Joshua Tree National Park

When the day is free, and the winter chill is no where to be seen, the best place to be is somewhere in nature. 

January 15th 2018 was a free national park day, and for nature enthusiasts like ourselves, Neil and I felt like it was the perfect day to explore Joshua Tree National Park. I had never been, and wasn't even sure what a Joshua Tree was, but I've heard great things about the open space and colors. So we needed to see for ourselves...

For the most part, it looked like this.... (look at that blue sky!)

But there were tons and tons of rocks to climb... 

To get great views like this.... 

And there were so many Joshua Trees...

This is a Joshua Tree

Joshua Trees are actually not trees, they are a type of Yucca, and a part of the agave plant family. They are the largest Yuccas, reaching a height of 15 to 40 feet. That's just tall... 

Super tall...

While we were there to see the Joshua trees... we got a little distracted... 

...a raven!

by Ravens flying to Joshua tree tops... 

You can encounter a raven every day, and it's still a magical experience. 

Though it wasn't just Ravens that caught our attention... Jackrabbits were around too!

And we also got up close and personal with a Cactus wren... 

Or maybe two...

While we were more interested in the birds and wildlife - the landscape is something not to overlook... 

It's the perfect playground...

or it might be the perfect place to do your next men's clothing photo shoot

Joshua Tree National Park is split into two sides, a north and a south. We primarily stayed on the north side where the Joshua Trees were. But the south side is still quite beautiful, littered with Cholla Cacti.  

We spent the entire time playing rather than doing any plein-air drawing or sketching. But I did manage to create an oil pastel sketch of Joshua Tree National Park, for my daily drawing.

Joshua Tree National Park is located right outside Palm Springs, California. It is where two deserts merge together, the Mohave and the Colorado. It is open all year, and the visitor center has some great information about where to hike, camp or drive. It is definitely worth a trip if you are in the neighborhood. 

Photos were taken by Neil Rizos and myself.