Deserts

[Image description: a sculpture made of a black VW bug with mandibles, held ~15 feet in the air by long spider legs. A palm tree and various cactai are planted around the spider bug, and on the building in the background is a sign "Hole in the Wall"]

[Image description: a tall, many branched ocotillo in a sandy area. The branches spread from the base of the plant and have spines and small leaves along their length. At the tips of the branches are bright red flowers.]

Just awful to think of all those Joshua trees burning. Like so many desert plants, they are incredibly slow growing and need just the right conditions to spread. With climate change, I doubt many of these areas will ever return to the same ecosystems.

I sadly never got to see the original shoe tree, but the tradition has been carried on, and I wrote a note on an old pair of Vans and tossed my contribution up. Though beware, after tossing I looked down at the pile of old shoes and saw a snake starting to move under one layer directly beneath my feet!

[Image description: a tree with dozens of pairs of shoes hung from the trunk and branches, with more piled in a small gulley at the base of the tree.]

[Image description: a sunset with deep orange clouds and a light blue sky, in the foreground is a leaning joshua tree next to a dirt road, in the background are scattered houses in front of a low hill.]

[Image description: an oval hole through a reddish tan sandstone hill, large enough for several people to sit within. Through the hole, greenery and buildings of Phoenix are visible, as well as a distant mountain range.]

Seen where PCT crosses the San Felipe Valley

[Image description: a spiked agave plant with a long unfolding flower stalk, still bent over into a spiral curl. Other cactai and shrubs are seen around it, with a valley and mountain in the background.]

[Image description: an old square timber structure in a desert valley. The structure has an angled interior, and four slots with metal doors on levers, to dispense ore back when it was in use. The wood is dark with moisture from overnight rains.]

[Image description: a desert landscape, with shrubs and numerous cholla cactai, which are bulbous and fuzzy with tiny barbed spines. The sky is filled with fuffy cumulous clouds, and scattered rain bursts are visible in the distance.]

[Image description: a rusted truck, stood upright half buried in the ground, graffitied with black and white portraits and a colorful cartoon owl. Other similarly positioned and painted cars are seen in the background.]

[Image description: a twisted tree in a canyon with cliff walls. The dense feathery branches of the tree are tan near the main trunks and grade to a green-grey at the edges. The tree is backlit, making it almost appear to glow.]

I always try to find a shady parking space whenever I need to park for awhile. I have a steering wheel cover, which is a lifesaver. Sometimes I think about getting one of those boards you put on the windshield, or even a full reflective car cover, but I'm not sure if that would be worth it.

I also tend to worry that parking in the sun is bad for my car battery (I have an EV.) Are there any grounds for that worry?

[Image description: photo taken from a small airplane, the view is of an eroded mesa composed of layers of reddish rock, with a prominent white layer midway. The flat top of the mesa is green with vegetation, while the valley floor below is arid and red.]

Despite a strong desire, no tortoises were pet/touched that day.

[Image description: a desert tortoise in a rocky area with a little squirreltail (fluffy red-tipped stalks) grass.]

[Image description: photo taken from an elevated location, with a view of a nearby hillside composed of layers of red and white rock. Normal looking hills with desert shrubbery are visible in the background.]

[Image description: a large natural sandstone arch. The sandstone of the arch is a tan orange, while hills in the background are composed of layers of red and white sandstone.]

[Image description: foreground is a pile of hundreds of rusted tin cans and other debris including broken bottles and a mattress spring. Background is a low cliff of white rock with wooden doors fitted into carved openings.]

[Image description: ridge of a sand dune at sunset, a shadowed mountain in the background. Numerous footprints along the dune ridge, with wind ripples in the undisturbed sand.]

[Image description: a small stream channel leading into the Salton Sea. The shore edge is just salty grey soil with no plant life, and mountains are visible on the other side of the sea.]

Found this fella by the side of the road in Joshua Tree National Park. Can't imagine how old it is to be so tall and thick.

[Image description: an approximately 15-20 foot tall joshua tree, its trunk is straight and doesn't fork until about halfway up the height of the tree, above which are many branches, giving it a classic "tree" shape.]

The fault brings spring water to the surface, which supports this little oasis.

[Image description: clusters of palms in a line along the base of hills]