Waking up in Buttonwillow, California last week I had a choice. Heading to Oceanside, I could drive straight through Los Angeles on the Interstate 5 and fight heavy traffic; or I could detour through the Mojave desert.
By the time we finished our complimentary breakfast, it was too late to avoid the morning rush in Los Angeles so we headed into the Mojave desert. For the first time ever! Of course, the breakfast was a cover up for my fear of driving into Los Angeles.
Mojave desert
The Mojave desert looked spectacular early in the morning. It was by far the best part of my drive from Vancouver, British Columbia to Oceanside, California. As I drove from Bakersfield to Barstow and then to San Bernardino, I remembered why I chose to study physical geography and botany at university. It’s always fun to experience new places and make my own obswrvations.
Sadly, the other passengers didn’t share my enthusiasm for the desert and mostly slept through the drive. My wife kept asking me about the condition of our old Chevy family van. And she had a point.
It was a bit cocky to drive my old van into the Mojave desert with my wife and two kids. My backup plan was a BCAA membership which works in the USA; and I presumed that included the desert. We also carried 24 bottles of water purchased at Wal-Mart.
My dream
It was always my dream to touch and photograph Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia). Incredibly, I only got to photograph the trees outside Las Vegas earlier this year because I wasn’t driving and we were rushing to our soccer tournament match.
This haunted me for months leading up to our trip to California for more soccer tournaments. I’m not sure why the Joshua trees attract me so much. I gave it a nice hug.
Plus, there was one bonus. I got to touch and photograph Creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) which dominate the desert landscape an have medicinal properties.
Also, Creosote bushes are used by animals seeking cover and by humans seeking relief; although the sparse foliage provides little shade or cover for my middle-aged body.
Happy ending
In the end we made it to Oceanside, California, just fine, and I rewarded the kids for suffering through the desert drive with time on the beach. There they spent hours playing in the waves with wide grins.
Then, hours later, as I lay down for my afternoon nap I also had a smile on my face thinking about my first drive through the Mojave desert.
