Welcome to Paul's Joshua Tree National Park Pictures.  You should see a difference in the blacks below.  Adjust your monitor if necessary.

This is a shot from Keys View at 5185 feet looking West towards Mount San Gorgonio. This windy outlook is at the crest of the San Bernardino Mountains and 20 miles south of the town Joshua Tree.

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The Joshua Tree area lies in a region where California's high and low deserts meet. These giant yucca trees were named by Mormon pioneers who thought they resembled the Biblical prophet Joshua beckoning the weary traveler to the Promised Land.

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After spending the night in the back of my Explorer I woke up at five in the morning to capture this sunrise in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park.

Barker Dam was built by local cattlemen around 1900. Cattle no longer graze in the park, but this rain-fed pool provides a valuable source of water for wildlife. There were hundreds of PATIO swimming around for some reason.

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This is another cool shot I took from Keys View.

On the way back from Keys View I grabbed this post-sunset shot with an exposure time of around 15 seconds. The moon can be seen in the sky.

Two miles east of Keys view is the Lost Horse Mine. This picture was taken along the 4 mile trail that has no shade, no rest, and no drinking fountains!

Gold worth more than $270,000 was taken from this mine in it's first 10 years. Ore-crushing machinery is still at the site.