Thursday, October 17
Nearly every time we do our trips to Joshua Tree -- and there have been many, as I'll mention shortly -- we tend to stick to the same schedule. We leave on a Thursday, but since check-in time isn't until 4pm, there's no reason to jump up and run out the door. In fact, both Kat and I often have very typical work days right up until the moment we head out the door, and this time was no exception.
Side note: another thing that seems to happen every time: while we're there, we consider the idea of coming up on Wednesday and extending the trip to five days instead of four. Maybe someday we'll actually do that.
Getting There
Part of a trip is the travel aspect. For many folks on vacation, that part is a nightmare... taking cabs or Ubers or shuttles to airports, going through the stress and exact scheduling to make flights, dealing with luggage restrictions and all that. But for our trips to JTree, we don't worry about any of that shit. In fact, the drive out to the high desert is part of the fun.
We know the trip extremely well by now. Across town to the start of the 91 freeway, over to the 605, and then due east on the 60 until it merges with the 10, and then up the steep incline of the 62 until we reach Yucca Valley and then Joshua Tree proper. It's exactly 150 miles, door to door. Are there multiple routes to make this excursion? Yes, but this is ours and it works for us.
We also make ourselves a music playlist for this part of the trip. I called this year's version "Rockin' Shit," and it was great right up until we started to get out of civilization somewhat. Then we switched over to the more dreamy and vibey "Desert 2024" playlist.
Why not just take the 91 all the way into Riverside? Because every time I've taken that route, I hit hellacious bumper-to-bumper traffic in multiple spots, and I promised myself that I'd never try it again.
Repeat Journeys
As I've mentioned before, I did a number of trips to the Mojave Desert starting as a child in Boy Scouts, and then again as a teenager, hanging with friends and being up to no good. But this particular kind of trip, where Kat and I rent a place and enjoy the stay like adults, started in October 2010. She'd never been there before, and I renewed my love for the area's unique beauty at that time.
You could say we both enjoyed it, because since then, we repeated the trip in June 2012, March 2013, October 2013, June 2014, November 2015, April 2016, March 2017, April 2018, May 2019, June 2021, and March 2022, our most recent excursion before last weekend. And yes, it had been 2-1/2 years since my last vacation of any kind. Yes, that's far too long. Life happens.
We've done multiple trips to stay at almost all of these locations, all tightly packed within the same Joshua Tree Highlands neighborhood that we like so much. While none of them have been bad, and each offered some cool aspects, Steph's Panorama Paradise is probably the best one yet.
We didn't hit much traffic on the way out. There's always some; doing anything at any time in the general vicinity of Los Angeles means you experience some traffic, and I've never once driven through Riverside in either direction without a major slowdown. But it wasn't bad. Having left here about 12:30 (and having to stop and pick up snacks for the road and lunch), we still pulled in at 4:00 on the nose.
Our House
Our home away from home this time was a place we hadn't gone to before, but were already familiar with: Steph's Panorama Paradise. With very few exceptions, we've stayed in the Joshua Tree Highlands neighborhood. It's just a couple of miles from the western entrance of the national park, and it's situated off a windy dirt road. It basically feels like you're staying within the park itself, with the exception of a few scattered homes that dot the hillside.
One thing that made us choose this place, apart from the location and the reasonable rental price: unlike most Vrbo/Airbnb homes available in the vicinity, this one was owned and run by a person as opposed to a realty corporation.
The place was, in a word, amazing. First, it was way, way bigger than we'd assumed from the photos. The main room was very spacious, and then there was a full kitchen, two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, and other nooks and crannies. Steph's place could easily accommodate up to six people, if you have a bigger family or are going with friends. Kat and I both agreed that in both location and accommodations, it's probably our favorite home we've ever rented in Joshua Tree.
Steph's house is like a Dr. Who TARDIS... looks small on the outside, but is huge on the inside.
The view from the large circular driveway as you pull in.
The fun, casual, and very relaxing living room where we spent much of our chill time.
The dining area where we ate our delicious meals. All of these rooms have their own excellent views of the surrounding desert, I should add.
One of two master bedrooms. The bed was remarkably comfy, I should note. Softer than the one we have at home but very nice for a few days of luxury.
The kitchen, which is bisected by a large double sink area. All of the appliances worked great and the home has plenty of utensils for typical home cooking.
