Joshua Tree Gas Cans
I spent Christmas 2025 in Palm Springs, which has recently become one of my favorite places to visit. I appreciate the mid-century architecture, and the warm temperatures and palm trees are a welcome relief from the Midwestern winter. This was my third time in Palm Springs in the last few years, and we decided to combine it with a trip to Joshua Tree National Park.
While driving to our motel in 29 Palms, we passed a gift shop selling lots of Joshua Tree merchandise. While we looked around, I noticed the walls were topped with old gas cans. Their varied colors and textures (some rusty, some not) with a deep blue sky for the background proved irresistible. I used both film and digital cameras to capture several views, and I like this digital version best. It’s a rather simple, graphic composition, but one I like very much.
We found the national park to be incredibly busy, so we ended up entering at dawn, which was a wonderful time to visit the park. It was incredibly quiet and still (and chilly!) and we were able to hike one trail almost completely alone. By the time we finished, the parking lots were full and there was a five-mile-long backup of cars trying to enter. I love Joshua Tree, but the days between Christmas and New Years must be some of the busiest of the year.
