Adventure Time

On Saturday I needed to get out of the house and get out of my head. I decided to head to Joshua Tree. I have lived an hour from the national park for 20 years and have never actually been to it. It was time to change that!

I totally get the appeal of Joshua Tree to influencers. There are some really lovely instagram-worthy houses and this barren other-worldly setting to use a background for all those photo ops.

And I took a few photos for myself. Joshua Tree is so different from my side of the Mojave Desert. At my end of the desert, the landscape is relatively barren, mostly tumbleweed and a few Joshua Trees that are hunched over like people walking headway into a strong wind. In the national park, the landscape is lush with Joshua Trees that reach silently up into a vibrant sky. The trees are sturdy and strong.

I did a lot of hiking on the trails to enjoy a perfect day — really, I felt like I had a Miss Congeniality moment — “I’d have to say March 19th, because it’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.” And after hiking for a bit, I didn’t even need the jacket. I even did a little rock climbing because all of the other tourists were doing it.

I even got a compliment on my nerdy librarian t-shirt — it’s got Bert and Ernie on it. They are reading a book together. Shut up, it’s adorable and charming!

After a few hours in the park, I felt recharged (and I didn’t even have to go to the Institute of Mentalphysics!) and made my way out of the park and into the town. There was a farmers’ market, so I made a stop to check out the fruit, vegetables, and essential oils. I feel like this particular market is what most people envision with their California stereotypes. So many hippies and hiker bros in one place… Not gonna lie, I did pick up a tincture that promised to help me sleep, bought an organic fresh-squeezed passion drink (seriously, that’s the name), and bought artichokes and avocados aplenty.

All in all, it was one of the best days I’ve had in a while. Here’s to having more days like this one!

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