Supply Run
After arriving and uploading the Jeep, we couldn't relax just yet. We hopped back in and headed back down into Yucca Valley, where we did our standard run to the grocery store to pick up food for our stay. One of the best things about doing a vacation like this is not being reliant on restaurants for every meal... it's both better and way cheaper. So we plan our meals ahead of time, and get what we need once we're in town.
After grabbing some fast food while we were in town, we headed back to the cabin. I should mention here that October 17 was the peak of a full supermoon, and as we drove back to the cabin, it looked insanely and impossibly large as it peeked over the horizon. That added a whole other level of surreality to an already amazing place on the planet.
We ate our tacos, kicked back for awhile, and then called it a night. Beginning of the vacation successfully accomplished.
Friday, October 18
I should mention here that my preferred type of vacation doesn't involve running at full speed for every moment. I maintain a fast pace of life in my daily working life, and even my weekends are often busy, handling all the housekeeping and other stuff I don't have time to accomplish during the week; why would I want to have some tightly scheduled, closely organized vacation time? The entire point of it is to have a break from the usual routine.
The first few times I took Kat to JTree, our big focus of the trip was the national park itself... after all, it's the main attraction of the area that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Originally established as a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated as a national park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act.
Sunrise at the cabin on Friday.
Doing Nothing: Way Underrated
But on this particular trip -- having explored a large majority of the park in previous excursions -- we were in no hurry. And in fact, after days and weeks and months of running ourselves ragged at work (and being immersed in the stress of an upcoming election), the last thing either of us wanted was to be running around with no chance to just stop and truly relax.
So that's what we did. After waking up and making coffee, I eventually cooked us a pretty decent Eggs Benedict. And then we stayed at the gorgeous cabin for the entirety of the day. We'd do whatever we felt like doing. I played some guitar and read. In fact, just before leaving, I'd purchased Geddy Lee's recently released autobiography My Effin' Life, and I spent a good chunk of the day powering through the enjoyable read. I never, ever have the time to just kick back and read here; it felt like a huge luxury.
I did manage to record a couple of impromptu tunes while I was there. I also made sure to carry some Kamala Harris mojo with me. Side note: I only saw one political banner the entire time I was in Joshua Tree, and it was for Harris/Walz. Encouraging.
Cool (and Strong) Breezes
One other note: Friday was a day of very high winds in the desert. That happens. There was a constant wind of 25mph with gusts over 40. We'd awakened to find that a few of the elements around the cabin -- sculptures, a screen door, couch cushions and so on -- had been knocked down in the wind. It wasn't a great day to be out in the elements, with dusty air filling the local environment. It definitely wasn't a good day to plan for hiking in the park for that same reason.
Still, we'd go out from time to time, wandering around the cabin, admiring the views, and watching for wildlife. Kat made us sandwiches for lunch, and later in the evening, I cooked some pasta and sauce served along with a Kat-prepared salad for dinner. We'd initially thought that Friday night would be a good time to go out for dinner, but since neither of us really felt like it... we didn't.
Some people might feel like we had wasted one of our precious and rare vacation days. I say that those people don't understand what life is all about, and that they've obviously never spent a day in the desert. You don't need to be doing something all the time. Sometimes living and enjoying being alive is enough.
Later that night, we settled into bed, knowing that the next day would be quite a bit different.
Saturday, October 19
We awoke on Saturday morning to a day that could be no more perfect. The wind had settled down, and the temperature was in the low 60s. It was Kat's turn to make breakfast, and she whipped us up a delicious egg scramble with sausage and fruits. We were well fed and ready for a day exploring the park. Kat also made and packed up some sandwiches for the excursion, along with some snacks.
One note that I can never say strongly enough: you need water in the desert. Don't scoff at me, I'm serious. People think they know how much water they need on a regular basis, and even so, it's likely that you don't drink enough as it is. But put yourself in the desert, with single-digit humidity, and even in cool temperatures like we have in the fall, you can get quickly dehydrated, and that can lead to immediate health problems.
So even if you're going into the park -- or other area where water may not be immediately accessible -- for what you think will be just a short trip, take more water than you think you can consume... and then continually drink it.
The Price of Popularity
When I was younger and visited the desert, you could go all day and hardly see another soul. Even when Kat and I did our first few trips, there were many areas in the national park where you'd go for long stretches where you feel like you were alone in the majesty of the desert.
