In the interest of posting more personal information, I'd like to share my experience at Joshua Tree National Park. From what I understand, due to the rain the desert is the lushest it has been in many years. I've been told I'm very lucky to have experienced the desert at the time I did. This is just one of the photos I took that doesn't even come close to replicating the beauty I experienced.

The photograph above is not one of a Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). The photo below, however, is. (Note: both of these photos are unretouched and uncropped.)

Joshua Tree National Park is a great place to go to center yourself. It can be very mystical for the observer and has inspired poetry and music (U2's great album, for instance). It is not very far from Los Angeles and the visit would make a great day trip.

There is an entrance fee of $5, but this is only applicable when the visitor center is open. When we entered the park through the southern Cottonwood entrance, the center had closed early, so we were able to drive through the park for only the cost of gasoline (and car rental).

Speaking of gasoline, it is quite expensive out there where compared to New Jersey. $2.65 a gallon, if I remember correctly.

I highly recommend the park for people who look for the best of what nature has to offer.

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