Behind Heart Shaped Sunglasses

On days where we are travelling 3-4 hours we try to start early and use every tool in our parenting tool kit to keep Olive occupied while we drive. Our last resort is a portable dvd player that we keep until the last leg of the trip. We have some favorite songs that she likes…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard and sang Ar Fa La La Lo by John C. Reilly.

This trip is so different compared to the last van trip. We have a shorter duration and a larger budget. Hotel stays have been a saving grace. We try not to stay too often as that’s not the kind of trip we are wanting to experience. But after a long day of driving if Olive can burn some steam off in the pool everyone is happier for it. A friend asked how Olive is handling all the travel. My answer: as good as can be expected. She doesn’t love long days in the truck but always is happy wherever we pull up.

The majority of our camp stays are in a campground, last time on the road we were living a pretty “dirt bag” lifestyle. I think we paid for 5 campsites in the year we were on the road. There is a huge sigh of relief not having to find stealth camp spots for the night. A relief in actually being aloud to stay overnight. After leaving the coast we travelled down the Central Valley. What a stark difference….in fact it seems that every elevation change has us in completely different climates and landscapes.

This Valley is where a huge portion of citrus fruit, walnuts, and wine are grown. Along with likely many other vegetables and fruit. In fact as far as the eye can see…fields and fields of orchards and vineyards. It feels very industrial with the towns feeling more blue collar. Feeling the drier, cooler weather here has us moving faster. 

From Sacramento we continued down the Central Valley. The entire time we were in the Valley we were driving through “Tule Fog” that is common to the area. Luckily our visibility was only an issue for a small time. But it made the time spent relatively cold. *note the Kern Campground photo with the dense fog…this was the coldest stay we encountered(7-8 degrees Celsius)

There is something special about the desert. The vast space, the so quiet it’s loud. The all encompassing heat and rugged landscape. There is a wild here that if you surrender to it, it seeps into your soul. The natural world is so raw and harsh that you can’t help but become intertwined with it. We have officially arrived in the wild of our adventure. It feels so welcome and familiar. I love the eclectic nature of the Mojave desert. I love the resiliency of the individuals that exist here. There is a creative energy that exists here that pushes all the borders of reform and structure. A real F**k it attitude.

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Our first stop in the Mojave was just north of Joshua Tree. A campground that borders BLM(aka wild camping). We relaxed at this truly unique campground for 2 nights. The family run campground maintains a pond oasis that is home to a large flock of ducks, american coos, an egret, several mourning doves and a few other species of song birds. A lovely place to sit and sip your morning coffee while feeding the ducks.

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We travelled through Joshua Tree National Park last time but never stayed in the campgrounds. So we moved on from our camp above Joshua Tree and made a reservation to stay at Jumbo Rocks campground, one of the many campgrounds in the park.

Joshua Tree National Park is 800 000 acres, encompassing both the Mojave and the Colorado desert. The landscape and vegetation are so different from anything we are used to. We will see Joshua trees, yucca, ocotillo plant, cholla cactus to name a few. This area is designated as an Dark Sky Park…so star gazing is for sure on our list.

We spend our days relaxing and exploring the trails, climbing all over these big boulders. Olive has become very fond of this type of exploration…future boulderer??

Time to restock! We have water storage for 2-3 days in the Bigfoot and food for 3-4 days. So it’s off we head further south.

Our plan is to be crossing into Mexico at Mexicali East border crossing on December 23rd. So…andale, andale! We skirt along the Salton Sea, stopping at Salvation Mountain for a break and a bite. If you’ve never been before check out our last blog on the area…its a wonder to see.

This southern area of California is very agricultural. Full of lemon and orange orchards. I believe we even saw a spirulina factory and a sugar factory. Hay is also a large industry around Brawley.

We knew of this peaceful desert oasis just east of Brawley from our last trip. 5 Palms is a wild natural hot spring…however not so hot. Free dip and free night of camping.

We checked into a Motel 6 in El Centro to clean up, do some laundry, get an oil change(already at 4000kms),hopefully get a good nights sleep for the next day we cross into Mexico. Buenos noches!