A Visit to Joshua Tree National Park (Day 4)
For my last day in the park I hiked around the trail at Split Rock and ended up crossing paths with a desert tortoise. I had been hoping to see one, knowing it was not likely, and then on the last hike of the visit I nearly stepped on one. He tucked into his shell, I backed off, and then waited. He poked his head out, we watched each other for a while, then he decided it was safe to come back out and head on his way down the trail. It's impossible to spend too long watching a tortoise. They are fantastic creatures, full of personality.
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| At Split Rock. |
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| Closeup of weathering tree remains. |
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| Face Rock |
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| Yucca bloom getting ready to open. |
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| More desert blooms. |
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| Another lizard, species unknown. |
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| The trail. |
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| Large dyke formation. |
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| Distant view. |
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| Tortoise! |
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| Checking each other out. |
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| Checking surroundings. |
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| Good to get going again! |
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| Spherical rock. |
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| Last series of joshua tree photos. |
