First time we've ever been parked right next to a Joshua Tree. Nice campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Absolutely beautiful clear day. We took a drive in the park that took us nearly a mile high and we could see across the Salton Sea all the way to the mountains on the Mexico border.
This is a beautiful park where the Sonoran and Mohave deserts meet, where you can see Pinon pines, Joshua trees and Yuccas together among huge granite boulders.
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Find Waldo in this picture to get a feel for the vastness.
We also hiked in Palm Canyon just outside of Palm Springs. Gorgeous, enormous Washingtonian Fan Palms. This was incredibly beautiful and very humid and rainforest-like. (Thanks Cousin Jeff for pointing us in this direction.)
Oh yes, my Cousin Jeff... Actually my first cousin once removed. His dad Dan is my cousin. Jeff renovates houses and showed us some of his work in Palm Springs...what a trip! We had the best time with Jeff, Dan, Jim and Nancy at their house with the Chandelier That Ate the Living Room. Here's a look at a current project - I'll just leave that caption-less for you to wonder why he has those huge rocks in this room...
