Monday, March 30th ~ On the road again!
Joshua Tree ~ Mohave Desert
Tim and I decided rather spur of the moment to take off on a road trip. It also coincides with Spring Break for some schools, so we are not sure if things will be crowded or not, but off we go…
We had some business to attend to this morning in Rancho Cucamonga, so we did not really get on the road until early afternoon. We are headed toward Yosemite National Park, but wanted to take some less traveled roads.
Our route today was Highway 395 North to cut across the Mohave Desert up to Inyokum, then a slight jog on to 14 before taking 178 through Walker Pass, past Lake Isabella and overnight in Bakersfield.
The Mohave is huge and encompasses Death Valley, Las Vegas area, and Joshua Tree National Park. We are cutting across just a corner of the desert on this itinerary.
When I think of the Mohave, words like stark, desolate, hot, lonely, deserted, barren, all come to mind. And they are all accurate descriptions. But there is so much beauty to be found as well. There may be as many as 1,750 to 2,000 different species of plants in this desolate appearing landscape!
“The Mojave Desert’s boundaries are generally defined by the presence of Yucca brevifolia (Joshua trees), considered an indicator species for this desert.” ~ Wikipedia
Here is a sample of our pictures from our drive this afternoon.
A carpet of golden-yellow
The cactus is just starting to bloom
Mountains in the background
A hillside covered in Joshua Trees
A few of the Joshua Trees are in bloom
Caught the moon rising above the desert
Gratitude Moment: Today I am grateful for the opportunity to take another road trip with my sweetheart. Life is good!
A Note From Abroad 
We are planning to see more of the States now my hubby is retired but have not quite got the courage to hire a car and go for it. This region looks spectacular and you’ve got off the main tourist trails, which we’d love to do. What do you think if hiring a campervan over there?
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Hi Diana and welcome! First, congratulations on your latest novel. I’ve added you to my reading list. As to hiring a camper van – yes, I’m all for it. Keep in mind that we drive on the opposite side of the road from the UK, but if you are comfortable with that, we have some AMAZING National Parks to explore, a huge country filled with extreme diversity in every nook, and still a lot of open space if you are looking to lose yourself at times. Tim and I are in the process of trying to find a small RV ourselves so we can hit the road more often. I wrote a few posts last year about our 30 day cross country trip you might find of interest. That trip starts with this post: https://anotefromabroad.com/2014/09/19/boston-beantown-the-hub-the-athens-of-america-the-city-on-a-hill/
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Must read this out to my hubby. Sounds so exciting. I’ll browse through your posts when we can sit and look at them together. As to reading my latest that would be great – I’d love to find readers in the USA. Many thanks Diana
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Ah the Mohave desert is somewhere I’d really love to explore! It looks great!
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Emily, it is wild and untamed. It also hold a secret hidden beauty that if you slow down and take your time will reveal itself to you.
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Sounds very tempting! I’ll have to plan a trip soon!
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I lived for many years in Carson City, Nevada, and went to the Mojave Desert often. Like you, I always found incredible beauty in its barrenness. Thank you for featuring it.
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I wonder just how often we zip right past something incredible simply because we did not take the time to simply sit a few minutes and observe. There is so much beauty out there if we keep our eyes and heart open, even in unlikely places.
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Beautiful images and trip. Makes me want to get in the car and just keep driving.
Happy Trails
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Thanks, and that sounds like a great idea to me!
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Joanne – Enjoying your posts. You are probably in Yosemite by now and having a great road trip. We used to live just outside of Yosemite and of course, I was a frequent visitor/photographer. It’s a wonderful place to be! I assume you couldn’t use Highway 120 from 395 to enter the park since Tioga hasn’t opened yet. Tioga Pass is the most beautiful way to get to Yosemite IMHO. Whichever way you enter – have a great trip and stay in the valley.
As an aside, Highway 395 from Bishop, Ca all the way to the Canadian border is a great road trip. Lots of interesting scenery, artifacts (e.g. the shoe tree in Nevada), and many photo ops all the way through California, Oregon, and Washington.
Looking forward to your next post about Yosemite.
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Hello Jo! Thank you so much for the tip on the Tioga Pass and 395 on North. That sounds like a wonderful excursion to put on my list. We are currently trying to find a small, used motor home for just that type of trip. We had a lovely day at Yosemite today even though the lighting was less than ideal for photos. Hoping tomorrow will be better. We would like to walk over to Mirror lake for some shots if the conditions improve. But if not, just being here is a treat.
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I just ove Joshua trees. I have always wanted to catch them in the snow. The trees have such interesting shapes and personalities. Great photos.
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Oh, I love that idea of trying to photograph them in the snow! Thank you for the suggestion!
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Love the photos and the desert! Sounds like a nice trip!
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It was just the beginning of a wonderful week.
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I live in AZ and it amazes me how much color there is everywhere when spring comes around. The Joshua trees are always so funky looking… enjoy the travels
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There is much to see in the desert and I especially enjoy the springtime when the cactus are in bloom.
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