Pulse - July 2021 - 4

MEMORABLE DAY
PULSE PERSPECTIVE
RMCNV@YAHOO.COM
irst of all, I want to greet everyone a Happy Fourth of July! I hope that your celebrations were
filled with great moments of family bonding and a chance to actually and physically be with
one another instead of through video. It's hard to believe that the end is just around the corner.
Half the year is gone and we are looking forward to better times ahead.
Summer is here and so is the heat. School is out and
everybody is raring to go someplace just to relieve the
stress from being cooped up for a year and a half. Travel
experts say that this summer season will see a great increase
in travel and of course, ticket prices and hotel bookings. I
expect that once the theme parks open fully, the lines will
once again be miles long for the popular rides.
Speaking of travel, I finally decided to do so last
Memorial Day. Joshua Tree National Park has been on
my bucket list for some time. So, with my daughter
home from school, a long Memorial Day weekend coming
up, I planned a day trip for the family.
After reading a couple of articles and viewing some
Youtube videos on what to see and where to go, I felt
we were ready. The expected drive time was around and
hour and a half from where I lived so we left a little early
to arrive way ahead of the expected crowds. The first
stop was the Visitor Center to get an entrance ticket. As I
was in line, I heard a memorable line from the apparently
not so happy lady behind the ticket counter. I quote, " I
truly don't know why people want to go to the desert in
100 degree temperatures. " Well, I guess I would find out.
As you approach the park, there is a sign at the
entrance welcoming you. We had to stop for the obligatory
photo. There was another Filipino family (3 generations
of them, I think) ahead of us taking their own
pictures. I offered to take theirs so that the whole family
could be in the shot. And of course, they offered to take
ours. A photo quid pro quo ensued. As we left, I noted 3
more cars starting to park at the side of the road waiting
their turn. I think they were all Filipinos too.
The first expected stop was the cholla cactus garden.
The drive to the garden was another 30 minutes from
the entrance and along the way, I started to appreciate
the beauty of the desert. As a kid growing up in a tropical
country, my only ideas of a desert was a barren, sandfilled
landscape with camels and an occasional oasis. The
concept of a desert filled with plant and animal life was
very attractive to me, thus my desire to visit Joshua Tree.
And I was not disappointed. We saw several type of birds,
a jackrabbit, and as was explained in another video I saw,
the myriad holes in the ground are signs of animal life.
There were also lot of different plants aside from the
famous Joshua trees and cholla cactus. My only disappointment
was that I failed to spot a desert tortoise in it's
natural habitat. Maybe next time, I will get lucky.
As we moved from landmark to landmark, the heat
started to build up. The sun was getting higher as the
day went on. Despite this, we still managed to visit a few
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JULY 2021
PULSE
more spots and take pictures of the different rock formations.
Some tourist spots like the Arch Rock was already
overcrowded with other visitors waiting their turn so we
decided to skip the photo sessions for those. Split Rock
was less crowded and offered an opportunity to walk
around a bit more and enjoy the scenery. I never thought
my phone would have so many pictures of millenia-old
rock formations and thorny plants and trees.
By mid-afternoon, my
companions were already
tired and complaining about
the heat. Since the trip was
my idea and I just cajoled
them into taking it with me,
we decided to go home but
with a short side trip as a
reward for accommodating
my wishes. Nothing energizes
a mother and daughter
pair like a trip to an outlet
store! We stopped at the
Cabazon Outlets ostensibly
just to look around but unsurprisingly, ended up with
more than a couple of purchases. And expectedly, the
stores were even more crowded than the park.
We eventually got home before the traffic build up
along the major freeways. Tired, slightly sunburned, but
happy. I have to say, that was one of the most memorable
Memorial Day holidays I have ever taken. Maybe an
overnight camping trip next time?
Raymond De Villa, DVM
SCVMA President
F

Pulse - July 2021

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