Cholla Garden (2007)
Joshua Tree National Park, CA

A Cholla garden is not where you want to kick off your shoes and romp barefoot. That would be foolish and would almost certainly end in a great deal of pain. They don’t call it “Jumping Cholla” for nothing and once it attaches itself to you it won’t let go. And yet, it is irresistible. It’s a place whose beauty is dangerous and yet oh so worth it. The most beautiful cactus of the Mojave Desert, it looks cuddly like a teddy bear but its spines can effortlessly pierce shoe leather. Believe me, I know. But isn’t it magnificent, especially in the early morning light.