Joshua Tree National Park

by Angie on February 19, 2010

A Joshua Tree

I’ve lived within 130 miles of Joshua Tree National Park for the better part of my life, yet I had never been there until recently.

Joshua Tree National Park

Jeff and I took the kids for a long weekend in Palm Springs with detour to Joshua Tree National Park. We thought that the drive through the desert would be fun for the kids…..they could look for lizards and birds and rattlesnakes and identify the local flora and fauna.

I was totally impressed with what I saw in Joshua Tree, which is within the Mohave Desert for those of you trying to pin down the location. The sheer amount of Joshua trees is pretty astounding and the rock formations are spectacular. It really is amazing to be so close to a metropolitan area (Los Angeles) and yet feel so far removed at the same time.

However, it pains me to tell you that my kids were NOT impressed.

Hearing, “When are we going home?” about 100 times really kind of ticked me off.

I’m just saying……

I don’t know why my kids don’t like exactly what I do. It’s perplexing, really.

Anyway. Lesson learned for all of us.

We don’t have to like everything we do, but we can still be nice about it.

I even have an essay due from a nay-sayer that will expound upon that very concept.

I’m playing along with Photo Story Friday and Give Me Your Best Shot.

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{ 29 comments }

1 Justine February 19, 2010 at 4:32 am: Wow, absolutely beautiful! Sorry the kids weren’t quite as impressed as you and Jeff were!

Justine )
2 Susie's Homemade February 19, 2010 at 6:20 am: I think it is GORGEOUS! Sometimes kids are hard to impress.
3 Robin from Israel Twitter: RobinTA February 19, 2010 at 6:27 am: What a cool place!

We’ve had some trips like that though, they can be VERY frustrating… An essay though? You are TOTALLY my hero!
4 Lolli Twitter: 1momof5 February 19, 2010 at 7:23 am: What?! Your kids didn’t like it? I’d go with you!! I am dying over the blue sky. I miss colors!!
5 Kelly Deneen Twitter: kelly_deneen February 19, 2010 at 7:38 am: Those shots are gorgeous!! My parents are going to Palm Springs soon — I’ll have to tell them to drive through the park. Incredible!
6 Carrie Keiser February 19, 2010 at 7:45 am: I think it would be a cool place to visit. I have always like Joshua Trees from my stint in the desert. We use to drive through a Joshua Tree forest between Phoenix and Vegas and I always wanted to stop and get a better look. Would be better now that I have a nice camera and a bit of experience with it.
7 Run DMT February 19, 2010 at 8:04 am: What a beautiful place! I love to take road trips with my family also whether they like it or not. It’s so important to expose our children to such beautiful places. Hopefully, your children will appreciate the value of such beauty when they get older. Years from now, I’m sure your children will drag their children to this same park and their kids will hate it too.
8 LeAnn @ See Great Things February 19, 2010 at 8:57 am: Oh, I can so relate to this!!! It really is a beautiful place though, isn’t it!
9 Stesha Twitter: SteshaSims February 19, 2010 at 9:02 am: Gorgeous pictures…but I side with the kids…sorta. Okay, I just don’t like snakes:)

Hugs and Mocha,
Stesha
10 Cecily R February 19, 2010 at 9:07 am: I’m laughing over here because I have SO been there as a mom. I’m totally digging a place and thinking I’m being such a cool parent and then I realize the kids just want to goooooo hooooooooommmmme. Stinkers.

