The Chandelier Tree

Quite the tourist trap, but still a must see. There are several of these giants in California that have carved out for travelers to drive through. I have to admit I've been to this one twice. I'm not sure what the allure is. I feel like it's one more chance for us to assert our assumed dominance over mother nature. I do know that as an East coaster, I will never get tired of seeing nature in truly massive scale.

Joshua Tree National Park

Emma and I decided to take a little trip to California this past week. It started out with a drive across I-8 to San Diego. My sister has lived in North County for 2 years now, and I hadn't been able to visit her till now. San Diego was great, way too many people, but the beach was awesome. Unfortunately I had some serious back pain going on, so I opted not carry a camera around. So it wasn't until we left San Diego to head to Joshua Tree National Park that I pulled the camera out.

Joshua Tree was amazing, even after spending 2 months in the Sonoran desert. We also lucked out by catching the Joshua Trees in full bloom. All over the park there were budding flowers, and it couldn't have been more beautiful. This is just a teaser, there will be more photos from the trip soon.
Living the dream,
-Tyler Gates
http://www.GoodLifePhotography.com