Hello friends! (Just a warning, this is gonna be a long one!)
So, earlier this week my friend Grace and I headed over to Joshua Tree, CA for a quick and relaxing two day getaway. Last month we were just craving to get out of town, even if it's just for a day or two. So after thinking for a couple days on where to visit, we settled on Joshua Tree. I have visited once before and wanted to show Grace how beautiful the desert is, so we booked an AirBnB, packed our bags, and headed out to the desert. The drive was around 2.5 hours but felt like 30 minutes. If you're heading over there from the Los Angeles area, you'll pass by many mountains, open roads, and miles of wind energy windmills. After going through many playlists, munching on lemon cracker thins, and lots of conversation, we arrived at our beautiful little AirBnB. Here's a quick little house tour! ↴
The house was so lovely and perfect for just the two of us. The home was filled with unique art pieces, vintage decor, and the most stunning back yard. Our host, Kime, was super helpful and sweet. Sadly, we didn't get to meet her but she left clear instructions and communicated with us well via text message. After some time passed, we went out and explored the city by hitting up a few antique shops, taking photographs, then going over to a local grocery store to grab some ingredients to make dinner. The rest of the night consisted of cooking up some food (questionable pasta and a really yummy balsamic vinaigrette-y side), watching a movie, enjoying the outside patio, and babbling on all night. Before we knew it, it was pretty late and time to head to bed.
After a well needed good nights rest, we rolled out of bed, packed up our bags, and quickly made some breakfast. Prior to going to Joshua Tree, we brought some groceries along with us so we were able to whip up some pancakes and scrambled eggs for a nice filling morning meal. I forgot how much I loved pancakes, thanks Grace for making them ♡ After putting away the dishes, we said our sad goodbyes to our beautiful little home and headed out to town. The air was dry and we were pretty beat by the heat, but we were ready and excited! We first stopped by the 'Joshua Tree Coffee Company' for a quick drink then went straight to the National Park for an afternoon full of exploration.
Skull Rock ↑
The National Park was... breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. As we were driving through, we saw Joshua Trees covering the desert for miles and it was really a visual experience that I haven't had in years. (To be more specific, we started our drive from the west entrance and ended up at the north entrance.) When we got out of the car to adventure around, I was hit by the sound of absolute silence. Probably the greatest thing I experienced out of the whole trip. Regardless of the countless amount of flies that decided to join us inside the car and the 100 degree weather, we loved and enjoyed the whole drive through of the park. (I mean, thank God for no bees right?)
After around three hours of sweat, dust, and exploration, we were ready to head back home. But before actually leaving town, we wanted to grab a bite to eat so we stopped by a popular New York style pizza joint called 'Pie for the People' that was recommended to us by our host. (It was delicious! Picture of me shamelessly munching away on the left.) After our late lunch / early dinner, we made a quick pit stop to the 'Cactus Mart' before actually getting on the freeway back home. I first heard about this place from 'That's Chic's' Rachel Nguyen from her video blog and instantly knew that this was some where we have to visit before leaving Joshua Tree. This place is best known for their "Dig Your Own Cactus for 59 cents" special but is also filled with so many other beautiful and abundant plants spread out in the back garden. Also, they had the most friendliest and helpful staff ever! Grace and I went ahead and potted lots of adorable little cacti to take home as a memory.
After potting our new friends and a 2.5 hour drive, we were back home.
If you're living in California, specifically the Southern California area, you have to visit Joshua Tree at least once in your life. It's a great break from the busy city and despite the dry ground, it was truly a refreshing experience. I can't wait to come back! Maybe next time I'll go all out and go camping at the actual National Park.
If you made it this far in the post, congrats! You're a trooper. I hope you enjoyed this post about my mini getaway, thanks for coming along. If you're interested in making Joshua Tree your next travel location and have any questions, feel free to leave a comment down bellow and I'll try my best to answer with full detail!
Best Wishes,
Janis Rebecca
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