Central California

May 1^st                mileage: 1,310

      

Carpinteria

 

On May 1^st we departed the Malibu RV park, savoring the morning and using up all of the amenities until the last minute of our check out time. We headed northbound into Central California, the official boundaries I’m not entirely sure of, but after you leave the Los Angeles area it all starts to seem very separate from Southern California. We came into Carpenteria Beach after passing about 55 miles of gorgeous coastline and nestled into a beachside parking space by the campground, which we preferred not to pay for.  There were no signs indicating no overnight parking or camping and the town itself seemed pretty sleepy. We grinned and settled in to some mighty fine real estate on the Pacific Ocean

We spent the afternoon enjoying the sunset on picnic benches and mulling around the sandy shoreline. Dolphins were swimming by close to the beach  and birds were playing in the sky. It was a clear afternoon giving us a shimmering round sunset. We slept undisturbed by law enforcement and woke up to yet another perfect day. Off to Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara

Penny had been limping a bit after chasing a critter in Joshua Tree. We were giving her a lot of down time and keeping an eye on it. After a week of little outdoor time and close watching for improvement, we saw she wasn’t getting any better and decided to take her in to get things checked out.

We made lunch plans with one of my mother’s dearest friends, Pamala, who lived in Santa Barbara, and were treated to a delicious meal of some of the best fish and chips I’ve had on the north side of the pier on a little marina strip by the yacht club. Pamala gave us the name of a clinic to see for Penny and we awaited the assessment.







The vet told us that the problem was definitely her knee and advised us to be settled before pursuing x-rays as a likely procedure could be an ordeal. We decided to get her x-rayed in Oakland where we knew we’d be familiar with the area and able to settle in if needed.

In the mean time Penny was to sit and stay to keep her from straining her leg. We initially made up the whole back seat of the car with tools and framed paintings stored in the back seat foot space that leveled out the back area. We put two dog beds in back, which transformed that area into the most plush and comfy resting zone a pup could ever hope for.

She embraced the lazy lifestyle with grace, even finding ways to get a sip of water without ever having to leave the couch.

We took the scenic route through the hills of Santa Barbara a bit and found a whole bunch of deer grazing around a campsite we were checking out.

After we left Santa Barbara we jumped back on the 1 north towards San Luis Obispo and watched the coast form bluffs along the water, rising higher and higher above the water. The 1 North took us inland a bit through Guadalupe, a funky little agricultural village with cheap giant pizzas and an old-timey downtown. Passing by the Pismo Dunes we checked out the scattered little lakes and started researching some potentials to settle in for the night.

Dinosaur Caves

I was kind of familiar with the County of San Luis Obispo but had only visited a few times and was excited to explore more of the area. When looking for a place to sleep on our map we found Dinosaur Caves Park and knew that was the place for us. We had no idea what beauty we were getting ourselves into. Dinosaur caves is nestled against a sleepy residential area on a side road that followed the 1 and accessed the little beach side surf shops and recreation rentals just north of the park. It is called Dinosaur Caves because dinosaur egg fossils were found in the caves. Along the 
brilliantly deep earth toned cliffs were little coves and caves with big rolling waves crashing against the rocks and bluffs. There was beachfront parking on the cliffs with yet again, no signs telling us we couldn’t stay there. We took the risk, though it seemed too good to be true, and settled into our evening of waves crashing just outside our door and sea critters floating by.

I painted the ocean rocks settled in the tidepools and Rob chatted with an older man who lived out of his van and grew a variety of sprouts in his vehicle as an educational venture on growing food in small places.  We spent the night at my favorite “boondocking” spot so far, undisturbed my law enforcement and rose the next day to clear skies, crashing waves, and a brilliant light hitting the caves and cliffs as we enjoyed the sights with a cup of joe.

