Group Effort at the Gas Station

 I was driving through the more-or-less ghost town of Desert Center and couldn't resist stopping for a few photos. The town has a long and interesting history. It used to be much more photogenic, but a few years back a single individual bought the entire town and had a huge auction. All the old interesting artifacts were sold, including mining equipment, an old railroad caboose, signs, gas pumps... it's a long list. Much of what was photogenic is gone. It's like the soul has been ripped away from this little town. Rumor has it the current owner of Desert Center owns a trucking company and wants to use the acreage for truck storage, and perhaps a truck rest stop. What little is left is in decay and slowly being reclaimed by the desert.

Desert Center Trailer Park (or what's left of it). It looks like some old trailers are still in the park, but the area is all fenced off with clearly marked No Trespassing signs. I like the remains of the old sign. Looks like it's from the 50's or 60's. 

 

Screenshot from Google Maps inside the trailer park.

 

Desert Center Elementary School

 

 

Gas pump skeletons

 

"Downtown" Desert Center. In the foreground is the original gas station, open back in the day when someone would run out and pump your gas and wash your windows! "Can I check that oil for you, Mam??" The adjacent building looks like it was used for storage. Across the street is a tiny post office that looks like it is still open and operating. A google search tells me Desert Center has a current population of about 150 people, although I only saw a few people milling about. Also attached to the gas station (photo below) is the old cafe. I've never been able to figure out why Desert Center isn't thriving. It's right next to the 10 Freeway with easy access (Highway 177 exit) and no gas station or cafe for miles around. 

 

This old gas station is a little further from the main town but is easily accessed by a road that parallels the 10 Freeway. I like the look of it, and I made a mental note that it might be a candidate for a night photo.

Looking in the window of the gas staton. I won't be going in here at night!
 

Fast forward about 8 hours. It's about 8PM, I've completed a long hike and taken photos of petroglyphs under the stars (to be shared in a future post). I'm really tired and have a long drive home ahead of me. I pull the Jeep up in front of the station, take a look around, and decide nope, too tired and too much work to get a photo. Jump back in the Jeep, start to drive off, then stop. I have the distinct feeling I'll be sorry if I don't at least make an attempt at a photo. My camera is still mounted to the tripod. So I leave the Jeep idling, grab the camera, level the tripod, and point it in the general direction of the gas station. I don't focus... just estimate distance and adjust the focus ring. Too much work to use live view to compose the photo so I hope I'm pointing the camera in the right direction. I estimate camera settings and take the shot using my headlamp to light up the foreground. First attemp is totally underexposed. I decide to take a different approach. I notice the cars and big rigs wizzing by on the freeway, their headlights partially lighting up the gas station. It occurs to me I can use the lights from passing cars and trucks to expose the photo. Kind of a group effort! Of course, they will have no idea they are helping to make the photo. I adjust my camera settings: 20 second exposure, ISO 1600, f 3.2. First try, there is a bit of a lull in traffic and it's underexposed. Second try, a cluster of big rigs pass by and the photo is overexposed. Third try, I get lucky and it's just the right number of cars and trucks passing by to provide perfect lighting. Thanks everyone!

The bright light on the left is from headlights of eastbound traffic on the 10. I'm amazed that the stars are visible with so much light pollution from the freeway. I'm not sure how many cars passed by during my 20 second exposure. Maybe 20 or 30? Wish there was a way I could tell them "thanks for helping me make this photo!"

 

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for stopping by!!

End of an Era

 Remember the lonely call box along the side of a desolate highway? They were like a beacon of hope. You knew that if things got bad, it could serve as your lifeline to get help. I never had the occasion to use one (thankfully), but I did reference one on a regular basis.

For years, when we would hike out in the remote eastern end of Joshua Tree National Park, we would often meet at the "call box turnout". There are very few turnouts in this area, so finding one paved or semi-paved (where you won't get stuck in soft sand) is a big deal. When the location has a call box, it makes it even easier to identify. Added bonus: The call box has reflective material on it, making it easy to spot at night.

 

So imagine my surprise when I was driving by recently on my way to another remote hike when I noticed the call box turnout was missing its call box! Oh no!!

Yup, no call box. It used to be located near the end of the old asphalt, standing proud for all to see. I mentioned it to my friend Mark, who summed it up best: "I'll miss my headlamp picking up its reflection on those late nights hiking back to the car in the dark. It was sort of a friendly beacon, letting you know you made it back safely!"

 

From a local newspaper (Victorville Daily Press, July 22, 2025):

"The hundreds of iconic yellow call boxes that have lined freeways and highways for more than 35 years will soon be a memory in the rearview mirror as transportation officials have begun the process of removing the devices, which they say have been rendered obsolete by cell phones."

