Road Trip Day 19 - Monday, 13th May, 2019

In the morning, I headed north back across Joshua Tree as I had to retrace my drive about 50 miles to get back to R66 at Amboys, once again crossing the salt lake and lava flows.  

Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens

Joshua Tree NM straddles two distinct desert zones - the Colorado, part of the Sonoran Desert that stretches south into Mexico, and the Mojave, that stretches north to Utah. The Colorado is hotter and lower than the Mojave. They have distinctive vegetation and geology. The dominant species in the Colorado are Ocotillo and Yucca schidigera. Here you will also find Cholla, a lethally spiny cactus which comes with posted health warnings in the Cholla Garden.

Yucca schidigera distinguished by the filaments on the leaves. They were still in flower.

Teddy-bear cholla Cylindopuntia bigelovii

 

Desert willow Chilopsis linearis

This plant grew at the side of road in pure sand. It had a sweet, sickly smell which attracted myriad insects. 

Desert milkweed Asclepias erosa

The transition between the Colorado and Mojave deserts is clear - once its been pointed out!

The Colorado is to the right; the Mojave to the left, where the rocks become fractured.

Rock formations typical of the Mojave

Looking north towards the Mojave from the transition zone in the Colorado. 

Joshua Tree Yucca brevifolia

The most obvious change is the appearance of the eponymous Joshua Tree, another type of Yucca. They had finished flowering and were forming large seedpods. They were named by the early Mormon missionaries for Joshua in the bible, holding his hands up in prayer. 

Much of the Reserve is designated Wilderness area, which means there is no human interference at all.  This is a view looking north -east across this wilderness area.

The town of Joshua Tree is just outside. The medians are planted with various cacti and other indigenous plants, as are the yards of houses. This is a beaver tail cactus Opuntia basilaris.

When taking the next picture, I noticed that a desert kangaroo rat was hiding at the base of the plant. You can just see his foot sticking out form behind the flower.

This one is for Emma. The rider of this splendid Harley was having as much trouble as I was getting the gas pumps to operate!

Driving back to Amboys, I noticed this camouflaged communications relay. Good to see that public utilities have a sense of humour, or aesthetic!

A closer view of the volcanic cone, which is a National Monument. It was formed only 10,000 years ago, which is fairly recent in geological terms. It is on the edge of the "ring of fire", of which the San Andreas fault, about 100 miles west, forms a part. 

Lava flow

I rejoined 66 just west of Amboys. This architecturally interesting cafe is at Ludlow, a few miles north-west. Outside are old mining carts, the kind that feature in films, usually running away along underground rail-tracks.



I have never seen the film "Bagdad Cafe", made in 1989. It won a number of awards in Europe and the US. The site of the original Bagdad Cafe is now no more than a tree, according to the EZ Guide, the town disappearing with the bypassing of 66 by I40 in 1973. The current building in Newberry Springs was the former Sidewinder Cafe, where the movie was filmed, subsequently renamed.  Its popularity in Europe explains the number of European signatories in the visitors' book and the crowds of young European tourists.

Evidence of the popularity of this cult destination

European visitors leave their currency pinned
 to the walls.

Although there is very little industry out here, there are power stations punctuating the desert.

Anther one for Emma. On our first family trip to Vegas, many years ago, we went to the Calico Ghost Town. There were a number of large crosses on the hill behind it and Emma insisted "Look its a Graaaave!". Apparently she and her brother Pete also went to buy marbles, but didn't know about sales tax, which is never included in the price displayed (unlike VAT), and didn't have enough money. The shopkeeper, charmed by their cute British accents, handed them over anyway!

Barstow is a town at a crossroads, firstly of the railroads but also of I15, which runs north-east to Las Vegas and south-west to Los Angeles, and I40, which ends here. It is a bustling town, split in half by the Highways, with a number of old 66 motels still going strong.

This statue is a close copy of Frederick Remington's "End of the Trail".

Decided it was the end of the trail for me for the day, so I stayed the night in Barstow.