Last April I went out to Joshua Tree National Park for my birthday. My plan was to do some freehiking during the middle of the week when it was least busy. (Not illegal here but I always try not to surprise anyone.) Of particular interest were the wildflowers. Due to the drought, they were few and far between but the ones I found were nice. NSFW ahead! 😁
I started by doing a few miles on the California Riding and Hiking Trail. I do have a pack with water and necessities but I like to get it off as often as I can. It is, after all, just like a piece of clothing. Only had a few hours out as it was later in the afternoon.
On the next day, I thought I’d check a less used rock climbing area known as White Tank. I have gone freehiking out here before. A tank is a natural catchment of water in the rocks and there were two located here, White Tank and Hidden Tank. I didn’t see any water but suppose they could be empty because of the drought. This is a bit lower in elevation and is transitioning between the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert.


But wait… there’s more! Driving east on Amboy Road I encountered this:



Which is a large-scale replica of this:


If you are curious, go to Artnet and check it out!
October 16, 2022 at 20:35
Beautiful National park well shared your experience with excellent photos! 👌👌