 

Rob and I scored a bit of salmon and tuna from a fish market in Santa Barbara nearby where we had lunch and made a couple delectable Japanese-inspired dishes, starting with seared tuna, shaved cucumber, and crispy oyster mushrooms. After that we made some sushi tacos with furikake seasoned white rice, shaved cucumber, raw salmon and seaweed chips. Oh so good.

                      

Morro Bay

After our morning coffee at Dinosaur Caves Park we scoured the beach for cool rocks, finding some Agate and what I believe was some Jade. We got a tip from a woman we were chatting with while rock hunting to check out the Avila Beach area, just north a bit, as she spotted a pod of whales migrating north a couple days prior. We gathered our precious stones and packed up shop, bidding the Dinosaur Caves and all it’s beauty farewell. We took the advice of the woman we were talking to and scoped out Avila Beach. It was a beautiful little drive through the canyon that spat us out to the oceanfront. We didn’t see any whales but we did take advantage of the vast dog-friendly beach and brought our beach towels and mason jar cocktails along. Soaking up the sun and jumping in the mildly chilly ocean, we spent a few hours being lazy beach bunnies while Penny socialized with other pups and we soaked up the sun. We left the beach and headed towards Morro Bay.

We took our time (as the truck and camper always does) making our way up the 1 north again and came into Morro Bay mid-afternoon. We went straight for the water after driving through town and parked by their monumental giant rock on the ocean and snuck past the waterway fence to hang out with the squirrels and watch the water gently move back and forth against the rock. We saw signs for the annual car show while passing through town and wanted to check out the scene. The town was packed with mint-condition oldie cars that were preparing to show off their wheels. After freshening up a bit we walked up to the main strip and watched the cars loop around the town.

The cars slowly drove by, waving to their admirers. And then they did another loop, and another, and another. They must have circled that place 15 or 20 times! By the end they were hauling ass trying to get this show on the road. We got a little bored by the repetition and decided to get a drink instead. We went to one of the two bars in town and sat next to an older couple with 6 empty jello shot containers in front of them. Rob ordered a beer but I was way too fascinated by this jello shot action to think of beer. I asked the man what the deal was with the jello, and in a thick and wavering slur he tried to tell me about the 3 jello shots for $5 deal they had. Obviously they had indulged and found them quite tasty, and from the barely audible sentences the man was working out, I knew they must be good. We ordered up a couple rounds, I got the green and blue ones and Rob manned the red (I very much dislike red flavor) and the smiles were already planting themselves on our faces.

We headed outside for a smoke and, of course, attracted over the two obnoxious middle aged drunk guys; one rather overweight and able to attract dogs much more easily than women (his words, not mine) and his buddy with the blonde Mohawk (not the punk rock kind, more so the confused varietly). We tried to make conversation while slowly backing away, they tried to make plans for the next bar with us. We bolted for the shuffle board table on our first opportunity out of the budding friendship and got some pucks and another round of jello shots and hit the table. In all of Morro Bay’s quaintness and charm, the scene on the town wasn’t as wonderful and we decided to head back home after Rob’s victorious comeback and slaughtering of my pride in shuffleboard. We didn’t see any signs for "no overnight parking" by the water and thought we’d chance it and shoot for another picture perfect camping spot. We were wrong.

2:30 am we get a knock on the door and could see the red and blue lights flashing through our back curtain. Rob was sound asleep and oblivious to our bust. I hastily shook him awake and kicked him out of bed to address the situation. He opens the door in his wife beater and sleep shorts and tried to explain his way out of why we didn’t have our license plate up and that the barking dog inside was really quite friendly. I could hear the officer’s suspicion building outside and thought it best to introduce a female’s sense of reason before Rob was cuffed and taken away. I came down and Rob was taking a big stretch in his night duds in front of the officer, not really padding the situation or making him look any more legitimate. I scurried out and explained the situation, pleading innocent and uninformed. The tension released and the scene looked much less crack-lab and way more naive youngsters. I groveled and Rob yawned, and we were told that the whole town had restrictions of overnight camping anywhere, despite their lack of signage, and were pardoned under the agreement that we would kindly leave their town. Off we went, screw that place.

