Desert Sightings Near Beaumont

embiggen to enhance your viewing pleasure.

These days, it seems like all train cars are covered with graffiti. However, this is the first time I've ever seen a landscape painted on one. That guy was good!

ENLARGE this one please!

Yet another abandoned truck. Although I really do love old trucks (and own one myself), what I like best about this photo is the little hints of yellow in the foreground brush.

Rain clouds, snow, wind powered electricity generators. All desert oddities.  Actually, the wind generators are very common in this area (close to Palm Springs), there are hundreds of them around.

I don't know about you, but when I see dark clouds in the desert, I try to get off the road and onto some high ground. Storms are not usually very friendly there.

--------------------------------------------

Nothing spectacular in this post, but I thought there was something pretty interesting or funny in each of these photos. I hope you agree...

.

.

Dinosaurs in the Desert

This post falls under the "weird things you only see in the desert" category. This spot is on the edge of the Morongo Indian Reservation and about 20 miles from Palm Springs. Yes, it's in the desert. Yes, it's seen better days. Still, I'm really glad I stopped there.  It cost me about 5 dollars to see them and I was the only customer idiot there.

If this T-Rex looks huge, that's because it is. Those are full sized palm trees.  Hey! Is that a porthole?

I have to admit that this guy was kind of scary looking.  It was also very realistic. Of course, I've never seen a dinosaur in person, but still...

I don't like this one at all. Seriously, look at those beady eyes!

Another scary looking one. This guy was about 20 feet tall.

You really have to watch out for these Velociraptors.  Of course, anyone that has seen Jurassic Park, knows that already... 

I threw this one in for scale.  That upper doorway is at least 30 feet off the ground.  

I suppose this soldier was part of a display. It looks like he might have had a rifle in his hands at one time. Further, it looks like he might have had fingers at one time also. Either a Dino was gnawing at his hands, or some hyper-active children have helped themselves to fingers, as souvenirs. Now that I think about it, maybe he is just giving us the "hang loose" sign....

-----------------------

Places like this are why I love the desert. you just don't see things like this in civilized or urban areas.  I wonder how they stay in business.  I was there on a Saturday and like I said above, I was the only customer!

.

.

Tahquitz Canyon

Tahquitz Canyon is on the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation, in the Sonoran desert in Southern Californa. Much of the well known city of Palm Springs is actually part of the reservation. Our RV was parked about 30 miles north of the canyon. 

We'll start with the end. This waterfall is the payoff for a fairly difficult hike on a hot day. It is also one of the reasons that the Cahuilla Indians have continuously inhabited this area for over 2000 years.

My wife, trusty guide, and modern day trailblazer leads us up the canyon. We are headed straight ahead for about two miles.

This is a pretty good example of what the flat parts of the trail look like. When the trail goes up hill it looks like....

This! The elevation gain was about 500 feet.  If it hadn't been hot, it would have been much easier.

I have no idea what this is, but I liked it!

Doesn't that big rock on the left look like a dinosaur head? Or maybe a giant turtle head? 

This unusual formation looked like a giant thrust a sharp rock into the ground.

...

Yin and Yang...

Native Americans consider there tribal lands to be sacred.  This little bit of defacement was obviously done by a tourist. A pious and hypocritical one at that.

Working our way uphill

Just because

A pretty little pool beside the only carved out spot on the trail.

One of several small waterfalls where the stream winds it's way down the hill.

---------------------------------------

For reflections by other photographers go to Weekend Reflections sponsored by James.

.