Oooh, Desert!

I don't like the desert. There are creepy things out there: snakes, scorpions, lizards, vultures, and UFO's. (Okay, not really sure about the last one. But maybe.) So when Tim suggested going out to Joshua Tree National Park, I wasn't entirely digging it. I liked the idea of seeing a place loaded with mutant-looking trees, yet the thought of being out in thousand-degree heat and trudging endlessly through a sea of sand dunes while buzzards circled overhead... not so appealing. If it's not obvious to you by now, I've never really been to the desert. But I do watch movies and one thing I've learned: they should be avoided. HOWEVER, not wanting to put the brakes on what could be an amazing adventure, I said, "Yes! Let's do this thing!" Then, I hoped for the best.

I needn't have worried. It Was Awesome, Baby!

We set out on a Saturday morning. Loaded with about a gazillion cameras and a bazillion pieces of photographic equipment (not to mention our trusty sidekicks, Domo and Thing One), we took a leisurely drive, stopping along the way to photograph the windmills along Interstate 10, catching a local artist's photography exhibit in Morongo Canyon and also taking a hike on the nature trail. Even with all the stops along the way, we made it to Joshua Tree by early afternoon.

After prepping our gear and grabbing lunch, we hurried to the park.

Then came the horror! Tim busted out video mode on the Fuji, went into full Francis Ford Coppola mode, and made me do about fifty takes for the group page video. (sigh) It was exhausting and I made a mental note to fire my agent upon our return to Yucaipa. (I don't have an agent, really. But if I did...FIRED!)

We finally finished taping, then blazed a trail into the park. It was then that I made the first of many discoveries: there are a lot of rock climbers in Joshua Tree.

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Probably because there are a lot of rocks. Big ones.


Yeah. Just like that. Kind of impressive actually.

The park itself is ginormous, like half of Southern California! Or at least a really big part of it. All I know is that we had a lot of ground to cover on that first afternoon. The Blitz was like this; drive, park, get out, Blitz, jump back in the Pathfinder, continue and repeat. Our last hike of the day was the longest, when we headed out to Barker Dam. We hit the area during the golden hour before sunset. We Blitzed, we chilled, then we hiked back. Tim made one final stop as the sun went down, getting an amazing shot of the desert just as night fell.

Nope, that isn't it. To see that pic, and more pics from the weekend (you didn't think we could Blitz it in one afternoon, did ya?), CLICK HERE and check out the Joshua Tree Blitz.

And that video? Uh...hey, how about them Dodgers?

Follow Your Blitz, everybody!

[Pssst! Tim sez: Check out my cool video on the Facebook Fan Page. It rocks!]