On the long road that cuts through the Mojave Desert in Southern California, there are a variety of cacti, twisted Joshua trees and the very rare desert tortoise. South of Mojave National Preserve and north of Joshua Tree National Park there is a toppled tree on the side of the road that is just a bit more colorful and notable than others. I’m not sure if this particular tree is known by any particular name, but I’ve come to call it the shoe tree.
I’d love to know the shoe tree’s story. Who threw the first shoe onto the tree? Was it intentional or did someone throw a shoe out a moving car window in frustration? Now covered in hundreds of flip-flops and tennis shoes, hiking boots and slippers, the shoe tree has become a collection of wearable graffiti. Some shoes are worn with peeling soles and tattered laces. Others look new enough to sell in a second-hand shop. All of them, in some way, have a story to tell.
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Gray
That is wild! I’ve never seen anything like that before. Someone must know the genesis of the shoe tree. I bet it’s an interesting story.
July 1, 2010 at 10:49 am
Keith
Loved this, especially the pic with the proposal graffiti.
July 1, 2010 at 10:52 am
JoAnna
The proposal really got me. I felt bad for the guy who felt the need to bare his soul on a shoe.
July 6, 2010 at 8:08 am
What We’re Reading: July 2, 2010 | Two Go Round-The-World
[…] on a tree. A weird and wonderful image from JoAnna at Kaleidoscopic Wandering — the Mojave Desert’s famous shoe […]
July 2, 2010 at 5:46 am
Shannon OD
Oh that poor man who proposed and then wrote his woe on a shoe! Love the photos and the stories they tell!
July 2, 2010 at 8:53 am
Candice
That’s so freaking cool, I’ve never seen anything like it.
July 2, 2010 at 10:30 am
joshywashington
what a beautiful expression, beautifully expressed.
Isn’t it funny how these things begin, garbage into poetry.
July 2, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Leland
if u drive from bend, oregon to baker, oregon you will pass at least 2 shoe trees.…last saw them the end of may 2003.…they do beg a lot of answers for a host of questions about them…thanks for sharing
July 2, 2010 at 6:13 pm
JoAnna
Will definitely need to make that drive to check that out some day. Isn’t it funny how they become iconic?
July 6, 2010 at 8:09 am
Anil
I love how these seemingly random “monuments” evolve out of nowhere. I too wonder what the original story behind it is — whose was the first shoe and where did the second one come from to start the tradition…
July 3, 2010 at 9:18 am
JoAnna
Anil ~ I almost wonder if the first shoe was an accident. It would be strange to think that someone deliberately set out to create a shoe tree.
July 6, 2010 at 8:12 am
Trisha
Beautiful photo-essay! I’ve driven past this shoe tree a few times, and I’ve always wondered about the stories behind the shoes themselves. What compels people to leave their shoes there? It would make for an interesting short film.
I wonder too if you ever got down to Hogs & Heifers in the meat packing district in NYC — similar, but nearly so interesting, are the bras women leave behind (I’ve left a couple). I think the only story behind them is a few too many drinks.
July 3, 2010 at 4:36 pm
JoAnna
Nope, never made it to Hogs & Heifers, but I’m sure there are a few stories that have been built in that bar, even if the basis for them revolves around a few too many shots.
July 6, 2010 at 8:12 am
Margo
that is amazing. I would love to see that! I would wonder the same thing: who started it? I wonder too if they’ve been back to see it!
July 4, 2010 at 10:20 am
Andy Hayes | Sharing Travel Experiences
OMG — love random/odd/quirky/strange/downright weird stuff like this. Way cool.
July 8, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Nancy D. Brown
Great post. Poor guy who got his marriage proposal turned down.
July 10, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Abi from Inside the Travel Lab
I love these quirky traditions — and you’ve written about this one beautifully. Thanks for helping my Sunday morning get off to such a good start!
July 11, 2010 at 1:47 am
JoAnna
I’m glad you enjoyed it Abi! Thanks for stopping by!
July 13, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Simone
Only in California…
August 1, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Lisa Bergren
Fascinating! Reminds me of a Christmas tree I pass in the middle of a yawning valley of Montana – will try to stop and catch a pic this summer on the way home! (Tho the shoes are far more interesting…)
August 1, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Caroline in the City
I saw something like this near Charleston, SC called the Edisto Island Mystery Tree. It has a bunch of random junk on it but it’s in the middle of a marsh so no one knows how it gets there.
August 3, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Dyfrig
Just driven passed the shoe tree today — with my family. The shoes are on one tree and socks on another. My wife and I and our two daughters — 15 and 12, were amazed. It looked different and you are all right, with hidden stories to tell. Amazing place, if a bit on the hot side for us Welsh people from Wales, UK. Let us know if a reason comes to light. Though I like the idea, that there doesn’t have to be a reason. Things happen, people connect. Great.
August 14, 2010 at 9:56 pm