Vivien and I have made many trips from our home in Phoenix Arizona out to the coast of California. From San Diego in the south to San Francisco in the north, twice a year, the ocean waves have always pulled us from our desert dwelling.  On those trips west, with our beach destination fixed in my mind,  I would pass the exit for Joshua Tree National Park, off I-10 West bound, going 85MPH, and would often say "next time,"  I'll have to budget some time to stop by and check out the park.    Over the years, I had heard so many wonderful things about Joshua Tree NP - the great camping, the out worldly rock formations, the lovely hiking trails, the smaller crowds when compared against its Grand Canyon sister a couple hundred miles to the northeast.