Cholla Cactus Garden

 Cholla are probably the most bad-ass cactus in Joshua Tree National Park. The cholla species found at the Cholla Cactus Garden is Cylindropuntia bigelovii, also called teddybear cholla or jumping cholla, and it's particularly nasty. And so that you don't sound like a tourist, you should know the Ls are silent. Jumping cholla is the perfect name (teddybear cholla not so much): You can be walking along minding your own business and somehow these cholla mange to jump and stick to you! The spines are needle sharp and barbed at the end. They hurt like heck going in, and they hurt even more coming out. It's hard and painful to pull them out of your skin because of the back-angled barbs.

These nasty needle balls litter the ground around the cholla plants and are what jump on you when you're not looking. This one literally jumped on to the side of my shoe. Lucky I had some plyers with me, anticipating that these little buggers were going to give me trouble. I managed to pull the ball off my shoe (with difficulty), but a bunch of spines were left behind with their little harpoons sticking into my shoe. After about 10-15 minutes I was able to pull out most (but not all) of the barbs.

 

This poor guy seems to have come in contact with a cholla. Kind of looks like a golf bag on the left. It would have been very bad judgement to go after a golf ball under a cholla bush! Not my photo, and not sure who to give credit to, but it's a good photo to illustrate the consequences of bumping into a cholla, and good luck pulling out all the barbed spines!!

 

Photo credit: Katiewanders.com

 

So when Mitch suggested the Cholla Cactus Garden as a location for our next nighttime Milky Way photo shoot, I had serious doubts. I had visions of the guy in the photo. Even with a head lamp, I figured we would end up being human pin cushions! 

 

The Cholla Cactus Garden is an amazing place. In most parts of the park, they grow as solitary plants or sometimes in small clumps. Here they are like a thick forest, so dense in some areas that it's impossible to walk through them, and you'd be stupid to try. It's a wonderful location for sunrise photography, but sunsets aren't too bad either.

 

Some cholla grow 8-10' in height.

 

 

Cholla Garden sunset.

 

Mitch, trying to stay cool, contemplating the cholla, and waiting for the Milky Way.

 

A pretty sky over the Cholla Cactus Garden.

 

Now we have time to kill while we wait for the sky to get dark and the Milky Way to rise.

Join me next week to see if we get jumped by the cholla and survive the dreaded cholla spines, while trying to get a photo of the Milky Way!

 

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

The Conversation

 Here's something completely different from my usual posts of desert landscapes. It was one of those photos that popped up saying "on this day in 2015." I remember being with a group of colleagues from work, eating dinner at a beautiful beachside restaurant located right on the sand. The sky really caught my attention, as did the man on the beach, and most of all, the silhouette of this elderly couple who seemed to be totally enthralled with each others company, as if no one else in the world existed. They didn't even notice me standing next to their table taking this photo!

This was taken during my Hipstamatic phase. Hipstamatic is a phone app that mimics the look of a vintage film camera. It allows you to choose a lens and film, and it modifes the image accordingly. Super fun and very creative. I used a B&W "film" for this photo. I don't recall which lens I selected.

 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Twin Tanks Revisited

 These days, probably 95% of the people stopping at the Twin Tanks parking lot in Joshua Tree National Park are there to catch the short trail over to the White Tank area to see Heart Rock or Arch Rock. Both have become major tourist destinations and their photos are plastered all over Instagram. Another 2-3% are backpackers who are there to catch the California Riding and Hiking Trail and spend a few nights in the park. The last couple percent are the crazies who wander off-trail to explore the backcountry in hopes of seeing things rarely seen by others and enjoy the solitude of pristine desert spaces. I fit in the last category.

If you use the search bar on this blog to search "Twin Tanks", your going to see a handful of posts. I've hiked Twin Tanks a number of times over the years. My first hike was back in 2017. I remember talking to my friend Pat Tillett before going on the hike. He warned me that the washes in the backcountry are numerous and criss-crossing, and very easy to get turned around. Pat has always been a reliable and trusted source of information, so I took extra precautions, including extra GPS points and even leaving some stone markers (like Hansel & Gretel's trail of breadcrumbs😆) to help me find my way back. 

