Joshua Trees In Wrightwood

Back when I was younger than 10 I would drive up the mountains with my family to hike or play in the snow at my local mountain just 40 minutes from home. There was always a turn out on the side of the road about 2/3rds into the journey where me and my brother would get to stretch our legs because that drive felt like ages to us; at this stop, there was a sparse forest of Joshua trees that we would run around and look for beetles or throw snowballs at. I vividly remember this desert meadow and looked forward to seeing it on the drive to Wrightwood. Then I moved away for a few years and by the time we returned we came to a scorched landscape, charred and barren and flat. One of the yearly southern California fires had swept through the Joshua trees and burnt them all down. There was a deep solastalgia returning to that barren landscape which was once a meaningful landmark.