I had a long list for a one night stay in Palm Springs: A visit to the Palm Springs Tourist Center; a tour of the Mid-Century homes; sit by the pool and catch up on five years worth of reading; dinner at the Viceroy; get a decent photo of the many windmill parks that surround the city. All of which I didn’t accomplish. I did, however, manage to make it to the Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua Tree National Park

I always resisted making the one hour trek from Palm Springs to Joshua Tree Park. It always seemed far, and in the opposite direction of home. Having made the journey this time, I would now only stay at Joshua Tree and skip Palm Springs altogether. The park’s expanse of 1234 square miles could take days to go thru. But I only had a day. Despite the name Joshua Tree, it was actually the large cartoon-like rock formations that steal the show. I spend six glorious hours wandering. My favorite being heading off of the tourist trail and finding my own place of solitude in a rock. Suddenly, the desert becomes a loud and alive place.