Park Eight: Saddleback Butte

This was park one of four on my last day of the southern leg. My legs were sore and aching from my two desert hikes the day before and I was sort of hoping that I'd get to stick close to the camp sites at this park. That was not the case.

I will say that what really captured my attention at this park were the joshua trees. I'd never seen one in person before and I think that the majority of the photos that I'd seen showed them with the tufts of palms covering their trunks. I never knew that in their maturity they actually have bark like any other tree. I also didn't realize that they could grow to be so large. As such, I made a point of trying to capture those two points in my photographs.  

Details of the coverings for each of the campgrounds. I imagine they become even more appreciated as the summer wears on. 

Campsites seen from a distance via the trail that leads up to the Saddleback.

Part of the butte itself. It was extremely difficult to get the sun to cooperate with me during the time frame I had available to shoot there. 

A butte, as defined by wikipedia is: "a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill. The word butte comes from a French word meaning "small hill"; its use is prevalent in the western United States, including the southwest, where "mesa" is also used. Because of their distinctive shapes, buttes are frequently key landmarks in both plains and mountainous areas."