We pulled off about 15 minutes up the 1 in a little town Cayucos and parked behind a school in a neighborhood area. Hoping for the best we kind of fell back asleep, but the next day took a little adjusting to regain energy. I guess that’s the price you pay for trying to get out of paid camping. I still think it’s worth it.

Cambria

On the 4^th of May we had one more night at our disposal before we needed to be back In Oakland for Rob and Joel’s Dental School catering event. The coast was blanketed in a high fog, enough to see the ocean, and we oogled at the trucks packing kayaks and fishing gear, wishing we could float on Big Blue ourselves. We pulled off in the little town of Cambria for some coffee and fell in love. The town is nestled on one main strip, fully owning their slogan “Pines by the Sea.” It felt like a fairyland village with quaint little buildings and shops, big beautiful trees and the smell of salt in the air. Due to an unfortunate technical error is my camera memory card saving, my photographs from this point until Oakland have magically disappeared, so I will have to rely on the ethernets to provide visual examples.


We found a nice little coffee shop and resisted the temptation of the scrumptious sprinkle cupcakes and chatted with the woman behind the counter about some primo Big Sur spots we should check out. After flipping through some newspapers we explored the town and liked what we saw. With a mix of Victorian and barn-style buildings with picture-perfect manicured lawns and edible gardens, what was not to like about the place. While doing a little exploring we came across this big lavender historic house that was up for sale.

It was technically two separate buildings that in all amounted to about 6 different rooms with 4 bathrooms, two kitchens, a big garage and good sized back yard that would be ideal for a garden plot. I checked out the flyer for the sale outside and choked in shock at the price. It was listed for under $300,000. Obviously it was too good to be true but I didn’t care. So what if it was a fixer upper. We could fix almost anything. We left town and pulled over a few miles up the road at the parking lot for the Hearst Castle. We had settling on the mind and couldn’t shake that big lavender house that seemed close enough to our reach to almost be true. I called the real estate number and found out it was bank owned and nearing a closure but there was still time and a viewing appointment was made for an hour from the call. We fixed ourselves up to look like young professionals, made up our life’s story of Rob being a famous chef and looking for a place to raise a family. We met the agent at the house and stepped into an asphyxiating aroma of must and mold. After signing an agreement that with an existing mold problem they would not be responsible for liability of future respiratory issues, we warily stepped into an otherwise perfect arrangement of rooms and space. We lead the real estate man on with our story and patiently let him constantly gab about useless information, most of which having nothing to do with the property and more with his personal life. I was mournfully in love with the house and its assessable price range, but we could not deny the mysterious itch in our throats after leaving the house and new that one thing we could not refurbish is mold. Dirty dirty mold. With a sign and a half hearted hope to stay in the loop with the sale development, we moved on and let go of the idea of settling. It was not our time and that was not our place, but it was fun dreaming.

We still loved the town and wanted to spend a little more time there. After deciding to spend the night we hit up the candy store and poked around other buildings for sale that we were probably trespassing on.

Chatting with the woman at the expensive candy store (candy priced by weight seems to be a problem for us), we let her know we were interested in the town and were browsing property. She asked us if we were foodies because Cambria sure could use a hot dog shop. We quietly chuckled, refraining from elaborating on our actual foodie plans, instead relishing (pun intended) in conversation on the deliciousness of a good dog.

We checked out a bar that evening and had ourselves a hoot of a time! We met a man who moved to Cambria years ago with very little money and his, then, recent wife. He gave us inspiring advice on love, partnership, perseverance, and support. Hanging with the locals made friends with the liquor store man we had been served by earlier that day, and some cool youngsters who happily indulged in excessive drinking with us. There was a great band playing with an amazing female drummer whose skills I got transfixed on on my way to the restroom. She caught me drooling and during a song break came over and presented me with my first pair of drum sticks. She gave me a little lesson on how to hold them and what rhythm to start with on really anything I can bang on. Maybe my drumming dreams will become a reality one day.

