I believe loneliness is a door you have to go through—a passage leading you to solitude. Solitude is what I’m after. The kind of tranquility that allows you access to your own imagination. Solitude helps you differentiate, define the borders of the self. Solitude helps you figure out where everybody else stops and you begin. Solitude is quite different from being alone. Solitude is the state of being alone without losing your mind. —Jeanne Marie Laskas
May 8, 2017 12:17 - I entered Joshua Tree National Park at the West Entrance station and followed Park Boulevard southeast.
If you stay in one place for a few moments, the desert can reveal many surprises. What looks a barren landscape at first glance is often filled with life that goes unnoticed when driven past at 45 mph.
Meandering through the Quail Springs area.
Wandering through Hidden Valley.
Continuing onwards towards Jumbo Rocks.
Cholla Cactus Garden, south of Wilson Canyon.
Ocotillio Patch on Pinto Basin Road.
In route to exit the park via Cottonwood Visitor Center.
I'd been to Joshua Tree State Park once before. It was a long time ago. My mom took me over spring break (sorry dad, I know you had to work). I had my Canon AE-1 and a few rolls of black and white film. I'm fairly certain that I asked my mom to stop (at least a hundred times) so that I could take a photo. And she did. My parents are both talented artists and photographers and, luckily for me, they both have a lot of patience. I will always remember that trip - time with my mom, our journey together, and the beauty that she showed me in the high desert.
Credits:
Copyright 2017 Julieanne Kost. All rights reserved.