I’m glad YOU had fun though. And the kids learned a lesson. Great pics. SO glad you participated this week. You’re a peach.
11 T Rex Mom February 19, 2010 at 9:19 am: The name of the park implied lots of trees – I was not expecting so much desert but it is still lovely. The kids will appreciate it in a couple of decades!
12 beth aka confusedhomemaker Twitter: beths_confusion February 19, 2010 at 9:52 am: Well I’m impressed. I think with kids it’s hard at the time but when they look back they think about how cool it was–I know I do now.
13 Brandie Twitter: rudyrukus February 19, 2010 at 11:02 am: We lived down there and had never visited either. My sister-in-laws grandpa lived near there for a LONG time too. Kids have a way of ruining things though don’t they? Just kidding I really love my kids but sometimes I want to do something that I WANTED to do haha
14 kristin February 19, 2010 at 11:05 am: We’ve driven through, several times, sorry, but I’m with the kids. How many Joshua trees can you look at before you’re bored to tears? Me? About 10. I hate the desert. LOL.

So who is the Nay-sayer being punished with an essay? That’s a good one, I’m going to have to institute that at our house. Luke and Tess could use a good essay on ‘how to be nice to your brother/sister’.
15 Lisa February 19, 2010 at 11:27 am: You know 10 years from now they’ll all be sitting around at Thanksgiving dinner saying, “Remember that awesome trip we took to Joshua Tree National Forest?”

Or, not! Maybe carry earplugs on your next trip?

Lisa
16 Michelle @ One Crafty Mama February 19, 2010 at 11:56 am: I have to laugh because as a kid my dad used to drag us to the desert all the time and we HATED it. I do find it beautiful now, but did not appreciate it as a kid.
17 Amy February 19, 2010 at 12:50 pm: Well, hopefully they will look back at these pictures and realize that it wasn’t as bad as they thought. It looks like a beautiful place!
18 Life with Kaishon February 19, 2010 at 1:33 pm: It is so pretty. I am impressed! I want to visit! I often find that when I am doing something cool and educational with Kaish and Shoshi they don’t know what the thrill is. If we do something mindless like Chuck E. Cheese they are in heaven. Interesting!
19 Christie Twitter: 3craziesandme February 19, 2010 at 3:18 pm: we never did this to our parents when we were younger right?
Brats.
I know you kinda wanna shakem and say do you know how lucky you are? I think it’s great. Keep pushing the parks, they will adventually get it!
20 Jessie Twitter: thelucaszoo February 19, 2010 at 4:32 pm: Absolutely beautiful! Aren’t kids crazy? I guess we’ve been there too right?
Now about kids and things that they don’t want to do. How embarrassed was I 2 days ago when we went for a playdate at a friends house and my daughter asked repeatedly “When are we going home?” – ugh!
21 Lindsey February 19, 2010 at 5:56 pm: Your pictures are amazing! Your blog is fabulous. I discovered your blog on the parents connect fb page. I found a new blog I would definitely love to follow! Feel free to come by and check out mine as well.
22 scrappysue February 19, 2010 at 8:05 pm: there are some amazing national parks in the states – we never made it to this one, so thanks for sharing angie! kids! they are so underwhelmed at the most inappropriate of times!!!
23 Xmasdolly February 19, 2010 at 10:12 pm: Hey, how’s it going? Beautiful, beautiful pictures. What wonderful memories. Do you think you could stop at my blog? I have something for you.
24 Becca - Our Crazy Boys Twitter: beccascrazyboys February 20, 2010 at 8:36 am: My husband pretty much grew up there (in the park) and I have never been. He often talks about taking the family out there for a night.. It looks beautiful!
25 Happily Retired Gal February 20, 2010 at 6:12 pm: Beautiful desert photos from Joshua Tree. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there but I have fond memories of visiting this amazing place with my mom, dad, and siblings years ago.
Hugs and blessings,
26 Jenners February 21, 2010 at 6:11 pm: With cool rocks like that and they wanted to go home????
And Joshua Trees always make me think of U2!
27 Honey Mommy February 21, 2010 at 7:46 pm: I love Joshua Trees! That is always the most fun part of our annual drives to Arizona… when we get to see all those cool trees!
28 Honey Mommy February 21, 2010 at 7:46 pm: p.s. Sometimes kids are just lame!
29 Live.Love.Eat February 23, 2010 at 5:22 am: That looks like an AWESOME place!!!!!