Different Kind of Warning

Road Trip ~ Desert Lessons continued

Ouch! This sign isn't kidding. The cholla cactus is famous for embedding its barbed-tipped thorns deep into its unwitting host. These are desert hitchhikers of the nastiest kind. Also called "jumping cholla," they detach very easily from the parent plant and appear to jump right on you. On one memorable trip, a friend of my son decided to kick one that was on the ground. Yep, you guessed it, that bit of cactus held on for dear life and we had to cut away his sneaker to eventually pry the thorns out of his toes. It took a whole lot of screaming before we were done.


The thing is, it's an appealing plant. Seriously, people get out of their cars to get a closer look all the time. The sun shining through the thorny spines gives the cholla a fuzzy look ~ as in fuzzy enough to want to touch. Since they grow in clusters, the wise park rangers at Joshua Tree have posted warning signs and created pathways for "safe" meandering among this cacti.

What knocks my socks off is that the cholla is stunning in combination with the yellow-flowered whatever-it's-called plant that has decided to co-populate the same area. It was a visual feast and I must have taken a dozen or more photos of this dazzling duo.


That's the fascinating thing about relationships. You can take two completely different people who appear to be totally incompatible, provide a copacetic environment and they can flourish side-by-side. One may be the "beauty" and one may be the "beast" but together they make an exquisite and even inviting partnership.

Warning: relationships can be beneficial ~ even beautiful. I just never know what kind of relationship I might have with another person or what kind of community we might create until I try.