Joshua Tree at Sunset

I am not sure which is a better way to envision Joshua Trees – is it Paleolithic or inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Truffula Trees? A little bit of both, but it’s not just the trees that make this park so beautiful; the rock formations are otherworldly.

The time to see Joshua Tree is a sunset. I made my way to the end of the park’s road to the Key’s View, where you can see across to Palm Springs. Now the only thing that can break the majesty of this place would be, oh, I don’t know, perhaps bees. Not like a couple buzzing around, more like BEES, WHERE DID ALL THE F’ING BEES COME FROM‽

Apparently, these ”Aggressive Honey Bees” are a natural occurrence in the summer months as they are thirsty for water. A couple of hikers were being chased around by the stingy critters of honey goodness. One was receiving more attention than the other as her backpack was covered in bees. I tell them not to swat at the buggers but to keep walking. The backpack was still an issue, and I asked what she had in there – ”oh, a couple of apples” – hmmm, good luck with that. These bees are such a thing that they are closing campgrounds because of them – take that COVID, more competition to ruin people’s fun.

So anyway, to recap: go at sunset and heed the bees.