49 Palms Oasis
January 1, 2009

Happy New Year, 2009.

We decided to go for another walk in the National Park to the 49 Palms Oasis. It was about a couple of miles each way and well worth the effort. I'd never seen anything like it. A proper palm oasis in the middle of the dessert. Penny said there were more than 49 Palms. I didn't count - possibly about 100. It's at the bottom of a north facing steep slope. I suppose there's something about the ground water that causes it to come to the surface and the palms are able to thrive in the moist soil. It's very beautiful.

The weather in the park in January can be quite cold. It was about 60F during the day and around 30F at night. They had 12" - 18" snow for Christmas this year. However Joshua Tree at 4000-5000' above Sea Level NP isn't as hot as Death Valley which is the lowest place in the United States. Typical summer tempertatures are 120F whereas Death Valley is often more than 130F.

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