We went to see the wildflowers

Joshua Tree National Park is unique. It is home to some of America’s most strange and surreal scenery in a dry desert setting. The trees and cactus have weird shapes. The Joshua trees are not ordinary trees. Technically, they are giant members of the lily family. While some of the old ones are supposed to be as high as 30 feet, most of the ones we saw were smaller. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes but each plant has a trunk and outstretched limbs with spiky green leaves. When the Mormons came in 1851, they thought it looked like the prophet Joshua pointing them to the promised land. Hence, the name.

Then there is the cholla cactus. It is gangly, multicolored, fuzzy-looking cacti. When it turns brown, it looks like a bear. And if you get too close, it will attack you.

What we liked the best were the strange and gigantic rock formations. At times, you feel you are on some other planet or back in time with a dinosaur lurking behind one of these massive structures. The clusters or family of boulders (one looks like a human skull, another like a giant tortoise) were caused by geological forces two billion years ago. Molten liquid heated by continuous movement of the earth’s crust oozed upward and cooled while still below the surface. After the arrival of an arid climate of recent times, flash floods began washing away protective ground surface. As they were exposed, the huge eroded boulders settled one on top of another creating impressive piles of rocks. A ranger took a few of us on a so-called nature walk which turned into a rough scramble under and over one these big rocks. She explained how earthquakes left their mark (cracks and lines) and floods and heat caused the unusual shapes. In what appears to be a completely dry environment, she took us to a place where there was a small stream. But make no mistake, this is a tough place for plants and animals to exist and a challenge for anyone who wants to camp here (There are several campsites).

Unlike many other national parks, Joshua has no facilities on site, no drinking water nor food. It is, on the other hand, the essence of what a national park is supposed to be. It is "a wilderness area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain” ( The Wilderness Act, 1964). Joshua Tree is so special because of its vastness — it lies between the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts across a million acres. It is appreciated for its solitude, wildness and challenge.

As we drove home, I thought about the so-called Seven Wonders of the World. We have been fortunate to see a few — the Taj Mahal in India, the Great Wall in China and the pyramids in Egypt — each a man made achievement. It is awe inspiring to see what man can build and how his monuments can survive. But there’s no comparison to what Mother Nature can accomplish. A trip to one of our national parks is a humbling experience.

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Ironically, as we left the park on a return route via Palm Springs (the exact opposite of Joshua Tree) we finally found our wildflowers in full bloom along Interstate 10.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column appears in the Monday edition. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.