Joshua Tree
Spending so much time at home and the uncertainty of when we will be able to go back to normal has me dreaming of traveling. I'll go anywhere, I’ll take a lazy beach trip, an adventure hiking trip, a historical Museum trip… but until then I’ll work with trips down memory lane and reminisce on some of my favorite past trips.
One of our favorite places to visit is Joshua Tree, or southern California in general. It was one of the first trips Raf and I took together and we have only made it back to Joshua Tree once since then but still talk about it frequently and can’t wait to plan another trip.
Our first trip there was piggy backed off a work trip to Las Vegas. (That was my one and only time in Vegas and I'm ok with that.) We drove from Vegas to Joshua Tree and spent the night at an awesome Airbnb trailer and explored the small town. We ordered delicious take-out pizza from Pie for the People! and ate it with a bottle of Prosecco around a small fire outside our trailer. It was a short time spent in Joshua Tree, most of the exploring was done by car because the next morning we were off to San Diego to visit with some friends and family for a few days and stick our toes in the ocean before driving all the way back to Vegas for our flights home.
We returned to Joshua Tree a second time with a bit more time to explore. We planned a few days there after again visiting with friends and family in San Diego. Before we got on the road we stopped at Trader Joe’s to stock up on some snacks and wine. Side note: Going to Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite things to do in California, which I realize probably sounds crazy since that is where I do my regular grocery shopping, however, California always seems to get new products first andddd the wine selection! Why can’t they just sell wine in grocery stores in Connecticut!
So armed with plenty of bottles of wine, a solid cheese selection and more snacks than we needed for our short stay we got on the road (it’s about a 2.5 hour drive from San Diego to Joshua Tree). We found another amazing Airbnb to stay at this time called The Coyote House. We felt so comfortable there, it was tastefully decorated with desert vibes. We loved having the full kitchen to put meals together and my favorite part was the hot tub which we enjoyed at night watching the stars overhead.
On this trip we had time to explore more. We went into Joshua Tree National Park, stopping to explore on foot here and there. We did the Barker Dam Hike which is an easy hike for any level. It is a 1.5 mile loop on trails with minimal elevation and when you reach the damn it feels like you stumbled upon an oasis. Amid the brown desert rocks there is this calm pool of water with some greenery around it. It was very peaceful and we sat and enjoyed the oasis for a little before continuing on the loop back to the car. We then drove to Keys View, one of the highest viewpoints in the park that you can drive right up to and offers amazing views of the valley below. We spent some time here, soaking up the views before heading back to our Airbnb.
Barker Dam
We enjoyed the last night in our cozy Airbnb before heading back toward San Diego, which did involve a detour to Temecula. We stopped looking for lunch and found Temecula Cheese Company which offered a cheese and wine pairing. After our first few selections we realized the wine pours were quite generous and we couldn't keep driving. Thankful we had an extra day with no plans, we booked a last minute cheap hotel room and were able to explore the cute town of Temecula before we had to make it back to San Diego to catch our flights home. That ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip, sometimes having no plan can create the best memories. We can’t wait to go back!