On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
The Live Oak tank (named after the Coastal Live Oak you see in the photos), is on the west side of a large group of rocks dominated with a rock informally known as the popehat with a small dam on the south side. The wash continues down to the even larger Ivenpah Tank whose dam is about the size of Barker Dam. When they were actually using the tank for cattle they would clean out the sand that would wash into the tanks, since the park service doesn’t do that, they tanks are filled with sand.
I set up and shot the vertical panorama with the tree along with light painting. I then shot the arch panorama and attempted to light paint the foreground with some success. By the time I was done, I only had about a 1/2 hour before the beginning of astronomical twilight, so I packed my stuff up and headed back to the car (only about 600 yards).
While I was shooting the arch panorama I looked up to the sky and it really struck me how the skies at Joshua Tree are not all that dark (this is a continuing discussion on the local photography FB page). It’s certainly darker than here in the city, but compared to Red Rock, Amboy, Zzyzx, or Fossil Falls, it’s really not very dark. So while Joshua Tree has some compelling foreground features and somewhat dark skies which can make for a compelling astrophotograph, it’s not the best, especially for shooting photos of galaxy or nebula. While I really liked Live Oak as a compelling foreground, I won’t be rushing back to Joshua Tree to shoot it again.
After loading my gear in the car, I decided to try something different for my departure from the park. Normally, I enter and leave the park via the two northern entrances at Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms; this time I decided to leave via the southern entrance to the park by the 10 at Cottenwood. This route would take me though the Pinto Basin area of the park which I first visited back in March. As I drove the 30 miles from Park Blvd. to Cottenwood, the eastern horizon lightened from the Sun getting closer to the horizon. I pulled at one of the parking areas along Pinto Basin road to capture the horizon lighting up against the stark desert landscape.
The Milky Way core arches over the Coastal Live Oak in Live Oak Tank.
Panorama of the Milky Way arch at Live Oak Tank with two Joshua Trees at the left. You can see the rock they call “Popehat” just to the left of the oak tree.
The Sun begins to light up the horizon in Pinto Basin.
Closeup of the mountains in the eastern edge of Joshua Tree National Park.
As the Sun gets closer to the horizon the other stars fade from view.
sab
My husband, a lifelong city dweller, has never seen the Milky Way.
Mary G
Still one of my favorite places on earth. Love the scary oak tree pictures. The sunrise is not something I’m familiar with as a confirmed night owl, but your photos are lovely
JPL
Lovely!
Laura Too
Beautiful, and very peaceful. Thanks!
TaMara (HFG)
Nice way to begin the day. Great photos BiG
?BillinGlendaleCA
@sab: That’s not surprising, Madame sometimes asks why I have to drive so far to do my night shots, cause I have to get away from the lights of LA. I probably have to drive at least an hour.
@Mary G: I don’t think the oak is scarry, maybe I needed to light the top of the tree better. I think it’s my best Milky Way photo to date.
@JPL: Thanks.
@Laura Too: Thanks, even though it was not too far from the main road, I was the only person there.
Miss Bianca
That top photo’s da bomb.
arrieve
So beautiful. A wonderful way to start the day.
laura
?Now the sun’s coming up, I’m ridin’ with lady luck, freeway cars and trucks stars beginning to fade, as I lead the parade….
Beautiful as always BillinGlendale.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@TaMara (HFG): Thanks, this group is probably my best.
@Miss Bianca: That’s my best Milky Way photo, I’m really happy with it. I’ve be influence by this guy from Australia.
@arrieve: Thanks, starshine is better than sunshine
@laura: Thanks, I did pass a few casinos on the 10 on my way home.
WeimarGerman
Thanks for the reminder not just of JT but Amboy and the other desert spots to our east. My son’s HS astro club used to drive to Amboy at 5pm on various Fridays and just stay up all night. Well, the parents drove and slept in cars while the kids had fun. Then around 5am we’d try to find the missing kids who had no sense of direction and couldn’t find the parking lot.
Gonna check for a new moon on the calendar now.
Benw
I love Joshua Tree and the Anza Borrego. Great pics
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WeimarGerman: I’ve been to Amboy a couple of times, the real treat was find out about the Amboy Lions about 4 miles east of town. My area of interest for my next few shoots will be more to the north in the Owens Valley. Easier drive there and much less crowded(as long as I avoid the Alabama Hills). The new moon is next Thursday(June 10).
@Benw: Anza Borrego? You’ll like what I’ve got cued up for next week.
Benw
@?BillinGlendaleCA: noice!
Bob from Oregon
During an 1854 lecture at the University of Lille, French microbiologist and chemist Louis Pasteur said, “In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.”
From your description in the paragraph prior to your beautiful photographs, I believe you have given a fine example of Louis Pasteur’s quote.
Excellent example of one of life’s gifts.
Long time lurker, first comment.
Thanks for being here.
Pete Mack
What is casting shadows? Headlights turned on briefly? Something else?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Bob from Oregon: Thanks much and I’m glad my photos brought you out of lurking. I put a great deal of time into planning, one reason is that I’ll usually spend more time driving than shooting. It took 4 hours to get to Joshua Tree that night
@Pete Mack: I light painted the tree.
stinger
Love them all — and your reminder that the Sun is just “another star” — but that top photo…. Breathtaking. Deep and vast.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@stinger: Thanks, IMHO that’s the best Milky Way photo that I’ve taken. I’ve got some other locations for more of them.
SkyBluePink
You have captured such splendor in these photos!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SkyBluePink: Thanks much. I’ve got some real good ones planned for the rest of the season, if the whole state doesn’t catch on fire again.
J R in WV
Indeed great work, very probably your best astro photos s far. You really tempt me to get some new equipment. We have a very dark sky in AZ, the county building code requires outdoor fixtures pointed downward. Cousin real estate person made a pile providing acreage to an astronomy group that built a retirement community, no out door lighting at all, observatories in back yards.