 | What a day I picked to drive through the Mojave Desert!! Temperatures raged up to 118. This toilet sign is posted inside the stall door in the visitors station at the park entrance, the last proper toilet. It gives you a final warning before you enter the park. They’re not kidding. |
Because of the heat, we took a driving tour of Joshua Tree National Park instead of the planned hiking tour.
 | Joshua Tree’s rock formations look like they were placed there by a large invisible hand. |
 | The trees themselves look like Dr. Seuss’ Truffula trees. |
 | There is a killer view from the park, but it was pretty hazy. That’s me, blocking your view. |
Listening to U2’s album The Joshua Tree while driving through the area really gives you a beautiful soundtrack. The music really reflects the sense of large, open space and restlessness.
The cities a flood and our love turns to rust
We’re beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled in dust
I’ll show you a place high on a desert plain
Where the streets have no name
However, it is also interesting to drive through that barren, lonely landscape while listening to the Beach Boys. "Catch a Wave," played while looking at rocks and stubby trees, truly creates a grotesque juxtaposition of sight and sound. It makes you look at the desert through the eyes of the ocean.
Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.
When you go to Joshua Tree, try not to go in the middle of a heat wave. But if you must, it’s still worth the trip. Just get some good music queued up, and enjoy the drive.
The cities a flood and our love turns to rust
We’re beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled in dust
I’ll show you a place high on a desert plain
Where the streets have no name
However, it is also interesting to drive through that barren, lonely landscape while listening to the Beach Boys. "Catch a Wave," played while looking at rocks and stubby trees, truly creates a grotesque juxtaposition of sight and sound. It makes you look at the desert through the eyes of the ocean.
Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.
When you go to Joshua Tree, try not to go in the middle of a heat wave. But if you must, it’s still worth the trip. Just get some good music queued up, and enjoy the drive.