| Dick's Southern California Pictures | |||
| Joshua Tree National Park Mojave National Preserve Highway 33 & Los Padres National Forest | |||
| New photos added here and here April 4, 2019 (captions in red) | |||
| Click for a larger view - photos open in new window | |||
| Joshua Tree National Park | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Desert Plant Life | Water in the Desert, Split Rock Picnic Area | Skull Rock | Giant Joshua Tree |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Eroded Rock | Puzzle Pieces? | Green grass in Hidden Valley | View near Skull Rock |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Arch at White Tank | Classic Joshua & Bolder Scene | Sunset at 29 Palms | Weathered Rock |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Rock climbing in Hidden Valley | Reservoir at Barker Dam | Water in the Desert, Barker Dam | Dead tree against granite boulders |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Nolina, also known as Parry's Beargrass, Nolina Parryi | Acres and acres of Joshua trees | Granite formations like this, once far underground, have been exposed by centuries of weathering and erosion | Joshua tree "bones" |
| Mojave National Preserve | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Joshua blossom | Tangled Joshua tree | Young Joshuas | Base of a dead Joshua tree |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Mound cactus | A closer look | Close-up of blossom | A baby pencil cholla |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Full size pencil cholla | An unusual cactus | Spider webs? | No - caterpillar cocoon |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Pancake cactus | White rock stands out in a mostly brown & red landscape | Holes were created by volcanic gas bubbles plus weathering | This area is high enough to support a juniper tree |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Spring flowers | A closer look | A prickly desert bush | Mojave yucca bloom |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Color in the desert | Flower? Seed pod? | Match bush, so called because its resinous branches are highly flammable | Barrel cactus and Mojave Yucca |
 |
 |
 2 |
 |
| The colorful volcanic wall at Hole-in-the-Wall Campground | Snow-dotted Providence Mountains beyond the wall | Fascinating shapes and colors | Waves of volcanic ash are frozen in place |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Approaching Banshee Canyon | Entry to the canyon | Hidden valley from overlook near upper end of canyon | Cliffs east of Hole-in-the-Wall camp |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Desert seed pods | The "skeleton" of a cholla cactus | Cactus blossoms near Banshee Canyon | More of the same |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| These bushes with orange blossoms are everywhere | Probably a mound cactus | Joshua tree seed pods | Looking northeast from Cedar Canyon Road |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Kelso Depot | Front porch of the depot | The twisted cliff at Hole-in-the-Rock | |
| Elsewhere in Southern California | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Interstate 5 Rest Stop near Frasier Park CA, February 2007 | The highway signs are painted on the pavement on old Route 66 between I-40 and Amboy CA | Graffiti along Old Route 66 | Ocean at Laguna Beach |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Sunset from Laguna Beach | Sand and surf at Laguna Beach | Century Plant at Laguna Beach | View down Laguna Canyon to the ocean |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Sunset from northwest of Needles, Califortnia |
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System on I-15 near Nevada border | The pier at Ventura | Ventura sunset |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Rocky ridge above Gaviota Canyon, US Highway 101 near Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara sunset | Pacific Ocean and beach walk at Santa Barbara | Formation in Rainbow Basin near Barstow |
| Highway 33 and Los Padres National Forest | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A typical section of Highway 33 north of Ventura, in the Los Padres National Forest | An abandoned outpost along the highway | The high point on the highway | The view from just over the pass |
 |
|||
| Stark mountains and rock outcroppings in Los Padres | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A mass of blue chaparral | Evergreens are limited to shaded canyons at upper elevations in Los Padres | Something that looks like it was transplanted from Utah | A closer look |
| More on Joshua Tree Park Association Rock Climbing Mojave National Preserve | |||
| Click here for links to Dick's travel reports, including trips to these locations | |||
| All photos copyright © 2002 - 2017 by Dick Estel. Permission granted for personal use only; commercial use prohibited. | |||
