After checking out of my dorm room in Joshua Tree I hiked around the Cottonwood area for a little bit before heading out on the road.  I love the remote highways through this part of California.  So very desolate in places, it gives me a particular sense of calm and freedom.  Following the dark ribbon of road with an enormous sky overhead, the openness of the desert, the beauty of the exposed geology of the mountains, unmasked by plant life.  The land is open and unconcealed, like the world laid bare at your feet, open to exploration, encouraging a similar openness in the viewer, a freedom to be who you are.

Today is just a short four hour drive north and west to the mountains outside of Tehachapi where my aunt and uncle live.  The views from their place are incredible, perched at the top of a ridge, facing the Sierra Nevadas.  On clear days, you can see Mount Whitney.  Some days, fog below defines the ridges of the surrounding mountains, on others low clouds form a smooth surfaced lake.  Having only been there for a handful or two of days, cumulatively, I know I've missed out on the full visual repertoire, which only makes me want to come back more.  Plus there's the added benefit of the people who live there, whom I greatly enjoy being around.  Truly they are the real reason I go, not their view, but it's a nice treat.  Afternoons mean martinis and appetizers, a tradition I fully support.

My posts for these next few days, on my way home, will be organized more by place than exact day.  Included below are a couple shots from the next morning, when my uncle took me on a drive to the next mountain over where there's a neat little archaeological site that was donated to the public by the land owners.

A farewell view of Joshua Tree from near my dorm.

Looking south across the street from my aunt and uncle's place, which faces north.

The view at my aunt and uncle's house.

The view at my aunt and uncle's house.  My drive over takes me through a pass off to the far right.

A panorama that captures much, but not all, of their view.

An oak, the reason for this site.  Ancient people would gather acorns, soak them for a prolonged period to reduce the bitterness, and grind them into a flour.

The holes are places where acorns were ground on the rock, over time wearing these deep holes.  You see these around Joshua Tree NP as well, and various areas around the region.

A view of my aunt and uncle's place, at the very top of that ridge.