Clear Skies and Joshua Trees in Early May

Just a few regular days spent walking around here, from May 5th to the 8th. The weather was completely consistent—nothing but bright, clear blue skies from morning until evening. The whole landscape is defined by the spiky Joshua trees and these massive piles of rounded boulders that look like they were just dropped from the sky.

It feels expansive out here. You can see for miles across the desert floor, all the way to the rocky mountains that line the horizon. The sun is intense, and there isn't much shade. One afternoon, I looked up and saw the moon, just a pale shape hanging in the bright blue sky. It stayed there for a while, a faint detail in an otherwise stark view.

Amidst all the muted tones of sand, rock, and dry brush, I almost missed a patch of color on the ground. A spiny cactus was blooming with these incredibly vibrant purple flowers. After looking at the same wide-open landscape for a few days, it was the small, unexpected details like that that really stood out.