JOSHUA TREE
A Different Planet
Joshua Tree - a type of Yucca, really, unwinding in repose gracefully out of the pages of Dr. Seuss. A sea of the iconic plant’s otherworldliness, surrounded by an uplifted sea of monzogranite, “like careless piles of toy blocks”...only peppers part of the park’s 800,000 acres.
California fan palms signaling a crack in the Earth’s crust (i.e., an Oasis) are worth the hike, somewhat daunting and inaccessible and magical.
Signs are adamant about staying with a gallon of water and constantly hydrated, given its relentless arid summers, but with its altitude, also snows.
7 day passes per vehicle are $30. Worth driving through completely, coming up from the east to explore all the park's varied zones, and exiting from the West. Be sure to head back to photograph sunrises and sunsets, the park gates are always open, and if not camping, the High Desert Motel is a great deal.
PALM SPRINGS
A design-rich leisure capitol. You can be buck naked at a resort for a week without thinking twice about it.
Gay mecca, laid back and friendly. LA feels a lifetime away.
Tropicale for brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks, fun vibe.
Bike mid century architecture tour: modernandmoreps, check in by
*Big Wheel Tours* - the best (affordable) bike shop in town
Cathedral City Tennis Club - the most (affordable) chill and community-lovin’ fun to be had in Old School California tennis
Book a moonlight trail ride with Sue at Coyote Ridge. Walk to the mountains and find a trail. Take edibles. Get lost.
Even the two Ralphs have the nicest folks. Living in an arid oasis-dream.