The next morning we headed to the nearby sandy shoreline at Moonstone beach and spent hours sitting on the beach sifting through an endless supply of rainbow-colored rocks.

We walked along the boardwalk and around the beautiful beaches, reading factual nature information signs and marveling at the lack of fear in the local squirrel population. They were looking for food and they meant business. Collecting more rocks than my fanny pack could handle, they provided much entertainment for the duration of our stay.

On May 5th it was time to go home. we had Oakland on the brain, a rather fuzzy brain from a night of drinking, we set out Northbound to our old stomping grounds in Oak town. We took a slow and steady scenic tour through Big Sur on the 1 North, stopping here and there but aiming for the East Bay before nightfall. I was in need of some junk food with little restaurants on the way, so I hopped back for a crazy in-route cooking experience of macaroni and cheese cooked in the tea kettle that was strapped down with a dog collar and a bungee chord to survive the hectic windy and bumpy roads of Big Sur. It was a wild ride but the mac was obtained and I was able to survive the journey home.

Big Sur rocks my socks. Please don't take the lack of photographs as a hint to any other feelings towards it. We camped in the area for a couple days before we left the East Bay to begin our journey. We were out of time and simply passing through. I can cheat a little and give you some visual examples of the coast from our time there before we left. Since I'm already cheating I may as well tell you about our partial hot springs adventure. We are generally unprepared for most things and entering into this hike was just another one of those instances. Though we had backpacks and fairly reasonable means to do the entire hike, we chose to keep it to a day stroll. If you park at the "Big Sur Station" and head to the back parking lot, you can park overnight for $3 and embark on the 10 mile hike to the Sykes Hot Springs. Walking a couple thousand feet up in elevation just to drop back down another thousand along the ridge of the beautiful Big Sur mountains. Like I said, unprepared, so we did not make it to the hot springs after leaving only a few hours until sunset and having to turn back. Next time its on though, if you are there and want to do a 2 or 3 day hike to the hot springs, I hear they are spectacular.

Pulling into Rob's old apartment where his/our dear friend Joel was still living until the end of the month and Rob was scheduled to work a Dental Academy workshop with for the week. It felt so good to be back and despite our exhaustion work had caught wind of our arrival and a group was quickly forming at our old favorite bar, Prizefighter, for the evening. Coming back to all of your friends felt like seeing family after a long stint apart, though it was only two months. That night Rob and I realized that Oakland was our home. Despite our trip and our absence for a year or more, these were our people, and you just can't find that kind of love elsewhere. We realized that we left when we did to go explore, but that there was so much in Oakland and Berkeley that we wanted to be involved with, and we wanted to bring the future knowledge we will gain back to this community, and hopefully plant our roots after our wanderlust has subsided.

It was time to settle in to make some money, have Penny's knee looked at, and soak up as much friend time as possible. Our time in Oakland was well spent, and much needed. I'll pass the baton to Rob now so he can fill you in on our stay.

Los Angeles

                                              April 24th ^- 29th , 2013                      Mileage: 890

Venice Beach

Headed North on the 15, we made our way to LA, spending the night at a little park about an hour outside the city. Booking it west to the coast we spent our first night in Venice Beach. Katy was doing a little better but still wavering. We found a nice neighborhood spot a couple blocks from the main strip and the beach.

Setting up camp, we pulling out the beach chairs, socialized with the neighborhood duck, and enjoying the sunset on the roof.

I was expecting more body builders, street performers, and all around madness, but it seemed rather tame for a weekend. We still marveled at the stimulus street with sunglass shops galore, a mild range of street performing, and marijuana clubs for days. It was a gloriously sunny day that we took advantage of, burying our toes deep in the sand on the trek to the ocean, sprawling on green grasses, and sipping coffee-mug cocktails.

