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Calender Germar's Monthly Updater

April 2001: Joshua Tree National Park and Seaworld

The visit of my German friends went on in April. The highlight of the month was a trip with them to Las Vegas via Anza-Borrego State Park, Palm Springs, and Joshua Tree National Park. On the last day of their visit we visited SeaWorld, the famous adventure park in San Diego, featuring killer whales, dolphins, sea lions, and also some creepy fish.

It was the best time for making a trip to the back-country. April was unusually cold and rainy, and therefore the desert was blooming. Below is a Ocotillo; a spiny shrub with photosynthesizing stems, small bright green leaves, and beautiful orange blooms at the tips of its branches.


The next stop enroute to Las Vegas was Fonts Point located in the heart of the Anza-Borrego desert. The cliffs are most dramatic and come as a surprise since the road to the point is on a flat dry plateau.


We arrived late at night in Palm Springs, an oasis in the desert with a record number of golf courses (of course all well watered). Our motel had a small pool, which provided a perfect start of the next day. The sun was shining bright already early in the morning, and it was hard to keep our drowsy eyes open.


Palm Springs benefits from hot desert winds, and makes the best out of it: it has one of the largest wind farms in the world.


Finally we arrived in Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Trees are most unusual looking trees with think stems and branches with spiny leaves at the end.


There were also some great boulders perfect for climbing. Well-equipped professionals were all over the place. We couldn't resist the challenge either. Here is my friend having fun:


There were lots of interesting people around, including some hippies with an old repainted school bus.


But there were also wild animals. Below is a coyote looking voraciously for food.


It was the weekend before Easter. Easter bunnies, alias Jack Rabbits, were already busy.


I guess this one was desperately looking for eggs.


The wildflowers were blooming and the park was just beautiful.


We arrived in Las Vegas at midnight. After looking for a hotel we were exploring the city. The town is unbelievable. Everything is fake and artificial. Hotels resemble the Egyptian pyramids, Ceacar's palace, and the Marcus place of Venice. And every hotel has a huge casino in the basement, packed with people who seem to enjoy losing money. For me, it was really a sad place. I couldn't see much joy in the faces of the gamblers. I cannot believe why sitting in front of a slot machine throwing monotonously money in it can be fun. You only have to look at the lavish hotels to realize that the largest portion of the stakes is not paied back. I saw people mumbling to themselves as if they were insane - rather depressing.

I flew back to San Diego the other day while my friends were driving to the Grand Canyon, which is not far east of Las Vegas. Unfortunately, they could not see the "Big Ditch". It must have been bitter cold, with one foot of snow lying on the rim and fog filling the canyon.

On the next weekend we went to SeaWorld. Below are some pictures from the sea elephant and sea lion show. I cannot understand how it is possible to make such a colossus wave to the audience. But it works; I've seen it with my own eyes.


The objective of the show was to fix a plumbing problem. The sea lions did a great job to track down the leak, and fix it. It was quite funny and the trainers did a good job in assembling a varied show.


SeaWorld has also many aquariums, featuring sharks, rays, and colorful fish. Below is the moray exhibit. They look quite terrifying when they suddenly come out of their wormholes.


A even more creepy looking creature is this fish. Try to find the eyes. I believe it's one of the most venomous fish in the word. Stepping on one may be deadly.


Last but not least, penguins. They are on display in a huge freezer with real snow. Their exhibit seems to be hermetically sealed and is illuminated with fluorescent lamps. I feel that these poor birds never see the sun. Seeing them locked away is sad compared to watching them in the wild.


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