The last time I hiked Twin Tanks was in Oct. of 2022. So a couple months ago when Mitch and I were scratching our heads over where to hike, I suggested Twin Tanks. It had been almost two years since I last hiked the area. Also, it had rained a couple weeks prior, and Twin Tanks has some natural "tanks" (areas that catch and hold rain water). With any luck, we might find some small puddle areas, which is a real treat in the desert. Mitch liked the idea, so off we went!

And yes, it wasn't long before we came across some shallow puddles of water. Some would call this a tinaja, which translates to a pocket or pothole that catches water after a rain. They can be an important source of water for desert dwellers.

 

This is one of the two "tanks" at Twin Tanks. It a man-made tank (what I would call a dam) and was built many years ago by ranchers. Both tanks have slowly filled in with sand and don't hold much water anymore. However, both tanks have natural tanks just downstream that still hold quite a bit of water, at least by desert standards. They are in the shade, formed out of granite, and hold water for quite a while.

 

A natural tank just below the dam (or man-made tank).

 

Another small natural tank.

 

Another treat for the intrepid backcountry explorer in the Twin Tanks area are the mysterious white quartz boulders. Jutting up from a rocky hillside and surrounded by tan colored granite are these ultra-white quartz boulders. They really stick out and appear as if they don't belong here, like some alien beings brought them in from another planet! Photos don't do them justice... they must be experienced in person.

 

 

Some of the white quartz boulders have tumbled down the hill.

 

The second of the twin tanks. The stone dam at the top of the photo is the man-made tank, and is a little larger than Twin Tank #1. Below it are two natural tanks.

This natural tank holds water for quite a while because it's deep and shaded. No doubt the Native Americans knew this spot well. Look closely at the boulder on the right side of the dryfall. Those little round etched markings are called cupules or cupstones. They are thought to be very ancient. Some Native American groups used them as "rain rocks" to control the weather. They would pound the cupules to induce rainfall.

Reflection off the water (something you don't see often in the desert!). Photo credit: M. Miller.

 

A strange rock pedestal. I tried climbing it...

 

...nope, not gonna happen!

 

The Twin Tanks area, probably because of seasonal availability of water in the "tanks" after a rain, seems to have been favored by Native Amercans. It's one of the reasons I love exploring this area. It took me two or three attempts before I found the petroglyphs (below). And I'm sure there's a lot more waiting to be discovered!

Thanks for dropping by!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Joshua Tree on a Cloudy Day

 I really love the summer monsoon skies in the desert and I'm always hoping to see more. You have to be careful what you wish for, as monsoon rains can be intense and destructive. Flash flooding is not uncommon, and we've had flash floods already this year. But monsoon clouds make for amazing and dramatic skies and fun Skywatch posts! Here are a few of my favorites from two summers ago.

These skies are from two summers ago.

 

As seen from Park Blvd., the main road passing through NW Joshua Tree.

 

Monochrome and cropped version of previous photo.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and keep looking up!

Liking with Skywatch Friday.

Orange County Fair

 My friend Mitch talked me into going. Something about "Where else can we see giant corn on the cob and eat bacon-wrapped donuts and funnel cake??" He had entered some photos into the competition and was anxious to check out the winning entries. We were also looking forward to seeing a Talking Heads cover band later in the evening (which we really enjoyed!). Here's some Talking Heads to enjoy while you check out my photos: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=KMXNiw4H6qA.

The OC Fair had all the usual stuff, like really yummy BBQed corn...

 

Fun to see animals (people couldn't get enough of the baby pigs!)...

 

 

And all manner of decadent food. I don't recall exactly what Mitch is eating here, but I do recall he really enjoyed it!

 

But one thing I don't remember seeing during past visits to the fair was this huge display of album art. It was really fun to see, and walk around visiting some of my musical heroes! Below is a small sample.

Hi George!

 

I got to visit with Frank!

 

Keith looking gnarly as ever!

 

The always elegant David Bowie.

 

A wonderful portrait of Jimi

 

Michael Jackson's mysterious eyes!

 

I got to walk across Abby Road with the Beatles!

 

And even play a giant Stratocaster!

 

We had a wonderful time. Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.