Cholla Cactus Garden in the lower desert plains of Joshua Tree National Park 

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Before boarding Baby B’s first international flight to Palm Springs, we asked our readers to recommend some attractions. A common recommendation was a visit to Joshua Tree National Park, so we planned to spend an afternoon exploring the fabled US National Park.

Knowing very little about the park, we jumped in the car and made the 45 minute drive from Palm Springs to Joshua Tree (the city), located northwest of the national park. We entered the park from the west entrance near Black Rock Canyon and traveled south to the entrance/exit near Cottonwood Mountains – here is a map.

Originally, we thought we would spend a few hours exploring the park (including the 45 minute drive). But after pulling into the tourist centre to grab a park map, we quickly realized just how huge it is (789,745 acres to be exact!).

“It takes approximately two hours to drive”, said the uniformed Park Ranger.

“Seriously?!” we replied. With a 3-month old baby on-board, we didn’t know what we had just committed to. It’s one thing to plan for a 2-3 hour trip, but a 5-hour road trip is a completely different story (it takes an hour to get from the south entrance back to Palm Springs).

Let’s just say that it wasn’t Baby B’s finest hour - he screamed for a solid 45 minutes - but the stunning landscapes made it well worth the detour. No pain, no gain – right?!

Below are some photos from our trip to Joshua Tree National Park

Rock climbers scaling the smooth rock formations

Peculiar desert landscapes

 The park road snaking between interesting rock formations

A native Joshua Tree, the inspiration for the park’s name

Desert landscapes – the perfect backdrop for an old Western movie

Park road splitting a forest of Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert

Entrance to the Cholla Cactus Garden hiking trail

The otherworldly Cholla Cactus Garden – very unusual

Close-up of the Teddy-bear cholla  in the Cholla Cactus Garden – don’t touch!

Cholla Cactus Garden

The endless lower desert plains of Joshua Tree – you don’t want your car to breakdown here!

 Dramatic panorama in the Colorado Desert

 The Joshua Tree National Park Store near the town of Joshua Tree

An old saloon in the town of Joshua Tree. It kinda has a wild west feel about it, doesn’t it?

So what makes Joshua Tree National Park so extraordinary?

The park is a transition zone between two deserts, the Mojave desert in the higher elevation and the Colorado desert in the lower plains. The varying temperatures create a rare eco-system with distinct plant species (like the unusual Cholla Cactus Garden pictured above). The unique rock formations in the park were formed over 100 million years ago, eroded by groundwater that shaped the peculiar outcroppings.

It’s no surprise that the park is hugely popular with rock climbers, mountains bikers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. We’d love to return when Baby B is a little older and we can spend a few days exploring the park, camping under the desert stars – it must be quite the spectacle!

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Have you visited Joshua Tree National Park?
Share your experience and travel tips in the comments section below

The Extraordinary Landscapes of Joshua Tree National Park, California is a post from: Traveling Canucks

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Week: Joshua Tree National Park, California
2. Travel the World, Flying by the Roots of your Family Tree
3. Baby B’s First International Flight + Stunning Aerial Photos
4. Pictures from the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt

Traveling Canucks

Research

Women who suffer from addiction often have a co-occurring mental condition. This can vary from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, ED-NOS, or even binge eating disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder. No matter the disorder, it is very important that addiction treatment for women get to the root of the addiction. Recovery from an addiction cannot be successful if the behaviors or feelings that are the underlying root cause of the addiction are not dealt with. For example, if a woman who suffered from sexual abuse as a child does not work through the pain and guilt and anxiety surrounding that event in her childhood, she will continue to use drugs or alcohol to escape those memories, feelings, and pain. The best solution is dual diagnosis.

Mothers

Another issue that many women have to contend with when it comes to treatment for their addiction is their family. Often women are single parents, and have no care for their children. Recently in New Jersey, rehab centers have begun offering on-site childcare. Perhaps if more rehabilitation centers offered such services mothers who need help can get it and ultimately become better mothers and stop the cycle of addiction in their family.

Addiction

Unfortunately, anyone can succumb to an addiction to drugs or alcohol. It can destroy a life very easily. With women it is common that there are underlying reasons for a drug addiction to manifest itself. If a women has experienced something traumatic in their lives that makes them experience feelings of guilt, shame, or pain this can very easily led to a dependence on drugs or alcohol. It is imperative for women to realize that there are programs out there that are customized for their individual needs. Hopefully, more and more rehabilitation centers will do a better job of providing child care services for women who are single mothers and badly need help for a drug addiction.