Those days are long gone. I'd say there were two big factors to JTree becoming a super popular tourist destination. One happened back in the late '80s, when U2 released their hugely popular album The Joshua Tree. But the other, far more impactful thing was the rise of Instagram and social media in general around the early 2010s. Suddenly, Joshua Tree became one of the ultimate backdrops for people to take pretty pictures... often of themselves. And, let's face it, if you can't get a cool selfie inside JTree, you're not going to get one anywhere. I get that.
Hurry Up and Wait
The western entrance to the park is just a few minutes away from where we stay, but as we neared the gate, it was obvious that it would take awhile to actually get inside. There was a far longer line of cars than I'd ever seen before on any visit. It took a good half hour in a line of vehicles before we actually entered the park.
And look... it was a Saturday in the absolute best time of year to visit JTNP. I get it, and I'm really not complaining. Kat and I listened to music and chatted while we idled our Jeep in the long line. But I do miss the days where a line ahead of you at the gate was maybe five cars... not 50 or more.
Busy Inside Too
Obviously, that number of cars waiting to get in meant a lot of folks inside the park as well. Fortunately, the magic of JTNP overrides any momentary annoyance of wanting an entire national park all to one's self. That's silly.
We cruised up the road, oohing and ahhing as we always do no matter how many times we've traveled through that natural wonderland. Once we got to Hidden Valley, we decided to pull in and stop to have lunch. At first, it seemed like it was so packed there that we'd have to choose another spot, but most of the crowd was near the head of the well-known hiking trail. We went around to the south side and it was pleasantly uncrowded by comparison.
Enjoying sandwiches and snacks at Hidden Valley.
Satiated with food, we continued further into the park, and on a whim took the drive up to Keys View. It's the highest point in JTNP, and one we usually hit when we visit. One sight that's always welcome: as you head toward higher elevation, the density of the Joshua trees grows higher, and at some points it's like an actual forest of them. It's just beautiful.
Getting High
Up at the top, we got out into gusty winds and shockingly low temperature... it was almost 20 degrees cooler up there than at the park entrance, which isn't surprising; it's nearly a mile high at the summit. Like the rest of the park that day, it was relatively crowded, but we stopped for awhile, getting out to admire the view (which, on some days, allows one to see Mexico from over 100 miles away), and take some silly pics.
My home in Redondo Beach is up a little hill from the Pacific Ocean; I spend 99% of my life just 100 feet above sea level. At over 5,000 feet, Keys View is nearly a mile high, and I remembered to document that via my phone's compass app.
I was far too pleased with myself for having taken this pic of myself in the rarified atmosphere up there. Also, I occasionally have the maturity of a 13-year-old.
Looking down over the Coachella Valley with Kat.
Getting back in the Jeep and heading down to lower elevations, we next decided to continue further into the park to visit one of Kat's favorite attractions in JTNP: the Hall of Horrors. It didn't take long to get there, but once we arrived... ugh. There were so many people there that folks in cars were idling, waiting for parking spots. We found ourselves stuck in the entrance, and both of us realized this wasn't going to be a fun excursion.
Once we got out of that mess, I had an idea. Heading back in the direction of the park entrance, I remembered a spot we'd visited before that isn't called out on the visitor guide. Given that we were trying to get away from the throngs of people, I hoped that perhaps this would be the place to do just that.
Ahhhhhhh...
I'm abso-fucking-lutely not going to tell you where my Secret Spot is located. It's not that I don't trust you, dear reader, but the entire point of a secret is to not talk about the secret. But I will tell you that while it does have an actual name, it's in a spot that's situated between some of the more popular areas of JTNP, nestled in a series of rocks, and unless you're a hardcore hiker, it's not one of the main attractions there.
And that's what made it perfect. No, we weren't the only ones there, but in comparison to the dozens of people we saw at each of the more well-known sites, we literally ran into just two other small groups of people the entire time we spent at the Secret Spot. For the majority of our visit, we were completely alone. in fact, the very top image of this post is a panorama that I took there. Notice what's not in the frame? People.
Kat looks down the trail at the Secret Spot.
I decided to scamper up some rocks and strike a pose at the Spot That Shall Remain Nameless.
We would have considered it a great day in JTNP even if we hadn't ended it with our special little place in the desert. But both of us were ebullient after taking a short hike into this area. It's everything that people like us love about JTNP; open scenic natural wonder, quiet, peacefulness, and a zen-like sense of happy calm. There's a saying we once heard about this place: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but what happens in Joshua Tree stays with you forever." I will whole-heartedly support this sentiment.
