Our first major destination was Joshua Tree National Park. Like Brianne has said all along, since these deserts are so desolate and devoid of most people, it is pointless to pay $15.00 to sleep on the ground in a noisy campground when you can easily drive off of one of the many side roads and camp on your own just as easily. For most of the trip this is how we spent our nights. Joshua Tree National Park was stunning. I had it in my mind that the only reason a national Park existed there was to protect the Joshua Trees (the largest species of yucca I might add). However Joshua Tree NP. was incredibly rich with plant and animal species I have never seen before. I found several strange cacti species and even caught two lizards including the Horny Toad lizard.
Stopping on a lonely stretch of road on the way to Joshua Tree National Park.
A Horny Toad Lizard. I think this one is a baby.
Palm Springs Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park. This oasis contains the largest natural population of California Fan Palms in the entire state.
After Joshua Tree National Park we meandered our way to Carlsbad, California. I knew it was going to be a shock from the desert but I was mentally preparing myself for all the people and the hustle and bustle of the California way of life. The fast paced lifestyle was not too bad for me at first but eventually it started to wear on me because of one simple mistake I made. I did not have a plan. If you don't have a plan in a crazy city you are always lost and getting frustrated. We eventually found a cheap hotel somewhere in the area of Oceanside just to take a break from all the noise and craziness. The next day I had a plan.
Later we ended up in a coastal town 40 miles north of San Diego. We found a sleazy motel only a a couple of blocks from the ocean in one of the nicest neighborhoods imaginable. There were surf shops, little cafes, gardens, and people riding there bikes everywhere. The California Oceanside 70.3 triathlon was the following weekend so there were triathletes everywhere riding there bikes and running. (I tried to register for this race but it sells out so fast it is ridiculous.) What a great place to live and train for those fortunate. For a while anyway. Brianne and I bought some boogie boards (body boards) and did a little boogie boarding and ocean swimming in the breaking surf. I was having a blast but every time I checked for Brianne, she was getting pummeled in the breaking surf. I tried to explain that you need to be out of the surf zone to catch a decent ride. She didn't seem to mind, I figured, because every time she got smashed she came up laughing. As long as you are having a good time is all that matters I guess.
The next day we checked out the San Diego Botanical Gardens. There was way too much stuff there to describe but if you like plants the San Diego area is the place for you. We also drove down south of San Diego to the border beach. This was a strange and eerie place. We were only a few miles south of a very large city and just north of the Mexican border. The whole time we were there we saw no one. We weren't even sure we were supposed to be there because large military helicopters kept buzzing around no doubt looking for suspicious activity. I was hoping my truck would still be in the parking lot when we got back.
A blooming "small" Agave in the San Diego Botanical Gardens.
Giant bamboo in the San Diego Botanical Garden.
The border beach between San Diego and Mexico.
After San Diego we made our way back into the desert. The desert due east of San Diego is called the Anza-Borrego Desert and has some wild and beautiful species of plants (they all do... I don't know why I keep repeating myself). I took well over 100 pictures here just as we were passing through and wish I could post all of them but that would overload the system unfortunately. The agave here were vivid electric-blue and the many shrubs and wild flowers were just beginning to bloom. I even found a scorpion under an old backpack. I wish I could travel around for the rest of my life exploring our planet Earth. Sigh...
A beaver tail cactus in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
The Anza-Borrego Desert. Note the electric-blue agave. They really were that blue.
A California Barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
The conclusion of our spring break lead us to Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, Arizona. Even though I have been to this park three times now I still find it fascinating. If out planet had aliens from another planet the saguaro has to be it. What is the evolutionary advantage of being 1000 times larger than your closest relative? What is the advantage of being 1000 times larger than any other plant in the Sonora Desert? They are aliens I am telling you. Well that about concludes my 2010 spring break. I hope you found it as enjoyable as I did. Okay my fingers hurt now. I guess I will call that one done.
Saguaro National Park.
When I'm riding my bike in my dreams, this is the road I imagine I am riding. Saguaro National Park.
Saguaro National Park.
This trip looks like it was just as awesome as you said it was! Great write up! You inspired me to go back and do a better write up on our trip to WA / OR :).
ReplyDeleteNick went to Joshua Tree on one of his CA trips; he's headed out to southern CA on monday again!