This isn’t a story with a twist. I didn’t come away from Joshua Tree National Park, land of the Serrano, the Chemehuevi, and the Cahuilla, with a new found appreciation for it. I still learned a lesson there, though.
I’ve never understood the magic of this reserve and I still don’t. My L.A. friends swoon about it. They declare it’s a sanctuary of energy, where they can commune with the cosmos. They insist I join them on their weekend visit. “You’ll love it,” they assure me, “once you’re fully there. It’s the best destination…so…freeing! You’ll have the time of your life with us, we promise!”
I wander the monotone brown landscape in search of inspiration. I stare up at the spiky Yucca dotting the desert in hopes of insight. I sit alone on a dumpy boulder watching my friends, feeling like the new kid in school. I’m happy that they’re enjoying themselves so fervently; glad that they have this oasis in which to rejuvenate from the burdens of city dwelling. But, I can’t share in their enthusiasm.
I was happier in the larger expanse of the Mojave we’d driven through where I’d glimpsed eerie creatures and bizarre features. Joshua Tree seems…soulless…a setting under the human thumb of entertainment. A group of skaters takes possession of my granite neighborhood to perfect their tricks.
I abandon my friends to their sun soaking. I tramp the dusty trails through the parade of Joshua trees. A blond actor comes to moodily smoke under the jagged shrub I’m examining. He tells me the desert is a salve for his nerves. When I question whether cigarettes are a fire hazard inside the park, he gently reminds me it’s the only thing that allays his anxiety.
Traveling farther, I keep interrupting ladies in diaphanous gowns performing for photo shoots. This isn’t my scene at all so I hustle back to my companions hoping to convince them to leave. But they are in their sweet spot, in tune with the vibrations of this desert. I amble along another path; I listen; I observe my surroundings hoping the topography will speak to me, wondering what all the excitement is about, puzzled as to why I’m not feeling the enchantment.
The malady of hype has a long and troubled history as does our human penchant for turning everything into conspicuous consumption. Whether wrought by our deep need to belong, our selfishness, or our ability to rationalize anything, I don’t know. But, an interest sparks and suddenly it feels as if everyone is over-the-moon for mid-century modern pink or practicing ‘Ayurvedic yoga’ or drinking fermented tea or planning to recuperate at a Mayan sweat lodge. Hidden under the tsunami of adoration is the dark side of privilege, impulse, and information dissemination; there are costs, heavy and unseen. I’ve been guilty of it, wanted to be a part of it, resented being left out of the phenomenon.
Perspective shifts for me at Joshua Tree. I have to be okay with not getting it. I don’t begrudge those who claim this as their spiritual haven, but I have to remain content that it isn’t mine and never will be. There are homes, multiple, where we belong. We sense this when our feet first touches the sand, or as we wander the woods, or hear a certain song; maybe we arrive at the knowledge following decades of resistance. Often we only realize it long after our stay has become a faint dream. There are other places, however, where we’re forever strangers — uncomfortable, fearful, intimidated. And that’s not what we choose, what we like, but it is what I have to accept graciously. I can’t belittle the terrain because it doesn’t unfold for me or disparage those who have identified with the heart of this bit of earth.
So, I return to my friends; I sit in my unease with patience. On the drive home, I listen as they tell me how the trees and the rocks and the light altered them, how they elevated to a higher plane of consciousness. I don’t roll my eyes or snort in derision. Possibly they did achieve nirvana. And when they ask, “Did you feel it too?” I smile and say, “Well…once when I was in.…” Even if our sacred spaces are chasms apart, there are still ways I can try to connect.
TRAVEL NOTE:
Yucca brevifolia (Joshua trees) expanded their southwestern territory during the Pleistocene thanks to the dietary habits of an extinct ground sloth.
A friendly reminder for visitors that taking natural elements as souvenirs not only destroys the local habitat but also potentially introduces non-native species to the home.
I would love to hear about your sacred places and travel destinations that have become beloved homes in the comments below.
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Loved the photos 💚
Thank you so very much!
Unknown to me. I admire your photos and texts. Very interesting post, which inspires me to think, that someday I would… Thank you.
Have a good day!
