What's with the funny trees?

Yesterday Kevin and I decided to get up at 5:30am - a time that I normally only become acquainted with during the week for early-morning runs - to go rock climbing in Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree is about two hours Southeast of LA in the middle of the California desert and gets its name from the odd little trees that make their home in the area. It's beautiful and, plainly put, hot as hell.

My first visit to Joshua Tree was in the Summer of 2004 when I first arrived in Los Angeles. It was the first trip I had taken in California and proved to be a very rewarding one. When Kevin and I were first dating, I spoke to him about my first trip to Joshua Tree. I was going out of town that weekend and was giving him suggestions about what he could do while I was gone. "When you step out of the car in Joshua Tree," I explained, "your ears just open up to the silence and calm of the desert. You could hear a pin drop." I reminded him that it got really hot in the summer months and he should do it now before it got unbearable.

Six months later and we were finally making the trip - right in the heat of the July. The night before we spent a good two hours in Kevin's garage slightly intoxicated and behaving like children. First we unloaded the surf boards from the truck. Next we played with Kevin's mountain bike. Then we found the climbing gear. Kevin taught me about all the different carabiners, ropes, and belay devices. He showed be a water knot - a knot that is surprisingly simple, yet I'm supposed to expect it to hold my entire weight while dangling off of a cliff! I'm not yet convinced.

I was half asleep in bed the next morning when I heard the sprinklers going off outside. This is normally my 5am alarm, so I knew I only had another half an hour. The time past quickly as time normally does when one is fast asleep and slightly hungover. "You ready to drive for two hours," Kevin said. I didn't know I had driving duty, but I anticipated a great day trip and finally got myself out of bed.

Joshua tree is amazing, and the trees themselves are pretty fascinating. They are a monocotyledonous tree with large branches and greenish cluster spikes that grown in the Southwest. It's not a bad trip down I-10 and well worth it if you're into hiking, rock climbing, and camping. To first time visitors, the area can appear pretty stark and barren, but it is actually filled with a variety of wildlife and fascinating rock formations. You can find many books on the area - everything from road maps, to campsite information - at any local book store, REI, or even once you get to Joshua Tree. The Joshua Tree visitor center is open all year round from 8-5pm. Plan your trip and make sure to bring lots of water! For more information google "Joshua Tree" or check out some of these sites. http://www.joshua.tree.national-park.com/
http://www.joshuatreechamber.org/