Thursday: Santa Monica

The next morning the three of us headed up the 1 and stopped in N Santa Monica so Katy could take a medicinal jump in the ocean. This little mermaid will dry out if not dipped in the ocean regularly, and the long week in the desert was messing with her system.

On a side note; People really seem to be tapping into their bright, bold side on the Los Angeles. There is a highly congested population of neon in LA beach towns. With the bright sun, the sparking ocean and neon splashed on various articles of clothing on nearly every hot-bod that jogged or roller-bladed past, sunglasses are a must.

Driving up Santa Monica Blvd towards Echo Park after our dip in Big Blue we checked out a camp store. Rob and I are eternally in the market and Katy was interested in finding a Hawaiian sling for Mexico. We got some sweet pointed-tip bows for my arrow (gunna kill me some wabbits) and some fishing line and trout bate for our “on the river” meals.

After that is was off to Echo Park to find a place to sleep.

Thurs- Monday Echo Park

Putting up Santa Monica Blvd we hung a right on Sunset blvd towards Echo Park and looked for a place to sleep. I have been to this neighborhood before visiting friends and with my mother to go to our all-time favorite vegan restaurant that doesn’t taste like a vegan restaurant, Sage. I was eager for us to spend some more time there and get to know the dad-to-day.

In the search for a sleeping spot we quickly realize that our rig was not cut out for the hilly terrain. Of course I was driving and feeling rather pressured by the fast-paced traffic of people who actually had places to be. I made a quick turn up a hill, sort of mindlessly following navigation directions, and obnoxiously bottomed out on the up hill ascent. The sharp angle smashed the back end of the bumper and thus the frame, making a disturbingly loud metal-on-pavement scrape that the entire group of LA-ite men on the street corner having a cigarette not only witnessed but vocalized the shock we were all feeling. I think I broke it.

We stopped to check it out and low and behold, the frame was broken. There are 4 “legs” on all sides of the camper to lift and set down the camper off and on the truck. The back legs hung another 3 or 4 inches from the bumper giving us less than a foot of clearance from the ground. Yes the blond broke it, ya we fixed it. No need to bring this up in conversation.

Exhausted and rather shaken up; it was time for bed. The habit of Rob driving the long passes and myself navigating the cities was starting to seem like we needed to take that idea back to the drawing board. After playing nurse for a week, the water pump breaking, and now my luckily minor destruction of our vehicle,  I was done driving, and didn’t really want to address this problem immediately. So the frame was a little cracked, pretty cracked, but the break was still level and it didn’t seem to be the sole responsibility for any weight bearing by any means. We/I decided/demanded that this be addressed in the very near future and we just park and get to drinking.

Bad things come in threes and they sure do make the good things a euphoric experience. We found the BEST spot. Now, the idea of searching for free parking in a truck and camper whose length reaches nearly 24 feet and 12 feet tall in a city where the smart car just keeps getting smarter and if you have a loud rumbling diesel it better stay on the construction sight seemed a little daunting. The neighborhoods are up high and post-bottom out seemed a little unobtainable. We were graced with the entrance to a trailhead along the boarder of Echo Park where we found a meter maid on lunch duty who gave us the thumbs up on overnight parking.

The trail splintered around the park, along the dodger stadium, and up to some awesome views of the city. The houses were big and beautiful but modest enough to relate to and given tons of privacy from the outside world and our ghetto selves with lush foliage. We were tucked away enough and only a couple blocks from Sunset Blvd. We broke out the lawn chairs with no need for shame and treated our misfortunate fortune to a cooler-cup cocktail and beer.

