Joshua Tree National Park
A drive through Joshua Tree National Park might take a couple hours, viewing the park from the road. An exploration of the park would take a lifetime. Joshua Tree National Park has over 550,000 acres of wilderness filled with a variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Every now and then, man intrudes in this wilderness and leaves his brief, passing mark among the surreal geologic features that cover the landscape. Let’s go see what we can find.
Abandoned Mine Trek, Pt. 1 - Joshua Tree National Park
Gold mining in the area we now call Joshua Tree National Park began in the 1870s. All those crazy rock formations, some of them have quartz veins. Sometimes those quartz veins contained gold. Woot!
Hexahedron Mine - Joshua Tree National Park
…and headed east into Fried Liver Wash. After about 100 yards, I went back to the truck and got some more water. I'd be glad later that I did.
Stone Ruins in Fried Liver Wash - Joshua Tree National Park
Ok, what I want to know is, who came up with the name "Fried Liver" wash and why? Was it some old prospector wandering down the wash, dreaming of his favorite meal?
Geology Tour Road, Revisited - Joshua Tree National Park
I can remember traveling along the bumpy road in a Dodge Dart, stopping at the points indicated while someone read the description of what we were looking at.
Samuelson’s Rocks - Joshua Tree National Park
Chances are good that most visitors to Joshua Tree National Park have never seen them, let alone even know they exist. And of those who do set out to find this elusive and evocative site, many of them never return.