Back in L.A. after my trip to Wisconsin, I braved the traffic along with all the hearty souls who were commuting home to the San Bernardino valley. My aim was Colton, CA, and a visit with my Peace Corps Madagascar friend, M!
Though the last time we saw each other was nine years ago in a land far, far away, she has been a faithful correspondent all these years and we picked up right where we left off with great conversations and walks around her neighborhood, Redlands, and Camp Seeley near Crestline. When we were trying to decide what to have for lunch one day, M recalled that I'd once written her a letter from my village in southern Mada telling her that I'd made a lunch of yam, what I was pretty sure were lima beans, and wild tomatoes (probably the only things I had available, and everything tastes good when you're hungry and the local market only happens once per week, five miles away!). Apparently after I wrote that to her, she went on a kick of eating sweet potatoes, white beans, and tomato sauce. Giddily, we decided on that for lunch. Don't knock it till you try it!
From Colton, I headed east (strange now to be heading east for the first time since June, when I got as far east as one can on this continent and so turned west) through hazy mountains and windmill colonies…
…and a quick look-see around Palm Springs…
…before heading into the wilds of beautiful Joshua Tree National Park.
I took up my umbrella as defense against the relentless sun and walked and walked and walked through miles of the quiet of the desert. Check out the clear view of the San Andreas fault in this pic!--the dark ridge heading horizontally across the center of the picture.
When the sun was lower in the morning and evening, the shadows against the crazy rock formations were just amazing.
As was it to drive past a tarantula.
Maybe my favorite part of the park was the cholla cactus garden. And not just because I got to explore it as the relentless sun was finally dipping behind a mountainside.
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