SkyClub Latest News | First and Business Class Travel

SkyClub Latest News | First and Business Class Travel

Why visit Ixia?

The reason for visiting Ixia is that this place gives you easy access to attractive and beautiful places and the shopping bay as well. So it is convenient to do the shopping in the middle of the way on the journey back to home or arrival to start the perfect vacations. Many big and small shopping malls offer necessary items for customers. You will see range of products in these shopping places that you can buy for yourself, family, friends or kids at reasonable price. You do not have to move around other places for shopping specifically, because this place is really a good choice for getting everything.
There are lots of things which you will find unique and you will be desperate to buy those things that are at affordable price and another interesting thing is that you can have all seasons products any time. The season starts in June and lasts till mid of October. During the peak season, there is a heavy crowd in shops and markets, tourists come from all over the world and enjoy shopping here.

Ixia – A worth-visiting Tourist Spot

With a blend of shopping, entertainment, fun, sightseeing and accommodation facilities, Ixia becomes inevitable choice for visitors to spend holidays. You can visit the beach and other sightseeing places in the day time and enjoy shopping in the night. This place is full of joy and entertainment so you should enjoy at your fullest.

Shopping in Ixia

Although, there are a number of shops in Ixia but it cannot be compared with the shops of Rhodes Town. Those who want to enjoy shopping thrill at quality shops and malls , they should visit to Rhodes City. You will see luxurious items, fashion boutiques, gifts shops, jewelry shops and lots of other stuff in Rhodes City. In Ixia, you will find all these items but that could be low in quality.

Your trip to Rhodes Island will be incomplete without visiting Ixia.

Tours of Europe

Africa has quite a lot to offer to the adventure sport enthusiasts. Rafting, gliding and surfing can quench the thirst for adventure for most of the tourists but if you are looking for the extreme adrenaline rush then there is no better activity than the bungee jumping. Africa has quite a few bungee jumping spots that can provide you with an awesome experience like the continent’s highest bungee jumping spot in south Africa where you can jump from a height of 216 meters from the bridge on the Bloukrans River.

But if you are looking for a bungee jumping spot that has an added advantage of viewing one of the most stunning scenic beauty in Africa, then head to Victoria Falls. Bungee jumping is by no means the real attraction of Victoria Falls as its picture perfect settings and one of the world’s largest water falls attract thousands of tourists to it annually.

As the Victoria Falls is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe so you can easily access it from the both countries but as most of the adventure tour operators are operating on the Zimbabwean side so taking a flight to Harare will be a better option for you. You can either hire a car for getting to Victoria falls from Harare or you can take a local flight that connects the two places. The best place for bungee jumping is the Victoria falls bridge from where a jump will take you into the batoka gorge where the fresh water rafters will be trying hard to avoid flipping over in the level five rapids of the Zambezi river. The bridge is in no man’s land between the two countries and was built in 1905 to connect the two countries.

Bungee jumping is not for everyone especially not for the light hearted and if you are planning to bungee jump then you are not one. It is recommended that you contact a professional bungee jumping club for the assistance during your jump. They will provide you with the essential equipment and basic guidelines for jumping. If you are planning for a jump in the months of august leading to November then there is a fair bit of chance that the water level in Zambezi will be low and river will look more rocky that usual making the jump that more dramatic. You will be jumping from a small platform of the bridge and the height of the jump is 111 meters.

If you are a newbie in the bungee jumping business then you will taking the smaller 100 meters jump but if you are an experienced jumper then you will given the chance to try out the complete jump in which your finger tips can touch the warm water of the Zambezi river. Most of the Zimbabwean tour operators charge around $ 120 for the bungee jumping and an extra $ 20 for digital photography and $ 50 for the DVD.

Africa flights and travel news

Baby B’s First International Flight and some Stunning Aerial Photos

Last week we took Baby B on a trip to Palm Springs California, his first international trip and his first time boarding an airplane. At just 3 months old, we were both curious and apprehensive about how he would handle this monumental flight.

Our flight departed at 8:30AM so we were up early and at the airport by 6:00AM. We did the usual airport dance and cleared security with plenty of time to spare. Needless to say, it was a totally different experience with a baby.

