I don’t want to miss out on the adventure that life is! It’s a gift, and something to not take lightly. We never know how long we have with our loved ones, friends, or to enjoy time on the incredible Earth that God has given us. That’s why I’ve made it a priority these past couple of years to invest my time and finances into time with friends, which usually means going to concerts or taking trips with them. Even though I come back exhausted and behind on work, it’s totally worth it!

Joshua Tree National Park has been on my list to see since I was probably 15 or so. I remember seeing cool photographers that I followed who lived in California (like Jasmine Star and Denise Bovee) taking epic photos in cool places like this. The unique Joshua trees, the windmills in Palm Springs, the ocean up in Big Sur… all of these places are nostalgic for me and I’d never even visited them!! So to get to experience such a vastly different part of the country that the lush green midwestern terrain I’m used to… well, it was a highlight of this year!

DAY ONE // THURSDAY

Since we started our hiking around 9:30 or 10am (pretty late for a desert NP!) we decided to have lunch and take a break. Crossroads Cafe was highly recommended online, but we were pretty disappointed i the service. The food was great, but it took them twice to get my order to me than promised, and they didn’t have bathrooms (just PortaPots) and no hand sanitizer on the outdoor seating or guest services stand. Needless to say, we were pretty bummed about the experience.

After lunch, we headed back to our AirBnb to rest. Bethany took a nap, and I read on the patio with some fresh strawberries. The good life, I tell ya! Then we freshened up and went back into the park to shoot some sunset photos. The clouds actually came out of nowhere during the afternoon, so we didn’t quite have the sunlight we wanted but it still ended up ok!

DAY TWO // FRIDAY

We spontaneously decided to do the Barker Dam hike. Sadly, there was no water to be seen in the Dam but it was an easy hike and I’m glad we got to see more of the park terrain!

It was starting to heat up, so we headed into town for some brunch. Bethany picked out the C & S coffee shop. More of a diner than a “cafe”… but so good! We sipped hot mugs of coffee, watched the locals and tourists alike, and filled up on good hearty breakfast food. 10/10!

We went back into town for some window shopping + dinner! Since it was Friday, we ended up driving into Yucca Valley and grabbing Applebees. 😂But it worked out… because then we just drove up the road into Pioneertown to explore before the stars came out. It was a lovely evening!

DAY 3 // SATURDAY

Saturday morning we packed up, ate leftovers for breakfast, and headed back into town. There’s mostly fast food joints and a few hole-in-the-wall places in 29Palms and Joshua Tree to eat. Thankfully, Joshua Tree does have one actual coffee roaster & shop! So we grabbed iced lattes, walked around a few shops, dropped off postcards, and then filled up the gas tank to drive back to Palm Springs.

We grabbed a quick lunch in Palm Springs and then headed to Bethany’s request— the Moortan Botanical Gardens! It was only $5 a person, and we got to see a lot of unique cacti.

Since Saturday was Bethany’s last day, we went out for our one fancy meal that night! It was soooo good. The staff was very attentive, and the meal was tasty. I splurged on a glass of bubbly, and we split dessert! YUM. Definitely check out Trilussa if you’re ever in the Palm Springs/Cathedral City area.

DAY FOUR // SUNDAY

I woke up early to take Bethany to the airport. Thankfully, even 6am in California isn’t that early when it feels like 8am in Iowa time!!!! It was Easter Sunday, so I took a walk around the neighborhood and watched the run rise, the desert flowers bloom, and thought about what Easter means to me. It definitely was a special time!

Then I drove to meet my friends Blake & Kristen for brunch! It was SO good. Except that I almost passed out at the end from heat exhaustion. OOOPS. Learned my lesson on hydration (even though I thought I was!).

The rest of my afternoon was pretty quiet, and then I went out to meet Lydia + Eugene for our session. Afterwards, we went to dinner and drinks at The Tropicale for the other best meal of the trip!

That’s pretty much it! Monday morning I packed up, headed to the airport, and made it back home by Midnight. 😅 All in all, a great trip!