Tincan Travels Too
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  • Chicago and Beyond
  • How the West Was Won
  • Devils Tower to Little Bighorn
  • A River Runs Through It
  • Random Western Views
  • Majestic Mount Rainier
  • Trees of the Great Northwest
  • Hiking Mt. Rainer
  • Random Rainier
  • Strictly Seattle
  • Dungeness Spit and Beyond
  • Waterfalls, Creeks, Deep Forest Glacial Lakes and Family
  • The Great Green
  • Rainforest Rivers and Beaches
  • From Rialto Beach to Cape Flattery
  • A Walk On The Beach
  • Weekend in Westport, Washington
  • Disappointment Awaits
  • The Forest Smells Like Autumn
  • Looking For One-Eyed Willie in Astoria, Oregon
  • The North Oregon Coast
  • Four Days in Portlandia
  • Columbia Gorge to Mt. Hood
  • Waterfalls Walks and the Fruit Loop
  • Around the Bend in LaPine
  • Down Deep at Crater Lake
  • A Birthday Weekend in Chicago
  • Oregon South Coast
  • California Coastal Redwoods
  • Rain and Redwoods
  • Old Friends and San Francisco
  • A Day at Lake Tahoe
  • Mono Lake Magic
  • The Road Ahead
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Gold Mine Gone Bust Bodie, CA
  • Manzanar
  • Owens Lake- Dust Mitigation Project
  • Relaxing in the Alabama Hills
  • Death Valley Daze
  • Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
  • Snow Canyon
  • Canyons Calling
  • We Remember Zion
  • Lower Antelope Canyon-Where the Light Gets In
  • Into the Mystic
  • Looking for the sun in McDowell Mt. Regional Park
  • A Week in the Country-Sedona pt. 2
  • Ancient Arizona
  • Chicago Holiday
  • Back in Time: Tucson
  • Usery Regional Park
  • California or Bust
  • Exploring Joshua Tree National Park
  • Exploring Joshua Tree - Mojave Desert
  • A Week in the Desert
  • Here we are in San Diego
  • Solidarity in San Diego
  • Here We Are In San Diego, Part 2
  • SoCal Sojourn
  • Los Angeles to Dana Point
  • Our Last Days In California
  • On the Borderline-Lake Havasu
  • Superstition Mountains
  • Sedona Redux
  • How green is my desert?
  • World of sound
  • More Desert Love
  • A Quick Stop and a Hike
  • Patagonia Lake State Park, AZ
  • Around the Big Bend
  • Continuing Around the Big Bend
  • Last Look Around the Big Bend
  • West Texas Addendum
  • Hatch, New Mexico
  • Silver City Respite
  • Silver City Orphans
  • Happily back in Santa Fe
  • Hiking the Hills Around Santa Fe
  • That Santa Fe Style
  • New Mexican Enchantment
  • Lost Pueblos: Tsankawi and Pecos
  • The Road Home

EXPLORING JOSHUA TREE-
MOJAVE DESERT

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The Mojave Desert section of the park is dominated by big piles of monzogranite boulders. A huge dry wash stretches several miles from southeast to northwest -millions of years ago it was the bed of the Pinto River. Forests of Cholla and Joshua Tree (not a tree really but a yucca) are scattered along the main road through the park. There are lots of back country Jeep roads but we didn't explore them this time.
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The Monzogranite Story

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Monzogranite was formed 245 million years ago when then North American plate slipped over the Pacific plate causing oceanic water to intrude under the continent. The water was hot enough to melt the underlying rock. The magma oozed into the overlying pinto gneiss and cooled slowly. As a result the crystals in the rock are pebble sized cubes. When the rocks break down it becomes a course sand that is ubiquitous through out the park.
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Its rough on the hands-
​hence the gloves on Pat's.
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Water played a big part in the look of these rock piles. Ground water seeped into the rocks and created fissures while they were still underground. When the layer of gneiss wore away, the granite was exposed and weathering by both wind and water created a rocky wonderland.
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It is a world renown rock climbing
and bouldering destination.
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Joshua Trees!

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Climate change is taking its toll- with their limited range Joshua Trees are subject to drought and rising temperatures in the Mohave desert.
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Morman legend- pioneers saw the trees like Joshua of the Bible - waving them on to the promised land. That's how this Mojave Yucca got its name.
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Goodnight Josh Tree

The party is over for now- watch for a new blog next fall!!
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • The Way Across
  • Chicago and Beyond
  • How the West Was Won
  • Devils Tower to Little Bighorn
  • A River Runs Through It
  • Random Western Views
  • Majestic Mount Rainier
  • Trees of the Great Northwest
  • Hiking Mt. Rainer
  • Random Rainier
  • Strictly Seattle
  • Dungeness Spit and Beyond
  • Waterfalls, Creeks, Deep Forest Glacial Lakes and Family
  • The Great Green
  • Rainforest Rivers and Beaches
  • From Rialto Beach to Cape Flattery
  • A Walk On The Beach
  • Weekend in Westport, Washington
  • Disappointment Awaits
  • The Forest Smells Like Autumn
  • Looking For One-Eyed Willie in Astoria, Oregon
  • The North Oregon Coast
  • Four Days in Portlandia
  • Columbia Gorge to Mt. Hood
  • Waterfalls Walks and the Fruit Loop
  • Around the Bend in LaPine
  • Down Deep at Crater Lake
  • A Birthday Weekend in Chicago
  • Oregon South Coast
  • California Coastal Redwoods
  • Rain and Redwoods
  • Old Friends and San Francisco
  • A Day at Lake Tahoe
  • Mono Lake Magic
  • The Road Ahead
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Gold Mine Gone Bust Bodie, CA
  • Manzanar
  • Owens Lake- Dust Mitigation Project
  • Relaxing in the Alabama Hills
  • Death Valley Daze
  • Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
  • Snow Canyon
  • Canyons Calling
  • We Remember Zion
  • Lower Antelope Canyon-Where the Light Gets In
  • Into the Mystic
  • Looking for the sun in McDowell Mt. Regional Park
  • A Week in the Country-Sedona pt. 2
  • Ancient Arizona
  • Chicago Holiday
  • Back in Time: Tucson
  • Usery Regional Park
  • California or Bust
  • Exploring Joshua Tree National Park
  • Exploring Joshua Tree - Mojave Desert
  • A Week in the Desert
  • Here we are in San Diego
  • Solidarity in San Diego
  • Here We Are In San Diego, Part 2
  • SoCal Sojourn
  • Los Angeles to Dana Point
  • Our Last Days In California
  • On the Borderline-Lake Havasu
  • Superstition Mountains
  • Sedona Redux
  • How green is my desert?
  • World of sound
  • More Desert Love
  • A Quick Stop and a Hike
  • Patagonia Lake State Park, AZ
  • Around the Big Bend
  • Continuing Around the Big Bend
  • Last Look Around the Big Bend
  • West Texas Addendum
  • Hatch, New Mexico
  • Silver City Respite
  • Silver City Orphans
  • Happily back in Santa Fe
  • Hiking the Hills Around Santa Fe
  • That Santa Fe Style
  • New Mexican Enchantment
  • Lost Pueblos: Tsankawi and Pecos
  • The Road Home