Joshua Tree National Park, California

One of our goals on this trip was to visit as many places as possible in their shoulder seasons, to avoid crowds. We’ve had mixed success (mostly by being too early to some places), but Joshua Tree was a big fail. We ended up being there during Spring Break, and the place was absolutely packed. It was pretty stark after the solitude of the Mojave. Crowds are one thing, but people’s general behavior (mostly in the parking situations) put me in a bad mood for much of our visit, and as such I didn’t take many photos. On our last night we managed to get a camping spot in Indian Cove, and that was a true oasis. Quiet, private, not many trails to attract the big crowds; I think our two days there have been two of my favorites of the trip. I spent one day there just climbing on rocks, photographing birds, and doing some macro photography for the first and only time this trip.