The Hazel Project

Recently, I went on a trip to Joshua Tree National park with my friends, Keith and Teresa, their 3 year old daughter, Bella, and Tim.

All I can say is that U2 completely captured the vibe of the desert on their Joshua Tree album. A major piece of the soundtrack for that weekend, defying its 20th anniversary; rounded out nicely with large doses of Steely Dan and Alison Kraus - Who I think I might have a crush - Women and music, something very dangerous and enticing in that combination.

The desert reminded me of the Alchemist, which allowed me to focus on mindfulness and respect, as I noticed life thriving in the harshest conditions.
I saw a jackrabbits, coyotes and road runner. First time I’d ever seen a raod runner.

It was too hot for us to hike with Bella during the day so we waited until late afternoon before venturing into the park.

Joshua Trees are all over this part of the dessert - where the Mojave and Colorado meet by the way. They’re mostly short compact trees with stocky branches and thick leathery leaves really close together. They grow out of the sand where there should be tumbleweeds and cacti - yet they they grow effortlessly. The right tree in the right place.

The first night we went to a lookout point called Keys View. We looked down through a valley that has 2 points of interest. Palm Springs, and the San Andreas Fault. Some haze from L.A.’s Inland Empire blew straight through the valley, making the sunset we viewed extra colorful; pink and purple hues.

The desert really cools off at night and as it got colder and darker, Bella began to crash. Before we headed back I noticed silence from traffic and planes for the first time in almost a year. Also Stars! The desert night sky is the most beautiful I’ve seen. I realized how few places I’ve been to get to view a Star filled sky. And I’m enthralled by the people figured out so many things we take for granted by observing the movement of star patterns.

We all liked the vibe of Joshua Tree so much we decided to stay another night. We rented rooms at the Roughly Inn, operated by Gary and Jan Peters. A B&B in the middle of the desert. An oasis really, surrounded by palm trees and operated by two incredibly open, authentic people. That said, they also took care of us with vegetarian breakfasts and sliced fruit in the middle of the day. I HIGHLY suggest staying there if anyone reading this is planning a trip to Joshua Tree. (secretly, I hope you all are)

The next day we got a full tour and history of Roughly Manor, read books, and somehow got into a lively discussion about Lionel Richie’s album “Can’t Slow Down”. After we managed to recreate several of the hits (along with brass parts) we ventured back into Joshua Tree. This time we headed to ‘Split Rock” and Tim, Keith and I immediately began rock climbing on some really cool formations. We were about 30 minutes in our exploration when we heard wailing a screaming. Apparently, Bella fell on a bushy cactus. That little cactus managed 20 thorns in her leg. She was smart though, and knew the healing power of the desert; picking up a small green gourd and rubbing it on her leg.

Ah the placebo effect in full swing.

Later that night we met up to share some wine and enjoy the Stars. I was hoping to see a sattelite which never showed up, but a lot of Stars did; along with planets Jupiter & Mars as well as a big orange full moon.

To round out this story we also drove through the windmill farms and stopped in Plam Springs where I got my picture taken with Sonny Bono. I wonder if his statue was life size? Lastly, on our way back to L.A., we stopped at a burrito stand called the “crazy coyote”. Complete with two tall dinosaurs on either side of it. It needed extra curb appeal since it’s competition was a huge casino up the street. All that to say we enjoyed the crazy coyote so much they sent a menu home with us. I guess to order take out on the next trip?

Thanks for reading all this. I send all the best vibes from the high desert to you and your Summer trips. Take lots of pictures!

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at 12:35 am and is filed under on the path, posts & stories . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.