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Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park - Day Two
Museums & Joshua Tree National Park
2-Day Getaway by Connie Young
Editor's Note: In Day One of a girlfriend getaway, Connie
Young and Debbie Stock drove from Orange County, California to
Palm Springs. You can see the photographs and read
about their visit to this popular desert destination located 90 minutes to two
hours from Los Angeles...> Day One
DAY TWO
We awoke to a bright sunny morning with a temperature that hovered in the low
70's. Our hotel served a continental breakfast by the pool and it looked as if
some guests were going to make a morning of it as they sipped coffee and talked,
dipped their toes in the water or just relaxed with a book. We had bigger plans.
MUSEUM
Our first stop was the Palm Springs Art Museum & Annenberg Theater, just 2
blocks west of Palm Canyon Drive on Tahquitz Canyon Way. Open every day except
Mondays and major holidays, the museum and sculpture gardens house an impressive
permanent collection of paintings, sculptures and works on paper by well-known
artists from the early modernists to the contemporary. In addition, visiting
exhibits offer an impressive perspective on all mediums and historical periods.
The museum charges different entrance fees based on age, but is free to everyone
every Thursday from 4-8 p.m.
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
The second destination for the day was to visit
Joshua Tree National Park. If
you live in southern California you've no doubt heard of this desert preserve.
I've wanted to go there for years. My dad took his Boy Scout troop camping there
year after year. I guessed there had to be something worthwhile to see and
because California had plentiful rain this Spring, maybe we'd even spot desert
flowers.
Indian Avenue out of Palm Springs takes you right into Highway 62 (Twentynine
Palms Highway) leading straight to the North Entrance Station of Joshua Tree
National Park. There is an entrance fee of $15 per vehicle, good for seven
consecutive days. Visitors can purchase various national park passes good for
Joshua Tree and other parks in the U.S.
Joshua Tree dates back to its designation as a National Monument in 1936. Since,
the area was designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1984 and a National Park in 1994,
encompassing 794,000 acres. The park's website can be accessed at www.nps.gov/jotr.
Its namesake, Joshua tree, is an odd looking twisted, spiky tree with bursts of
tough leaves sprouting from bulbous branch ends. In the Spring, white flowers
emerge while temperatures are still quite comfortable. The tallest tree in the
park is 40 feet high and estimated to be about 300 years old.
Once inside, it's a whole new world of diverse landscape, nature trails and
hiking trails of varying distances for all fitness levels (even wheelchair
accessible), rock piles to climb or just photograph, picnic areas tucked among
the picturesque boulders and Joshuas. Wildlife spotting includes bighorn sheep,
mountain lions (glad we didn't see any), desert tortoises and mule deer and
birds such as quail, great horned owls, jays and road runners (sorry we didn't
see any of these comical runners). It's simply endless scenery of desert
landscape and bony hills.
Parking is plentiful and clean restrooms add to its total enjoyment. There are
17 campgrounds and I only wish we had planned to rough it with an overnight
because Ranger programs offer evening campground talks and star parties. I can
only imagine the show of stars each night judging by the pristine blue sky
overhead during our day visit.
The main road slices through the park top to bottom, exiting on Interstate 10
just pass the Cottonwood Visitors Center. Numerous observation points, turn-outs
and parking lots enabled everyone to stop and inhale this beautiful place. One
day is not enough to enjoy Joshua Tree's spectacular desert treasure. Without
hesitation, we'll be back for sure.
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