Here are some random facts about Joshua Tree:

The rock formations of Joshua Tree National Park were formed 100 million years ago from the cooling of magma beneath the surface.

Humans have occupied the area around the park for over 5,000 years.

Known as the park namesake, the Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia, is a giant member of the lily family.

The band U2 named their fifth album after the park, as a nod to both the wide-open spaces of America that produced the county and blues music they borrow liberally from, and their antipathy towards American foreign policy,  a prevalent theme underlying many of the tracks on the album.

I think it is kind of cool to give a tree a human name, but the story of how the Joshua Tree came to be called Joshua is surprisingly unexciting, and actually a little lame. From the National Park website: According to legend, Mormon pioneers considered the limbs of the Joshua trees to resemble the upstretched arms of Joshua leading them to the promised land.

On the other hand, I do like the story of how the local town of Twentynine Palms was named: Legend holds that the Serrano Indians came to the Oasis of Mara because a medicine man told them it was a good place to live and that they would have many boy babies. The medicine man instructed them to plant a palm tree each time a boy was born. In the first year, the Serrano planted 29 palm trees at the oasis.

To avoid the inevitable request for tips at the end of the “tour” we wandered off on our own and I took pictures of the graves. As you can see, most of them are in a severe state of disrepair. In New Orleans, the cemeteries are built in the Latin style, with all the bodies “buried” above ground in tombs. Each tomb can hold an unlimited number of bodies; after one year and one day, the remains have deteriorated enough that the tomb can be unsealed, the bodily remains separated from any casket remains, and pushed to the back of the cell to make room for the new casket. (It was the image-alignment gremlins who saw fit to put that last paragraph next to the picture of the dumpster.) Most of the dates on the headstones were from the late 1800’s; the most recent ones we could find were one or two from the late 1990’s. Many tombs had a pile of rubble in front of the bare seal where the headstone had fallen years ago, others were crumbling from the top down. There were silk flowers in front of some of the graves, but they had all faded to a dusty gray. Stories of bodies rising with the flood waters and floating through the streets seem far more plausible once you see the condition of the cemetery. Many of the houses we saw in the Garden District had been abandoned after Katrina, but the cemetery seems to have been forgotten long before then.

Do you remember when we used to run around the cemetery in Arcata late at night? With our thermos full of warm tomo-dachi? Those are some of my favorite memories!

Here are a few more New Orleans pictures. There is a cable car system running through the city, and you can take it anywhere for $1.25. It’s almost like a tour in itself, since it goes through some really beautiful parts of the garden district. All of these pictures were taken from the window of the cable car (in motion.)

You cannot really see from the small pictures, but a lot of the houses have water marks almost to the second story. Many of them are under construction, and others have just been boarded up and abandoned.

I think everyone has a favorite type of sight-seeing when they are traveling – some people go places for the food, some for the history, some for the nature; mine is definitely the architecture.

Parasol's Bar, on the corner of 2nd and Constance streets

Where is a chainsaw when you really need one? I had to use my glasses as a prop instead.

Since we have some food-themed posts going on, I thought I’d post some New Orleans pics and make a few comments on the food! The bar above, Parasol’s, was my first New Orleans meal. Before you ask if I was trying to get mugged or contract some sort of food-borne illness, I should point out that Parasol’s has been featured on that show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and beat Bobby Flay in a Roast Beef Po’Boy throw-down. We ordered their famous roast beef po’boy, an oyster po’boy, and a side of fries smothered in brown gravy. I thought the oysters in one sandwich were good, but I am in general not a fan of soggy food. The roast beef was prepared in the traditional New Orleans style, shredded and soaked in gravy, then sandwiched between crusty french bread, slathered in mayonnaise, and topped with pickles. Although I am sure it is a fine specimen of a po’boy, it was a little too sloppy for me. That, and mayo makes me want to hurl.

They do get points on atmosphere, though! The picture at left is the lone bathroom in the joint…I had to go back in with my camera to capture the utter creepiness; I believe this shade of chartreuse is called Grisly Massacre. Also, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the walls are not proper walls, but painted, unprimed, plywood. The sink was cracked, the ceiling sported one bare strip of constantly-flickering flouresecent bulbs, and the light swtich (top right in picture) had no plate cover. Not like it makes any difference, once you’ve committed to this color, the only thing you can really accessorize with is splattered blood and carnage.