scenery – Snapping The Globe

When planning my trip to Palm Springs, I was rattling off a list of some of the places and attractions that I had hoped to visit.

While I am pretty adept at discovering everything there is to see and do in a city, I had missed one.

Joshua Tree National Park.

It was my middle son who mentioned that I should venture out into the desert to see this national treasure.

Elevated to National Park status in 1994, Joshua Tree is located one hour east of Palm Springs and approximately three hours from San Diego, Los Angeles and Phoenix…very easy to get to one of the park’s three entrances from any of these cities.

About a year ago, I had visited the Badlands National Park. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had with each part of the park offering something totally different and I expected the same thing from Joshua Tree.

Dating back to 1936, when Minerva Hoyt, a Pasadena resident tirelessly worked to protect the cacti and other plants of the area, 825,000 acres were set aside as the Joshua Tree National Monument. With its large population of Joshua trees…the tree that mid-19th century Mormons believed to look like the biblical figure Joshua with his outstretched arms (tree’s limbs) guiding them westward…visitors are reminded through exhibits within its Visitor Centers of the role it played in helping homesteaders succeed in building and establishing their new lands. Well paved roads, scenic overlooks and well-maintained trails attract those near and far…Joshua Tree National Park brings in over two million visitors from all over the world each year.

*Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center*

While of course, I expected to see a LOT of Joshua Trees…I wasn’t sure what else I might see.

Probably desert.

Probably rocks.

Probably trails.

Yes, they were all there. But as beautiful as the scenery was, I expected a little more.

Okay, you can hate me for that. But…I kept remembering the Badlands with its spires, its rainbow colored hills, its bison herds, Prairie Dog town, thousands of valley overlooks.

There is no doubt that I thought it a stunning and diverse place and I enjoyed the few hours we spent there. And…maybe that was the problem. We only spent about four hours in total driving through the park, as my travel companions had to be back in Palm Springs for an event later in the day. We made the most of our time in the park, examining the exhibits at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center near the West Entrance, climbing the rocks at Hidden Valley, gazing out of the Coachella Valley from Keys View, a little hiking at the Hall of Horrors and a longer hike to Skull Rock from Jumbo Rocks campground before exiting at the North Entrance near Twenty Nine Palms…all while constantly keeping an eye on our progress through the park and on our watches.

*Our first views of Joshua Tree National Park after the West Entrance Station.*

Those four hours paled in comparison to my entire day in the Badlands. There, I was one of a handful in the park due to it being extremely cold that winter day and I was alone in my car. Don’t ever discount being alone in a National Park! While I chose to not do any lengthy hikes because I was solo, I did do some short ones and I stopped whenever and wherever I felt like it to take thousands of photos! There was nothing keeping me from returning to Rapid City except the darkness at the end of the day.

SO…would I go back to Joshua Tree? Yes, absolutely! But this time with much more time to explore! It is a great place to enjoy hiking, camping and the great outdoors. It’s perfect for solo adventurers, groups and even for families! Much like us, children will love spotting formations in the rocks that looks like other things.

*Yep…I won’t highlight this one. Definitely not for children!*

I feel a little like I got the short end of the stick…er…tree.

Next time, I want to have sufficient time to truly experience this natural wonder, see some of the historical places in the park like the Kellogg House and Keys Ranch, hike to the Wall Street Mill and Desert Queen Mine and go back to see the fascinating Skull Rock…but this time, do it the easy way…park along the road and walk the few feet to the rock! Next time, I want to stay in the Yucca Valley so that I would be near the entrances for an early start. Next time I want to visit the Cholla Cactus Garden!

Next time!

Next time…more time!!!

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

Joshua Tree National Park

https://www.nps.gov/jotr
Address: 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, California 92277-3597
Hours: 24 hours, daily
Admission: Single, non-commercial vehicles, $30 (7-day permit). Motorcycles, $25 (7-day permit). Individual on foot or bike, $15 (7-day permit). Joshua Tree National Park Annual Pass, $55, valid for 12 months from the month of purchase and covers the entrance fee for the signee and accompanying passengers entering in a single, non-commercial vehicle. Can be purchased at park entrance stations and visitor centers.