Thankfully, we were allowed to bring our stroller and car seat through security and checked it at the gate just before boarding the aircraft. We’ve never had so much stuff to bring on a flight!

So how did the little man do, you ask?

Fantastic! He slept for most of the flight, waking up about 30 minutes before landing (the flight from Vancouver to Palm Springs was 2.5 hours). We thought the pressure from the descent into Palm Springs would hurt his ears, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, as the other babies on the plane screamed in discomfort, Baby B actually giggled and smiled as we approached the runway.

Let’s hope this trend continues – fingers crossed!

Baby B fast asleep with daddy

We had clear skies and a window seat, so we were able to capture some great aerial shots

Snow-capped peaks in Washington State

Somewhere over either Washington or Oregon

Somewhere in Oregon

Northern California

Aerial views of a small ski hill in California

Baby B enjoying the views

Approaching Palm Springs, California

We’ve arrived. Baby B’s first flight is huge success!

Baby B’s First International Flight + Stunning Aerial Photos is a post from: Traveling Canucks

Related posts:

1. Baby B’s First Adventure is a Success!
2. 13 Awesome Miniature Photos from Around the World
3. Photo of the Week: Joshua Tree National Park, California
4. Help us Plan our European Adventure this Summer!

Traveling Canucks

SkyClub Latest News | First and Business Class Travel

Overcharging

A multitude of locksmith companies out there, sadly, are very unprincipled and try to swindle people out of their hard earned cash with taxes and surcharges that don’t make any sense. Due to the fact that the individual calling the locksmith is frantic for help they normally end up paying these ludicrous prices with no way of knowing if they are appropriate or not. To guard yourself from this setup, get a set in stone quote before an individual begins picking your lock.

Locksmith Bullies

Also, many locksmiths use methods that make it easier for them to get the most amount of money from people possible. They tell customers once they get to the scene that the lock is much more complex and difficult to get into then they previously said. This leaves people, who are usually in a rush, in a bad predicament. Do they ask the locksmith to leave and take their chances with another company (wasting precious time in the process), or do they give in to the demands of the person that is there and pay whatever they say? Many times people choose to submit to the prices that the locksmith on scene is quoting them, even if they know it is not right.

How To Avoid Scams

One of the best ways to protect yourself from being caught in this scenario is to find a reputable, honest locksmith company before you even need one. Obviously, many people do not take this potentially money saving tip, and are forced to deal with the problem when it presents itself. However, just taking a few minutes to go online and check with the Better Business Bureau to find a good locksmith company could save you a lot of money and headaches in the future. Once you find a good locksmith company you can put their information in your phone so you will always have it available should you need it.

Again, nobody wants to ever get locked out of anything they want to get into. This happens every day all over Miami. You could be late for work or some imperative function when all of a sudden your plans are halted. It could very quickly ruin your day. However, if you take the necessary steps when selecting a miami auto locksmith company you could avoid some of the problems that come with getting a locksmith company at random. Even if it is the middle of the night, there are Miami 24 hour locksmith services available that are honest companies that will do right by you.

Another significant aspect to check out would be the nature in the report offered by the marked directory submission company. The submission reports provided are necessary in relation to determining the performance the website will achieve. Some companies give fewer details as opposed to runners. Typically, once the facts are in comprehensive, it’s almost guaranteed that the top PR Directory Submission services will probably be unreliable. It is essential that one demands a total report of the processes that have been taken. It will help elude the likelihood of being exploited. Proceed through every piece of information and make certain the directory submission services were designed in the appropriate way.

Creating of Social Bookmarking services is often designed to increase your website performance instantly. For anyone who is in many web based business and selling services or goods, it’s a smart substitute for raise your sales at once. This SEO strategy is good for boosting rank of one’s website; it’s also possible to reap the advantage of high-quality of inner link for ones website. Such linking is important to boost your site visibility on many popular yahoo and Google. To put it briefly, social bookmark creating is best approach to index your web site.

You have to remember that some writing and Article Submissions services use software programs in an effort to submit the articles. The condition at this point is the articles can get denied more often in cases like this. Yes, it truly is faster but it surely does not necessarily mean it truly is convenient. It is crucial you check out the services, once submission site. You should know when they handle the articles manually. It indicates they painstakingly send the articles individually while in the directories. Directories may have very strict rules with content so you must know about these limitations.

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