline and the promise of something new.

Joshua Tree National Park is only a small percentage of Joshua Trees, but

it has the highest concentration of them, so the park was designed around them.

Much of the park boundary was set aside by Minerva Hoyt, a citizen of Pasadena,

who loved desert plants and was concerned that they'd be destroyed.

So, in 1936, due to her efforts, 825,000 acres was set aside as

Joshua Tree National Monument, and in 1994 is was elevated to a

National Park. 

And it's been on my list for several years.

I hadn't anticipated it to be so hilly.

I was expecting trees and a more flat terrain.

So I was surprised to see so many rock formations and mountains.

isn't it beautiful?

😍

I learned the difference between a Yucca and a Joshua Tree.

Both of which are plants, really, and not trees.

And learned a bit more about my fave plants: the cactuses and succulents.

This is a cholla.

And learned about a plant called creosote, that has a fresh scent.

It's been used for lots of things, including preserving wood.

Too soon, it was time to leave.

We drove back to our meeting place in Palm Desert, 

I got back in the rental car (a black Nissan Sentra I named the Black Phoenix)

and headed south to visit the Salton Sea.

Do some reading about the Salton Sea.

It has a tragic and bizarre history.

When I read about it earlier this year, I knew I

had to work it into my trip. I wanted to see it.

It's eerily quiet.

No birds or frogs or fish.

As I stood there, all i heard was the wind in my ears, and the

faint sound of a radio far off in the distance.

The water has receded, the pool is shrinking.

This photo was taken at the former shoreline.

You can just see the waterline at the far distance.

And it smells bad. Like sulfur and chemicals and death.

Looks pretty.

But it's toxic.

It is an artificial body of water that was the victim of industrialism and neglect.

Now nothing lives in it, or around it, except for some determined families

living in the ghost towns that was once a resort spot.

Yeah it was hot.

It was time to say goodbye to California and turn the car to the

next part of my trip.

Driving through Arizona.

Destination: Sedona.