Spring in Pioneertown and Joshua Tree, April 2010
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 Lisa
and I continued along the Boy Scout Trail, connecting with the Willow Hole
Trail in Joshua Tree National Park on a beautiful April day, our relaxing
getaway during spring break. |
 And
what trip to Joshua Tree is complete without a little climbing? Lisa
found some time to relax on this exquisitely dome-shaped rock. |
 Stunning
panoramas of the Joshua Tree National Park. |
 A
human fly scales the rock in the Wonderland of Rocks, not far away from the
Boy Scout Trail in the park. |
 Climbing
around on the amazing moonscape of the Wonderland of Rocks, Joshua
Tree. |
 A
large tree manages to poke out of the otherworldly rock in the Wonderland of
Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park. |
 The
Joshua Tree raises its arms in prayer to the heavens in the Wonderland of
Rocks. |
 We
got back to the Desert Willow Ranch, relaxed for a bit, and walked over to
Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace to check out Spindrift, pictured
here, and Gram Rabbit.Spindrift's bass player had this unique double-necked Danelectro. I asked if it were custom. He mentioned that it was originally a six-string and a baritone guitar, but he remade the baritone part into a bass, creating a six-string / bass combination. |
 Gram
Rabbit at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace. |
 Gram
Rabbit get their groove on in Pioneertown. |
 11
April 2010 - Woke up rather late, eventually driving up to 29 Palms and then
through the park towards the South Entrance to meet up with the 10 Fwy east
of Palm Springs.But along the way we saw these amazing rock formations. |
 And
gorgeous yellow wildflowers. Lots of 'em. |
 And
more beautiful cactus blooms. Joshua Tree was bursting with flowers,
whole hillsides covered with flowers. April is definitely one of the
best times to go to to the desert, but with the extra rains this year, I
think it was extra special. |
 We
arrived at the naturally occurring garden of the teddy bear cactus plant, or
cholla cactus. These cactus grow in very specific environments, with
this particular area lying within the ecological transition zone between the
Mojave and Colorado deserts. |
 The
Cholla Gardens is densely packed with this unique plant. |
 But
if the cholla cactus is unique, the ocotillo is downright bizarre, straight
out of "Fantastic Planet" or a Dr. Seuss book. Ocotillo are leafless
most of the year, except immediately after rain. We were lucky to
catch them during this time. |
 A
towering fifteen foot Ocotillo plant, one of the strangest plants of the
Southwestern deserts. These particular Ocotillos were located just
south of the Cholla Gardens in Joshua Tree National Park, as we made our way
down the hill to the 10 Fwy. |
 Beautiful
yellow sunflowers decorated many of the hills of Joshua Tree National Park,
particularly near the South Entrance. |
 The
great windmills of the desert, between Cabazon and Palm Springs along the 10
Freeway, dwarfing the truck in the bottom right of the photo.After climbing around on rocks and seeing the cholla cactus, ocotillo, and wildflowers, we ate at the Blue Coyote Grill in Palm Springs, which serves delicious Southwestern cuisine. |
Spring in Pioneertown and Joshua Tree, April 2010
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