A wonderful Joshua tree specimen!

Today we began our drive back east! We left Twentynine Palms, California and drove six hours to Tuscon, Arizona where we will be spending a few days checking out the cool things around the area. We are both looking forward to visiting Seguaro National Park tomorrow.

Before we left California, we took the time to see the parts of Joshua Tree National Park that we missed yesterday (mainly the Colorado Desert portion). As we drove southeast, the Joshua trees became more and more sparse until they disappeared completely. The scenery became a lot less interesting and was dominated by fried-liver colored dirt (the area is actually named “Fried Liver Wash”) and sparse dead-looking shrubs.

The most interesting part by far was the Cholla Garden, a vast area of desert dominated by cholla cacti, specifically the teddy bear cholla. Despite it’s cuddly appearance, the teddy bear cholla is a manifestation of needle-sharp evilness. There are multiple signs warning visitors to avoid even brushing against the plants. The spines have microscopic barbs that grab on and quickly burrow into flesh causing lots of pain. Fun, right? I’m happy to say that Billy and I made it through without any thorny incidents.

The chollas are dark on the bottom and light on top. Isn’t this garden inviting?

Look how cuddly! Makes you just want to run up and hug it, doesn’t it?

Spot the lizard!

The ride to Arizona was pretty uneventful. The high point was our first glimpses of saguaro cacti growing next to the highway and on the hills. They are as plentiful as trees in places and have lots of personality. Some with two arms looked like they wanted a hug. Maybe tomorrow. Stay tuned!