Thank you. I hope you do get to see the amazing landscapes of Southwestern U.S. and Southern California someday. They are quite something. Wishing you a wonderful week!
Love this. Have definitely experienced this phenomenon, some places resonate others don’t. I personally didn’t like the energy in Sedona, Arizona or in Mount Shasta which are both supposedly meant to be energy vortexes/places of intense ‘spiritual’ energy. Now Lake Tahoe on the other hand, that place was off the charts for me. So I think all these things are deeply individual. Thanks for sharing and keeping it real 🙂
As you say, places are so subject to individual preference and that keeps travel interesting. 🙃 There’s so much expectation to get what everyone else seems to be getting out of a place, but I have been learning to keep in mind that doesn’t have to be true. Thanks so much for sharing your encounters with Sedona, Mt Shasta, and Tahoe with me!
Your conclusion is something we can all take away. No, not all places connect with us equally, but we still don’t have to be disgracefully in our perception of such a place. I have never been to Joshua Tree, so I don’t know what it would feel like for me, but I understand your experience from other places I have visited.
Thank you for your kind words Otto. I think we naturally want others to like what we like but have to work out how best to still connect with them when this isn’t the case. Wishing you a wonderful week.
Very interesting. I’ve never really understood the hype around this place either. Just looks like a dusty landscape with some struggling trees lol. But many places resonate with people different ways. My understanding though is that if you still after dark, the stars are supposed to look amazing… but I wouldn’t know.
😁 Right?! And the same kind of trees too. I found the landscape in the greater Mojave much more interesting. But, as you say, to each his own. Thanks for stopping by to read and share your thoughts.
So beautifully written ~ as always a pleasure to read you. I have heard good things about Joshua Tree park and we do go to LA often to visit family but never have time for explorations. Thank goodness we all resonate to different places and environments … I certainly relate to what you say with regard to “trends” and hype and so on, especially in LA haha.
Beautiful photos.
Peta
Thank you Peta. With LA traffic and the size of its growing metropolis, I can well understand not having time to visit other parts of it. Every outing with my friends there has to be coordinated to within an inch of perfection in order for us to explore away from the neighborhood in which they live. Wishing you and Ben the very best as you make your new home and life in Vietnam.
You were gracious. It’s too bad you had such a hype-ridden experience. I went to Joshua Tree in March, 2014, when it was very quiet, hardly any people, and it was wonderful – to me anyway. I was back again last October with time for just one late-day walk, and it was lovely. A few more people, but not too may, and I wasn’t being told how wonderful it was by anyone – a sure way to kill an experience. But good on you for just being there, for questioning, and for taking some very fine photographs, though I’m sure they aren’t your favorites. 🙂
I’m so glad you liked your time in Joshua Tree. I’ve been thinking about how ironic it is that while I love to share places that are special to me with others, I don’t usually enjoy them in the company of multitudes. Thanks so much for your understanding and wonderful comments.
That’s funny, that you (and I) prefer to enjoy a place without many people around but then we get pleasure from sharing the experience with plenty of people. And some people worry about sharing a less well known place with too many people online, and ruining it. But in general I figure my sharing isn’t reaching so many people that anything like that could happen. I hope and trust that you will keep expressing your delight for what you see – and sometimes your dismay. 😉
After reading your words I could feel your sense of disconnect as if I was experiencing it for myself.
I went to a conference last week and during the presentation, there was a specific statistic that I found interesting. The presenter explained that our generation has the highest levels of anxiety, depression and recorded feelings of “loneliness” than any other.
I think the reason why so many people are reaching out and grappling with the concept of spirituality, ayurvedic alternative, yoga etc. demonstrates that there is a general disconnect between individuals. They want to feel grounded. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be found under a tree as part of a photo shoot.
Looking forward to your future posts! xx
What a very interesting statistic from your conference! Thanks for sharing this with me. I am finding it increasingly fascinating and troubling that our digitally interconnected world is leaving us with grave problems regarding oppression, isolation, distorted reality, and an inability to connect with our lived environments. It is going to be a challenge to manage these issues as we keep whizzing into a future inundated with data and the Internet of Things….I so appreciate our thoughtful chats and your ever-present support! XX