Saturday, April 05, 2008

The Joshua Trees


Joshua Trees are wonderful things.

They're pretty much the definition of the Mojave Desert, and they accompany us most of the way from Las Vegas to Kernville.

They have enormous flowers this time of year. These ones are from the east side of Walker Pass (the westernmost of the three mile-high passes between Las Vegas and Kernville.)

The name Joshua tree was given by a group of Latter-day Saints who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky to stop the sun by God's command.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I spread my brothers ashes at Joshua tree National Monument. This was his dying wish. To all of those that visit the overlook at the Monument wave and say a hello to the best brother in the world. WE were supossed to grow old together, I miss you. Love Tim