The next day, Saturday the 27th, I got in touch with my college friend, Jessie, who has been killing it in the character design world. She’s one badass monster maker with a hankering for leather and bones. She made me a custom leg holster perfectly suited for my needs with a slouched beltline to accentuate the girlish figure. She told us about a brewery art walk she was showing some work at that day just past china town. It was only a 15 minute bike ride away and with “brewery” perking up Rob’s ears and “art walk” calling my name we chose to address the whole broken frame thing later and have a fun day instead. It was an awesome bike ride past the stadium and through Chinatown to the old abandoned macro-brewery on N Main St. The brewery was shut down for a while and had been turned into a small-town sized slew of stacked studios dubbed the Brewery Arts Complex. There were over 350 artist spaces of various sizes, some of which were also used as small apartments and gallery spaces. The art walk was an open-studio wonderland of creativity of all dimensions. Jessie gave us a vague address and on the hunt for her location we wandered through the maze of high art, interactive psychedelic games and displays, and wacky entrepreneurship before finding this sculpture of hers (to the left) in the display window on the top floor of building 8. We caught up with Jesse for a bit before she packed up her display and made plans to meet up the next evening.

Sunday was fixing day. We found an affordable all day parking against an alley behind the shops on Sunset blvd. Rob called the closed camper repair shop who informed him that to get it back in working order again with the man-power that would entail after some seriously invasive surgery would come to about $4,000… Well that wasn’t going to work and we didn’t really have any intention of getting it back in working order. In my defense we were already not so hot on the idea of these legs and the limitation they ensued on our mobility. We couldn’t really think of any time that we would absolutely need or generally want to take the camper off the truck. So we opted to remove the back legs all together and store them on top in case of emergency. After spending about 5 hours there bandaging the break using the ratchet straps we hook on our bikes to the back with the wench in the metal frame, we removed the legs, taking off an extra 100 lbs or so from the back end and used the brackets they were fixed on with the bandage the wound so to speak. Katy hunted for food and multitasked at the nearby laundry mat with a wash for the clothes and a guarded wash for us in the laundry mat bathroom sink. All was well again.

That night Jesse and 3 other lovely gents from my college-crew, Erik, Enrique, and, Ben came to our neighborhood and shared some cocktails and good stories. We wandered down to the bar for sake of saying we did it. We wandered through the park getting silly and pondering back on the good ‘ol days when we didn’t have to worry if our art was going to earn us an income, just what grade it was given.

On Monday we were thinking it was getting close to go-time. Katy had a board shipped to her from a shaper in Australia who sent it over to her as general delivery to LA. We drove towards the airport to the freight building where we had an easy enough time getting there and in no time we were off to meet up with miss Emily Haney. Katy spent the previous mulling over ideas on how to get down south to Orange County and then back to Mexico. She was thinking of taking the train down to San Clemente and we got in touch with Emily to see if she could pick her up. Another burst of great luck arose when we called her and she told us she was spending the weekend in LA helping her sister brew a healthy and delectable batch of kombucha and was going to be in West Hollywood selling their pro-biotic teas at the farmers market on Monday. Instead of Katy having to deal with public transportation in her still feeble state, Emily said she’d gladly give her a ride down to the OC.

We found some easy parking above the market and helped Katy pack while taking care of some much needed curbside leg shaving. We found Emily manning the kombucha booth solo while her sister headed back to the kitchen for a bit. There they were selling Ashley, Em’s sister’s brand of fermented tea, Better Booch. With scrumptious flavors and an adorably attractive label designed by the ever-talented Camilla Beroozian.

We mulled around the farmers market gathering fresh berries and slurping up free samples. It was sad to say goodbye to Katy but she was in good hands. We bid our loving farewells and tossed her items into Emily’s car then finagled our way onto Hollywood Blvd.

Finally Rob got to see the Hollywood sign tucked behind buildings on the mountainside. We took the opportunity to drive down the famous blvd and were so happy we did. The streets were hopping and the sun way shining, making our exit from LA perfect and awe-inspiring. A lady sitting on a bench waiting for the bus yelled out, “welcome to Hollywood!” Rob tried to make out names on the stars embedded in the pavement and we waved and Wonder Woman and Batman as we cruised down the palm-lined strip.