After that, it was time to head back to our cabin and make plans for the rest of the evening.
A Room in the Local Saloon
We always hope to have a meal at Pappy + Harriet's while we're in the desert. It's a world-renowned restaurant that is incredible in the quality of both the food and the atmosphere, as well as being one of the preeminent live music venues in the world.
However, it is a little bit of a trek from our location in the JTree highlands, all the way through Yucca Valley and up into the Pioneertown hills. Also, with no reservations, it's a gamble; we were hungry, and the thought of heading all the way there on a Saturday night and then having to wait for 45 minutes to get seated wasn't appealing at all.
So instead, we went to another place where we'd had plenty of enjoyable meals: Joshua Tree Saloon. As the name implies, it's a raunchy (and yet family-friendly) bar and restaurant located right at the corner of Park Boulevard and Highway 62, at the main intersection of the entire town.
Seriously, how awesome is the Joshua Tree Saloon? I've had a great time every time I've gone there.
I'm not trying to look suspicious of my surroundings here at the JTree Saloon, but that's my natural face and sometimes I can't help seeming that way.
Hoisting my Modelo for a cheers with Kat.
Honestly, under the circumstances, it was the perfect choice to forego P&H's for the Saloon. Driving just a few minutes down the road, we were able to park and get seated immediately, and despite the fact that it was a busy Saturday night, we had good service. Kat and I both had steaks with sides, and we also both enjoyed a delicious Modelo beer.
As I've mentioned many times, I hardly drink alcohol at all; this was probably my first beer in a couple of years. And goddamn, it tasted so good. Besides, being on vacation and enjoying a delicious cold brew in an actual fucking saloon in the desert after a day of hiking... c'mon. That's one of those perfect moments that make life worth living.
Anyway, the food was great, the vibe was fun, and I enjoyed my conversations with Kat and at the same time was watching the Yankees and Guardians play in the ALCS on the TV screens behind the bar. We finished our meal, headed back to the cabin, and spent awhile chilling, looking at the night sky, and listening to the coyotes howling before heading to bed. A perfect JTree day by any definition.
Sunday, October 20
Another well-known saying -- sometimes attributed to Chaucer -- is “All good things must come to an end,” and that is true. Trust me, there have been plenty of trips where Kat and I and our friends are tempted to just stay there in Joshua Tree for another day or two, or more. But the fact is that we have lives and responsibilities and other reasons to get back home again. Also, if you think about it, the main reason we appreciate the desert so much is that we're only there for brief periods, and that's what keeps us coming back over and over.
A funny side note about Sunday morning's breakfast: when we went shopping the first night of our arrival in town, we did pretty well about picking up all the ingredients for meals, beverages, and plenty of snacks. We managed to forget only one thing: cream cheese for our planned bagels on Sunday.
Kat still made it work, melting some pepper jack cheese over some veggies on top of the bagels instead. It worked just fine. Besides, we had an 11am departure, so we couldn't dilly-dally around the cabin as much as we'd have probably preferred. It didn't take long to get packed, and then to do a basic clean-up of the cabin.
A panorama shot outside of our amazing desert home on Sunday morning.
Full of desert smiles after another great trip.
Speedy Drive Home
I will tell you that leaving JTree on a Sunday -- with a lot of other people heading in the direction of Los Angeles at the end of a weekend -- has been difficult on some of our trips. I recall one time where there was some massive accident on the 10 West, and we sat in one spot almost unmoving for like an hour. That sucked.But not this time. We hit a couple of slow points; there's never been a time I didn't hit major traffic going through Riverside in either direction on the 60. But those slowdowns were very minimal on this trip, for which we were grateful. Door to door, we made the trek in under 2-1/2 hours, and I believe that's our new land speed record for a return trip from JTree.
The drive was mostly uneventful, which is the preferred outcome, and we pulled into our driveway in Redondo Beach with plenty of time remaining in the day to get our stuff unloaded and unpacked, and to do some laundry to wash the desert grime off our belongings, before relaxing and calling it a day.
Will I be back in Joshua Tree again? You bet your ass I will. And yes, there are other places to explore and people to meet and things to do. I have ideas for future vacations with Kat that don't at all involve being in any kind of desert environment. But I can say with 100% certainty that I have every intention of getting back to JTree whenever I can. Once it gets inside you, it's there forever.
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