Clearly mom was in awe of the rock formations of the canyon. We visited this area a few weeks ago while she was here from Canada, on hiatus from the snows and cold temperatures.

She loved the Joshua Trees, had never heard of them before. Click on this picture to get a really good view of the forest of Joshua Trees in the background, with the rock formations in the distance.

I must admit, the first time I'd ever heard of them was when U2 released their 1987 album (Wow! 1987....22 years ago!!!... seems like only yesterday!)

RED ROCK CANYON, California


Shortly after we first moved here to California (April of 05) this was an area Rod would pass weekly on his way to work out in the deserts past Ridgecrest. He was on a line crew setting up a new system of electrical lines going through that area. Temps would get over 120 degress F that summer he worked that job. Happily he left them after a few months to assume a much more comfortable job in Safety for a Bakersfield company. But I would drive out to visit him every week (he'd usually stay out there 4 days a week) and loved to stop and explore at Red Rock Canyon.

I googled it and discovered the area was once home to the Kawaiisu Indians. Some petroglyphs and pictographs are found in the El Paso mountains and represent the ritual sites from these people and their ancestors. Also, the colorful rock formations in the park served as landmarks during the early 1870s for 20-mule team freight wagons that stopped for water. The park protects significant paleontology sites and the remains of 1890s-era mining operations.

My mother was here for a few weeks in february and we took her out here to sightsee, she was awed by the rock formations, the different species of cactus and such. We came across this one very large cactus and soon discovered it was loaded with birds nests! How very clever and "security conscious" of them! No, I have no idea which birds built their nests there, the only birds I saw flying around while there were huge black crows.