CALIFORNIA'S GOLD: JOSHUA TREE (TV)
Summary
One in this series of travel programs featuring host Huell Howser, who tours California, exploring the state's diversity. In this episode, Howser visits the Joshua Tree National Monument, a park which spans 870 square miles and was created in 1936 to preserve the natural desert scenery in the southern part of the state. Howser chats with park ranger Bob Moon, who takes him to see the tallest Joshua tree in the world, explaining that is over 30 feet tall and may be hundreds of years old, though there is no way to definitively determine its age. The trees earned their names from Mormon settlers who felt that the distinctive branches resembled the prophet's arms reaching up in prayer, and Moon describes the trees' unique blooming habits. They visit the park's most "photogenic" tree, nicknamed "Elmer's Tree" after a former employee, as well as the "barber pole" tree, a tall, completely vertical tree that has not yet branched. Another tree, which has died and fallen over into a mass on the ground, now serves as a home for termites, snakes, rats and other creatures. Moon notes that no known pests or diseases can kill a Joshua tree, and Howser talks with a few tourists about the appeal of the unique plants.
Next, Howser visits the Keys ranch, established in 1909 by the Keys family and turned over to the park service in 1969 and preserved as a tourist attraction. Son Willis Keys shows Howser around his childhood home, pointing out the well, the "old-timey air conditioner" and the wood stove. Venturing outside of the house, they examine several old wagons as well as the one-room schoolhouse and private dam, which also served as a swimming hole. Keys explains that the ranch provides insight into an early way of life in the desert, which he himself finds "ideal." Howser next visits Keys View, a lookout point which provides a panoramic view of the Coachella Valley, and continues exploring the park, encountering some wildlife and admiring the "carpet of color" created by the many wildflowers growing in the desert. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: KCET-TV (Los Angeles, CA) / PBS
- DATE: November 30, 1992
- RUNNING TIME: 0:29:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:54321
- GENRE: Education/Information
- SUBJECT HEADING: Education/Information; Nature; California
- SERIES RUN: PBS KCET - TV series, 1991-2012
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Home Savings of America bank
- TV - Promos - "California's Gold" home video
CREDITS
- Huell Howser … Producer, Writer
- Vicki McCoy … Associate Producer
- Phil Noyes … Associate Producer
- Huell Howser … Host
- Bob Moon … Interviewee
- Willis Keys … Interviewee