“All told, I have had little travel in my life which has yielded so much profit on the exertion as the old Mojave stage. I understand that the road is well furnished now with gas stations and hot dog stands, and the trip can be made in a few hours without incident. Which seems on the whole a pity.” – Mary Hunter Austin, Earth Horizon, 1932

Happiest of birthdays to California’s Desert National Monuments: Sand to Snow, Mojave Trails (which includes the Cadiz Dunes, the subject of my last blog post), and Castle Mountains. They were all designated two years ago today, on February 12, 2016. Together, their creation represents one of the largest acts in history towards the preservation of California’s deserts for future generations. May we celebrate many more birthdays for these diverse and unique monuments.

Sand dunes in Mojave Trails National Monument

Cottonwood trees at Big Morongo Preserve, part of Sand to Snow National Monument