Malibu Beach

We found ourselves back on the 1 northbound after passing through the McMansions and star-studded abodes. It felt good to be back to the water. We were in search of a campground to boost our electrical charge and dump our septic. We came into Malibu, ogling at the beachside cottages and primo surf spots. We found a nice little trailer park that, while humble in its appearance, held true to the upper class nature of Malibu. We got some funny looks from the full-timers and after almost closing the deal the guy behind the counter asked about Penny’s breed, and regretfully informed us that both the Akita and German Shepherd mixes were on their “aggressive dogs” list and not allowed admittance into the park. Note to self, go with the Golden Retriever or Lab mix next time. I quickly chimed in with my service-dog speech and ran back to the camper to search for proof. I planned ahead and got a note from the doctor for his recommendation that I have a dog with my during this trip and that she become an “emotional support” animal to ward off any anxiety experienced by being on the road alone… Though I did have that note it sure didn’t look like it but the guy was lenient enough after seeing Penny’s bid smiling face through the window and took my word for it. We cooked some campfire food and did some laundry with our bucket-system and foldable drying rack and settled into some evening movies with unlimited charge. Penny showed no signs of aggressiveness.

We woke up bright-eyed and bushytailed on Tuesday morning with the camper to ourselves again and everything taken care of. We stayed until the last minute of our checkout time and jumped back onto the 1 northbound. 

Joshua Tree

April 22, 2012          Mileage: 740

East Bound for Joshua Tree. 

We started making our way up towards the 10 freeway towards Indio to pick up my Aussie friend Katy after her long weekend at the Coachella music festival to come along for the ride for a while before she headed back down to Mexico where she had been living for the past few months.

Of course we were running late to pick her up at the Walmart she had been dropped off at, and then to top it off our truck randomly and instantly stops while going uphill... Mind you she has no phone or way to reach her so she was basically stranded there. 

Luckily we were on a side road leaving Fallbrook after we stopped through to grab a couple of forgotten items, and there was a fridge full of nerve remedies. We backed the truck up into a safe spot and made the first of many AAA calls of the journey. 

We scored with the service tech and got ol' Joe, the friendly hippie who had no problem overseeing our strange battery problem until he found the source of loose connector bolts that weren't able to supply any connection to the battery. After an hour of waiting for his arrival and an hour of trying to figure out what was wrong with the truck, we were on our way. Thanks Joe!

We picked up Katy a mere five hours after we told her we would be there. She was content on the corner of the supercenter, shoeless and clearly just having left a music festival, with all of her belongings stuffed inside a shopping cart.

We honked and hollered over hellos and apologies. She wheeled her cart over, unloaded, and off we went. Finally, onto Joshua Tree!

I can’t express my love for this place enough. It is the land before time, you feel like a gang of baby dinosaurs are going to peak their heads out behind the rocks at any time. With boulder-rock mountains and wacky palm-like Joshua trees, this desert oasis is one of the most magical places on earth. We got there at a great time in the year, with few and dispersed campers, a mild temperature, and cactus flowers in bloom. 

We spent a week in Joshua Tree, settling into our camper life. The problems with the truck and camper began to arise while we were there. Our water pump began leaking (of course this happens in the desert) and the house batteries for the camper were not working so all of our power was dependant on the truck. We working around these rather major problems by removing the water pump and emptying it into a 5 gallon tank for drinking water and a bucket for washing. Luckily we were still able to draw out water from the house tank, just no through the sink faucets. We started the truck regularly but with week-old batteries the lack of charge had not yet become a problem.

Our week in Joshua Tree was pretty magical. We cooked amazing meals over our campfire every night, took many hikes through the desert, and watched galaxy glimmer through the lightless sky. The full moon rose and turned the boulder filled valley into a blue-lit wonderland. We washed our clothes in buckets and hung them to dry on our little folding drying rack.

