Xmas in Joshua Tree

Different people do different things for the holidays. So I have heard.



This year, Old Ken's Christmas was in Joshua Tree National Park.



Now, back in the late summer, you may recall, some people had passed through the park, which was then blazingly hot.



It was pretty different over Christmas. Foggy ...



... cold ...



... even snowy on mountain peaks, although this isn't a mountain peak.



Still, warm enough for picnics, as we see here.



And when the sun agreed to come out, the colors were pretty magnificent.



This is getting toward spring in the desert.



So, in a few months, much of this landscape will be in bloom.



One of our hikes was out to 49 Palms oasis, as seen here.



Apparently, an errant campfire had burned several of the palm trees back, as the blackened trunk at center suggests.



Presumably the oasis would have looked liked this collection of wooly mammoth legs prior to that.



All in all, a strange and wonderful place!