Natkin of Arabia

Whenever I think of the American Southwest, images of a crazed coyote inexplicably risking life and limb in order to catch what appears to be an entirely unappetizing bird always come to mind. Thankfully, the Mojave is far more scenic than I ever could have imagined. After spending two days in Joshua Tree National Park, scrambling around rock formations which seem to have been dreamed up by some crazed cartoonist, I can easily say that Jon and I have fallen in love with the high desert. What was truly amazing was the variety of plant life which blankets the desert floor. Multi armed Joshua Trees stand tall, waving their branches at onlookers like some ancient hindu god, while the shorter yucca and multiple varieties of extremely sharp cactus ( I found this out the hard way), add a little spice to the scenery.

As an added bonus, One of Jon's friends from the AT, Doctor Chickadee (along with her brother, Chris and friend Byron) joined us for a night of revelry and mass consumption of marshmallows, making our Joshua Tree experience that much more enjoyable. Now, it's on to Arizona and a 100 mile stretch of Desert without services.

-Erik