 

Yup, like wristwatches, alarm clocks, paper maps, landline phones, and a slew of other stuff that is now done on our phones, highway call boxes are officially obsolete! Not sure if this is something going on just in my neck of the woods or across the country, but it does seem inevitable. After I got over my shock, I got back in the Jeep and continued on to my next adventure. I passed by this old Joshua Tree National Park sign. It looks ancient, and the road where it's located looks almost hidden and rarely used. Sounds like the perfect spot for a future visit!

 

I wanted to hike up this wash because there are some pictographs at the entrance to the wash. There might be more further up the wash? Perhaps a long shot, but you never know. At the very least, I would enjoy hiking up a wash that looks to be seldom visited, and one I had never hiked before.

This tree appears to be barely surviving. I was impressed by the network of bare branches and roots. Very odd.

 

This Ocotillo tree didn't survive.

 

Due to recent rains, much of the area was green. This in spite of the fact that this is low desert and one of the hottest areas in Joshua tree. You must totally avoid this area during the summer months. On this day, there were areas (photo above) that felt like I was strolling in a park!

 

 

 

Tilted rock.

 

 

I didn't find any petroglyphs, although I barely scratched the surface of exploring the area. I did run across "O.A.O." scratched into a huge boulder. Probably some old miner working the area years ago.
 

Not too far away, more initials, dated January 1931. I wonder if MJD knew OAO?

 

 

There were some flowers to admire during my hike, even though it was late December. I've learned that many desert plants are forced to be opportunists, and will bloom whenever water is available, somehow knowing it could be many more months before the next rain.

 

I need to really hustle down the wash and back to my car. I'm meeting a couple friends for some night photography. Stay tuned, and thanks for dropping by!!

   

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PS: If you see a call box, stop and take a picture for the grandkids!

Smoke Trees in the Evening

 If you want to get close and personal with Smoke Trees, you need to spend time with them. Quality time. Bring a chair and get comfortable. Don't talk, just listen. Watch how their color and even personality seems to change from golden hour to sunset to night. After enjoying myself in Smoke Tree Wash during the late afternoon, I decided to spend more time with my newfound friends and enjoy the sunset and early stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used some of my favorite photos to put together this slide show. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Smoke Trees: The Ghosts of the Desert

 I know, it's definitely not a looker. But the Desert Smoke Tree (or Smoketree), Psorothamnus spinosis, is exquisitely adapted to its environment. For some strange reason, I'm drawn to it. It calls to me. Perhaps because it can thrive where few other plants can survive. And perhaps because it often looks desiccated and decimated, and few people give it a second look. To me, it's the quintessential desert plant. Consider this:

• Smoke Trees are extremely drought tolerant.
• They grow almost exclusively in dry, sandy washes that might get flooded with water from a rare desert thunderstorm once or twice a year (or less).
• For their seeds to sprout, the tough hard seed coat must be scarified (which happens when the seeds tumble and scrape along the sand and rocks in a desert wash). Without this scarificiation, the seeds will not sprout. It helps explain why Smoke Trees are found ONLY in desert washes.
• Once scarified, the seed will germinate and send a taproot downward in search of water. At this time, there is no above soil foliage or growth.
• If the taproot finds sufficient moisture, the Smoke Tree sapling begins to grow upward, establishing above ground foliage.
• It grows best where other plants can't survive: In decomposed granite and sandy soils that contain little organic material. A true desert survivor!

Above is a typical Smoke Trees in a desert wash in Joshua Tree National Park. If you are thinking it doesn't look like a tree, I would agree with you. If you're wondering if they are dead, the answer is no, this is just what they look like. Like I said, not a looker.

 

The first time I approached a Smoke Tree, I was surprised that all its branches ended in spines. Sharp spines! Best not to rub up against them.

 

The color of a Smoke Tree is hard to describe. Muted greens, dull orange, and silver, all on the same tree. Strange, ghostly colors that give the impression it dead or dying. Some say that from a distance it looks like rising smoke (hence the name). The trunk is often crooked, with branches going every which way, making the Smoke Tree about as wide as it is high. It's more bush-like than tree-like. And yet, prominent desert painters often include Smoke Trees in their paintings. To my eye, they perfectly evoke the solitude and loneliness of a classic desert landscape.

John Hilton: "The Breath of Spring"

 

John Hilton: "Mountain Landscape"

 

When the Smoke Tree blooms in early summer, it is covered with small, indigo-colored flowers (another name for a Smoke Tree is Indigo Bush). The display is impressive. Bees are highly attracted to the flowers. 

 (Photo credit: LakeHavisuCity.gov)
 

One of the best places to spend some quality time with Smoke Trees in Joshua Tree National Park is... yes, you guessed it... Smoke Tree Wash!

I walk quietly around the Smoke Trees in Smoke Tree Wash and enjoy the solitude. As the sun drops low on the horizon during golden hour, the Smoke Trees pick up the golden light beautifully and really put on a show. They look more like fire than smoke!

 

 

 

 

 

I think I'll hang around in Smoke Tree Wash for sunset and see what happens!!

  

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