They’re Seussical! With their wonky branches and spiky leaves, Joshua trees have often been likened to the imaginings of Dr. Seuss. There are acres of them in the national park.

We can all now say that we’ve been to a real-life desert oasis! The hot Mojave sun beat down on us as we hiked to the 49 Palms Oasis. Here, fan-palms grow in a shady grove around groundwater that hits a fault plane. Not surprisingly, hiking in the desert is so dry. We brought three thermoses of water along on the three-mile hike and nearly ran out.

There are also acres of cholla cactus in the park. Cholla cactus is no joke. Called “jumping cholla,” the spikes seem to jump out at you if you walk too close, and they can be extremely painful and require pliers for removal. A first aid kit and warning sign are stationed by the trailhead at the Cholla Cactus Garden self-guided tour.

We saw a kit fox, roadrunner, small lizards and many types of cacti. (And we’ve all come to the consensus that cactuses sounds better than cacti.) We had a really fantastic day!