I have always found the road (US Highway 93) between Kingman and Wickenburg (Arizona) to be an interesting drive, so on this trip I decided to stop at various locations along the road and take some pictures. (You have to be careful when taking pictures near the road because US 93 is very, very heavily traveled and also happens to be the alignment for proposed Interstate 11.)
The small, unincorporated community of Wikieup (305 population) is probably best known as the rocket launch site for Snoopy, Spike, Woodstock and friends. If you are a Peanuts fan, you probably know that Spike lives in Needles (California), which is not too far away.
Wikieup also has some interesting yard art in front of a restaurant that sells delicious homemade pies (highly recommended)
Nothing, Arizona, a short distance down the road, was always pretty much nothing; but things have gotten worse - the All Mart closed and the four people that lived in Nothing have moved. The community is now a ghost town!
There is a Joshua Tree forest located along one section of the road that is especially beautiful in the spring when the trees are starting to bloom. The flowers are pure white and grow in panicles, which are a contrast to the plant's dark green leaves.
To survive the harsh desert conditions, the plant has a "deep and extensive" root system that can extent downward 35 feet. Some Joshua Trees can live for a thousand years, but it is difficult to determine the age of Joshua Trees because the trunk consists of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings typically found in trees.
Anyway, the Joshua Tree forest is a nice change of scenery from the other desert plants.
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