Joshua Tree Parkway — Image by kenne
The sun spills gold across the valley.
The Joshua trees throw shadows
over stone and sand,
each one a strange monument
to survival.
A cloud drifts over the mountains.
The light changes.
For a moment the desert looks painted,
as though some wandering artist
mixed dust and sunlight together
and called it home.
Joshua Trees In Arizona — Image by kenne
THE JOSHUA TREE HAS AN AVERAGE LIFE SPAN OF 150 TO 200 YEARS
AND IS ONLY FOUND IN THE MOJAVE DESERT
When Mormon settlers first saw the plant they dubbed the “Joshua tree,” it reminded them of the bushy-bearded biblical leader.
When Territorial Governor John C. Frémont saw it during an 1844 trek through the Mohave Desert and they are plentiful along
U.S. Route 93 from Wikieup to Wickenburg. The drive, which is familiar to us having many a trip from Tucson to Las Vegas.