Katy unfortunately took a turn for the worse while we were there. She began feeling very sick with high temperatures. 

Sadly, we lost her.

Just Kidding

She made me promise not to take photos of her while sick in bed. I did get this outline of her while soaking up heat after a cold spell, resuming her deathly sprawl on pavement.

We played nurse for her, trying to keep her temperature down but she didn’t feel ready to go to the hospital. All the ginger tea, garlic bits, and cold compresses in the world coudn't make this girl feel better. Heinz sight I should have insisted on the emergency room, but at the time I was under her influence that she would recover quickly, but needed something to quench the thirst, and water wasn't doing it. She needed electrolytes badly as she seemed very dehydrated. She would feel better then a few hours later she’d be bed ridden again. We decided to ride our bikes into town to get her some electrolytes and supplies.

We started biking into town, thinking it would be about 15 miles. Well turned out it was 25, the last 5 or 6 being extremely downhill. It was too late to turn back then so we forged ahead. We got her some electrolytes and tinctures and whatever else she asked for. When we stepped outside to begin riding again, the heat hit us like a bag of bricks. We were exhausted. My knee was hurting pretty badly and Rob was rather chafed. Needless to say the intial 6 miles we needed to go uphill was seeming rather impossible.

We began our assent, knowing that catching a ride back would be our best bet, although a challenging one. I figured anyone going to Joshua Tree would have a full car, and possibly be their first time there. my positive thinking mantra was not speaking to me. I was seriously doubting anyone would want to pick up 2 strangers... With their bikes. But low and behold, luck struck! Thank you thank you thank you. A VW Vanagon passed by us while we were struggling uphill. Rob quickly stuck out his thumb and the van gave us a friendly honk, thinking Rob was flashing a thumbs-up. Fortunately for us, they pulled over a bit further up and waited for us to ride up to them. We let them know my knee was hurt and we would greatly appreciate a ride, as we did not realize 6 miles of uphill would be a big deal. Ah, life lessons. The two girls in the van said to hop in, and took us and our bikes the 25 miles all the way back to our campsite at the last campground in the park, Jumbo Rock.

Their names were Emily Edge and Crystal Rain. No joke. This radical duo were living in Joshua Tree, working at the gift shop, the Coyote Corner, and the neighboring Pub. We loaded Katy up with her meds and sat at the picnic table with our desert angels, sharing homemade lemoncello and beers and trading stories. Crystal told us how she spent the summers working in Skagway Alaska, and offered us connections for work when we get up there. She introduced the idea of taking a ferry either to of back from Alaska, getting us so excited for the unimaginable beauty of the last American frontier’s coastline on the “poor man’s cruise.” I noticed Emily’s gorgeous hummingbird tattoo and we chatted away on our connections to the little creature as one of our spirit animals. As she was telling me about her obsession with the ghost moth, one landed on the brim of my hats in mid-conversation. It was as though the moth was solidifying our friendship and the beauty of the universe lending a helping hand through the kindness of good people.

We headed out the next morning and popped into the gift shop where Crystal and Emily were working. We soaped up and took much-needed showers, perused the shop where we looked through desert statistics, plant identification, and survival books. After a previous conversation about how the boulder mountains were formed, I found out in one of the books.

Through millions of years of an active terrain, volcanoes and earthquakes pushed up the earth, forming rock-mountains. As the earth's surface continued to move, cracks spidered up the mountains, creating gaps in the rocks. Over time, the high winds would sweep away loose rock and rubble, forming rounded mounds that appear to be boulders piled on top of one another. So cool.

We stocked up on stickers and bid the girls farewell, leaving them with a little hummingbird watercolor to say thanks for their kindness and advice. These ladies brought light to our lives in a rather parallous time, and gifted us with a loot of spots to visit and connections to make along the way. Thank you again girls.

After Joshua Tree we headed west on the 10, LA bound.