Transmitting from the Mojave Wilderness in Joshua Tree, California, now is the time for Desert Oracle Radio, the voice of the desert. Night has fallen on the desert.

And if you're lucky enough to be in the mountain desert west this week, this month,

with snow-dusted mountains all around and the sun shining in a crisp blue sky.

Well, you have paid for the sins of the summer, and this is your reward.

Mowing wind on a November night,

the first sweet chill of autumn.

And just like that,

before you ever thought about getting up on the gravel roof and putting the cover over the swamp cooler, it's cold.

Here around Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley in Pioneer Town this week, we woke to snow on the

mountains, a snow-covered San Gorgonio, so recently on fire. And that light desert dusting you get

on the lower hills or around the pinion juniper tree line,

where the pinions meet the Joshua trees, boulders and black brush.

Is there a more beautiful kind of wild land in the world?

Everybody's got their favorite, so I don't want to imply that one favorite landscape is better than another.

It's just my favorite.

And it might be yours.

Walking around, breathing that fresh, cool air, clean, damp sand in the washes and patches

of clean white snow in the shade of the Joshua trees.

Watching the dog delight in the fact that it's not only cool out, but there's some snow to nose around in, even roll around in if there's a big enough patch.

Up in Missoula, they were digging out of the snow that morning.

Ski season was about to start up at Mountain High in the Southern California Mountains,

but then a worker got the Rona, and they had to delay that a bit.

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