Despite the obvious jetlag, I was up early on our first full day in Santorini.

Taking a look at my Google Maps on my iPhone, I was initially very excited…

Care to guess what I found?

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you will realize how much I loved to visit churches and there were a LOT of churches on Santorini. I carefully marked them all with the intent of persuading my husband and son that they absolutely needed to be visited, but also marked other points of interest along the way that we would be driving.

Ekklisia Agia Marina was the first stop on our planned venture to the south of Santorini. As my husband and son waited in the car, I jumped out and made my way around the small church. Entering the small, walled courtyard, I ogled the stone facade and the trio of bells, eager to summon the congregants. Trying the door, I surprisingly found it unlocked and took a quick look inside. Similar to some of the larger Orthodox churches I had visited in Athens, I noticed how clean and orderly this small-scale temple appeared and I admired the colorful paintings.

Making my way outside, I encountered the caretaker, who waved a friendly “hello” as I briefly wondered if I maybe should not have entered without permission. He didn’t seem bothered by my visit, so I joined my husband and son and we drove down the narrow dirt road to admire the magnificent caldera view available here.

Walking down the small trail toward the edge of the cliff, we stood in awe of the perspective before us. The Santorini caldera was formed 3600 BP during the Minoan eruption with the island of Santorini, Therasia and Aspronisi on the periphery and Kameni islands at the center. Truly one of the largest natural wonders of the world, we felt extremely small gazing out on the azur Aegean waters and watching the ferries depart for and arrive from other Greek islands.

Continuing on our journey, we arrived at Megalochori, a traditional village which can be dated back to the 17th century. After parking in one of the nearby lots, we made our way through the maze of whitewashed, narrow lanes and walkways, many covered and lined by colorful bougainvillea, that offer up what makes this pristine town so special…historical mansions, traditional houses, inner courtyards, tavernas, restaurants, small shops, churches and a quaint village square.

Once the home of merchants and wealthy land barons that exported the wine that is still produced there, the village exudes an air of mystery with its high walls and solid door entrances which were built for protection against the pirates that sometimes invaded the area.

In the center of the village, located at the top of a stairway, we stumbled upon the Hellenic Cultural Center which offers Greek classes and had many displays of items made in and used in Greek culture.

A little further, we were able to visit one of the cave homes that are common to area and that were often lived in by the less-wealthy citizens during the time frame.

Passing under the village belltowers, we strolled through the square and it was evident that this was the heart and soul of the village. Here, many locals were gathered to share information and play games of cards or tavli (backgammon). As we took in the menus of the many restaurants located, we made some mental notes for our dinner later that evening.

After our departure from Megalachori, we headed a little further down the road and two things caught my eye…a church and a windmill! The church, Μεταμόρφωση Χριστού (I think it is the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ), was not open to visitors, however, there was another lovely view of the caldera and a paved trail, beautifully lined with natural growth and flowers, leading to the windmill.

Having been to the Netherlands on many occasions and lain my eyes upon the anticipated windmills all over the country, I was surprised to not only see one in Oia and in this location, but more scattered throughout the island. This one, however, I learned is special…named El Viento, it is a century-old stone-built windmill that can be rented nightly! So…if you are a Bachelor or Bachelorette fan (then you will understand this reference)…maybe you will run into Pilot Pete here on his honeymoon one day!

Taking a glance at my watch, I realized that more time had passed than we realized! Our first day discovering Santorini had begun quite nicely, but there was so much more if we continued to head south!

For sure, more churches and more windmills!

To be continued…

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

Ekklisia Agia Marina

Address: Santorini 847 00, Greece

Hellenic Culture Center

https://hcc.edu.gr/en/
Address: Megalochori, Thira 847 00, Greece
Hours: 0930-2030, Monday through Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday
Admission: free

El Viento Windmill

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/34072912?source_impression_id=p3_1569878200_JgCkv1BuQKy8NLK8

Tag: scenery

Short End of the…Tree

Santorini South, Part One