California Deserts

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

For spring break 2015, I met up with my dad and step-mom in Las Vegas for a "California deserts" roadtrip.  Jerry at the time was working on base in northern Greenland, which is about as opposite from Vegas as I can imagine.  Our stops after Vegas included Death Valley NP and Palm Springs, with day trips to Joshua Tree NP and Mojave NP.

First night in Las Vegas

Palms Place

Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley (too hot for shorts!)

Dinner at the Ranch

Zabriskie Point

Evening hike after the temperature cooled a bit.

Date palms at the Ranch

Drive through Artist's Palette

Badwater Basin

Walking out to the salt flats

Wildflowers on the way to Palm Springs

Palm Springs at night from our rental

Hike from our rental

Palm Canyon, Agua Caliente Indian Reservation

Joshua Tree National Park

Early evening  hike up Ryan Mountain

Sunset from the top

Our Palm Springs rental

This is how I roll...

Mojave National Preserve

Teutonia Peak trail

Cali

August and I left in the cool darkness of the early morning to catch our flight to LAX.  We would be visiting Jerry for a 4 day weekend in Lompoc, just north of Santa Barbara, where he was staying for two week work trip.  My son must share my love for travel- from the moment he was hit with the bright lights of airport security he was all smiles.  He spent most of the 2 hour plane ride looking out the window and shrieked in excitement when the plane barreled down the runway in LA.  Luckily for me, he promptly passed out moments after leaving in our rental car for the 2.5 drive to Lompoc.  My drive gave me time to think- mostly about how I had come out here almost two years ago, to the exact same place, driving down the exact same roads... and now here I was with my baby in tow.  And how travel is different with children- but really not that different... it is still exciting, and maybe even more so, because now I experience the joy of travel through the eyes of a child.  And that is what has always driven me to travel- the opportunity to experience something that felt completely brand new, giving me that disorientating sensation of knowing nothing, yet feeling everything. 

Baby's first trip to a winery.

Teaching August the art of the swirl.

 

Drive to Jalama Beach State Park.

Enjoying the beach on my first Mother's Day!

Can I have some?

Passed out.

The famous Jalama Beach burger.

The hotel pool.