Joshua Tree, Joshua TreeNational Park

Joshua Tree, Joshua TreeNational Park, originally uploaded by SoLostAndFound / Bill Lindsay.

You can't go to Joshua Tree and not post a pic of a Joshua Tree.

From Wikipedia
The Joshua tree or Yucca palm or Tree yucca or Palm tree yucca[1][2][3] (Yucca brevifolia) is a monocotyledonous tree native to southwestern North America, in the states of California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 400-1,800 m (2,000-6,000 feet), they thrive in the open grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park. There are two subspecies,[4] including Yucca brevifolia ssp.jaegeriana Jaeger Joshua tree or Jaeger's Joshua tree[5] or Pygmae Yucca.[6] Other subspecies have been proposed but rejected by botanists, including one reduced to a form, Yucca brevifolia fa. herbertii Webber´s Yucca or Herbert Joshua

The Cahuilla Native Americans who have lived in the southwestern United States for generations still identify with this plant as a valuable resource and call it “hunuvat chiy’a” or “humwichawa”. Their ancestors used the leaves of Y. brevifolia to weave sandals and baskets in addition to harvesting the seeds and flower buds for nutritious meals.

The name Joshua tree was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer. Ranchers and miners who were contemporary with the LDS immigrants also took advantage of the Y. brevifolia using the trunks and branches as fencing and for fuel for ore-processing steam engines. Its is also called Izote de desierto.[9]

No Swimming, Joshua Tree National Park

No Swimming, Joshua Tree National Park, originally uploaded by SoLostAndFound / Bill Lindsay.

This is on the hike to the dam. This was really funny to me, but there are signs that the water does get out this far. It gets to be a good size lake based on the pics that I have found from others on flickr.

Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture:	f/11
Focal Length:	18 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV

Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California, originally uploaded by SoLostAndFound / Bill Lindsay.

Joshua Tree is a new favorite. I went there when I was up in Yucca Valley to see some of the folks I call on up there. They were in a meeting and rather then drive down, I went to see the park. This will take a few days to post.

First up, Barker Dam.

Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture:	f/11
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	400
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Picnic Table, Wiley Well Campground, CA

Picnic Table, Wiley Well Campground, CA, originally uploaded by SoLostAndFound / Bill Lindsay.

I have a big territory now for work. I sometimes have to drive to Blythe and then on to Needles. It is about 4 hours to Needles from where I live in Riverside. I call on a prison just before you get to Blythe, and there is a dirt road that goes past the prison out into the desert.

I have read that some of the best geode collections sites are out that way. So as I got off the freeway, it was threatening to rain. I thought that I could frame up a cool picture of the clouds in the desert, and I found this campground. I don't know what it is that I find so appealing, but there was a sense of the 50's here. It was empty, it almost felt like one of the abandoned buildings that I can not seem to resist photographing. It felt like I had stepped backward a little bit in time and these are the images that I took there.

Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture:	f/3.5
Focal Length:	21 mm
ISO Speed:	400
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Just Below Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California, originally uploaded by SoLostAndFound / Bill Lindsay.

Just below the dam, you would never guess you were in Joshua Tree and the desert. Wait until I post Big Morongo Canyon Reserve. You will be surprised that the desert can be so lush. These are watering areas for the cattle and sheep that were brought up here. When it rains, the dam can get a real little lake going.



Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture:	f/11
Focal Length:	18 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV