09/13/2026
Last month I spent 8ish days exploring Joshua Tree National Park, Valle de Guadalupe Mexico, and San Diego. Things definitely didn't go according to plan (more on that later), but I loved each destination, had some pretty interesting experiences, and shared it all with good company. Would I go back? In a heartbeat. Which, if you've been following along for a while, isn't something I say often.
Joshua Tree is such a wild place. We arrived late afternoon, after spending a few hours chatting with our new friend Dave at lunch. The temperature had dropped to a balmy 115 degrees, so we headed to the park. We walked a bit, saw a jack rabbit and a bunch of ants, and I took photos of every weird plant I saw. We caught a beautiful sunset, then made the park loop drive in the fading light. (Sadly, I don't have the photos of Skull Rock, but I'll work on getting them!) The trees look extra creepy at night.
In what was the first of several things to go off course, we had a rare cloudy sky so didn't see any stars. The sunrise the next morning *almost* made up for it, though. And our cute little tiny house, with a cold plunge, hot tub, and comfy hammocks was definitely a highlight. I could have stayed in that blissfully mosquito-free hammock all day.
But, we'd only planned on one night, and needed to make the 4ish hour drive to our next stop: the US/Mexico border. So after dragging myself out of my cocoon, we hit up Joshua Tree Coffee Company and checked out Pioneertown - a "town" built as a movie set, but which houses a handful of shops. It's quirky and worth a stop. (The same can't be said for Rainbowland, that's fine for a drive by.)
Next up: crossing the border.
