Day Tripping and Health News

Day Tripping

We've been here at Sam's for about a month and a half and hadn't yet made the drive to the developed parts of Joshua Tree National Park.  Life looks different now that Mike is working regular office hours, even though the work takes place at home in our trailer.  Our joint sightseeing trips are limited to weekends.  And just like any job, when the weekend comes around, it can be hard to get past the inclination to just sit around and relax. Yesterday we overcame our inertia and made the trip to Joshua Tree.  We went in through the West entrance.  I have nothing to compare it to, but it seemed pretty busy to me.  Lots of people out enjoying the sunshine.  Though the temperatures were projected to be in the mid-80s, in the park we were in the 70s and there was a light breeze to keep things pleasant.

The campgrounds were not really suited for trailers or motor homes over 20-25 feet.  The roads were curved and narrow, and the parking in almost all of the sites was limited to car-size vehicles.  The sites themselves were interesting--they were laid out amongst large boulders.  We've contemplated leaving our 5th wheel here at Sam's and taking the Subaru and our tent out for the weekend.  No cell Verizon cell service so a longer stay wouldn't be possible for us. 

The trees and wildflowers and rocks were beautiful.   The Joshua trees were mostly finished blooming.  I'd really like to see more of the park, especially the less-busy parts.  Unfortunately, they don't allow dogs on the trails and we don't want to leave the dog alone in the trailer for extended periods.  Dogs are allowed in the campgrounds, parking lots, and on the paved and unpaved roads so we did a little walking on a dirt road close to one of the campgrounds.  While I enjoyed the beautiful landscape, I was kind of repulsed by the presence of so many people.  I am happy that lots of people use our public parks because that's what's needed to garner the necessary ongoing support of these spaces.  I'm also happy that people are experiencing some pleasure by spending time in the outdoors.  At the same time, I'm put off when I see people who don't spend much time in beautiful, natural environments come into those environments and then leave.  Especially when the natural environments have been reconfigured to accommodate heavy use by people.  And when people wear and bring totems of material culture, and enact cultural norms for the purposes of signifying status to others in the same culture.  For example, t-shirts and hats with logos, women with makeup and perfectly coiffed hair,  people who talk loudly for the purposes of impressing their friends and strangers, flashy recreational gear, etc.  And then there's the people who disregard the few environmental protections that have been put in place to protect the park or help it recover from the consequences of overuse.  I got out of the car and first thing I saw was a group of people, with a dog, step over the short fence that had been put in place to rehabilitate the eroding surface of the ground, and walk off over an area of dying groundcover that was clearly stressed from the impact of too many feet. 

I get why those things would cause me to feel resentment.  But I don't know why I resent it when I see groups of people in a campsite who have driven to the nature to have a good time in the outdoors.
 If I explore the feeling a little more deeply, I sense that it comes from a belief that they are using nature and not demonstrating an appropriate respect and appreciation.  Maybe it's because they have a conception of the world that conflicts with mine and demonstrates values that I don't endorse.   I'm offended when someone who doesn't notice the changing patterns of colors in the sky as the day progresses or the tiny plants that grow between the cracks in the sidewalk treats nature as something that can be used simply as a setting for a holiday and a place to enact middle-class American cultural practices such as going for a hike, taking photographs to post on social media, or sleeping in a tent.  Perhaps this is just my own over-educated version of "Hey, kids, get off my lawn!"  There's more here to think about. 

Health Stuff

Finally got a call from my hematologist's office back in Maine about the results of a blood test I'd had here in Palm Springs a few weeks ago.  I tested positive for the antibodies that are present in Antiphospholipid Syndrome, an autoimmune blood clotting disorder.  Read about that disorder here, at eMedicine. This was my second positive test.  The diagnosis requires two positive tests spaced at least twelve weeks apart and a history that includes an additional sign of the disorder such as a late term miscarriage, severe headaches, or a blood clot.   I was shocked. For some reason I'd figured the test would be negative.  I guess I'm used to doctors not being able to find objective signs, other than old lesions in my brain and lung, to explain my symptoms. So, yeah, I'm adjusting to this new knowledge.