Cloudy day in Joshua Tree
A good way to start a weekend is by visiting a national park. It so happened that the closest one to me is Joshua Tree. On our way, we checked the weather forecast and to our surprise there was a thunder storm in the north west part of the park. It was good for us, since in the middle of summer any presence of clouds in Joshua Tree is appreciated. The temperature if often well above 100° F. And as a bonus, clouds added a much more dramatic atmosphere to an already dramatic landscape.
Although I've been to Joshua Tree a few times already, I always discover something new in it. This time, I have accidentally entered the park from a different road and stopped by the first trail. It appeared to be Split Rock loop trail. As soon as we arrived a heard the thunder and the rain started over a valley in front of us. It was totally alien landscape with massive boulders of all shapes with high contrast sky and occasional rays of sunlight coming through.
We travelled further west and stopped by the Desert Queen Mine. It presented us a view over a creek with a few entrances to the mines. There was a sign that stated that the mines are closed because they are populated by endangered bats.
We were running out of time since it was getting dark and the remaining sunlight was already mostly covered by the clouds. Our last stop for the day was by the entrance to the Ryan Mountain Trail. Apparently it is a good place for stargazing, but that day, Joshua Tree yuccas caught our interest. We watched the sunset and enjoyed the silence of the gorgeous desert.
Here is the full Timelapse video of the trip.
To my surprise iPhone 13 Pro Max still doesn't record Timelapse video in 4k in default camera app. Will try an alternative software next time.
