The calming effect of the desert.

Back from the desert.  Joshua Tree had exactly the effect I was hoping for.  The last trip out to Joshua Tree was more of a frenzy for Kat and Zak to show me all the sights of JTNP.  Because I've seen it before, this time was more of a focus for all three of us to relax from the chaos of everyday life and have no set plans whatsoever.  I think we accomplished that goal extremely well.

Friday morning, we made the drive over to Joshua Tree from Redondo Beach.  It was a much different weather situation than I had experienced in June 2011.  It rained - most of the time - that we drove over to Joshua Tree.  And even when we got there, to the desert, it was still raining.  And it was in the high 40's.  Of course, this was a warmer departure from the cooler temperatures I was used to in Minnesota, so I didn't complain.  Friday, we did our typical - settled into Casa Rosita at The Desert Lily (the B&B that we stay at on each visit) and grocery shopped for the meals that we would make at "home" in our time there. Zak played the shit-tar (the cheap guitar) at us and we spent plenty of time relaxing on Friday evening.


Saturday brought our first venture into JTNP on this trip.  We took a bag lunch along with all good intentions of eating in one of the hiking areas of the park.  The wind from the weather system that blew through the day before helped us decide against that.  We didn't get a hike in at Split Rock as originally planned, but it would have been a miserable one with the wind (and windchill, for the Californians), so I got a few shots there before we ate our lunch in the warmth of the Jeep.  From there, we headed down to the Cholla Cactus Garden in the heart of the park.  It was beautiful - and warmer - down there.  The sun also made an appearance and we enjoyed the short hike around the garden, being very careful to avoid the beautiful - yet very sharp - cholla cactus.  After a few hours in the park, we headed home to get ready for dinner at Pappy & Harriets.  I was so, SO craving a steak.  They fulfilled nicely.  The medium-rare ribeye, paired with citrus broccoli,  garlic mashed potatoes and a Corona Light were all beyond delicious.  Enough so that I passed out from a very happy food coma before 9PM that night on my bed in Casa Rosita's living room.  Oops.

Sunday was our day of rest.  I made an egg bake for us that morning.  We were pretty lazy at getting going for the day and didn't get out of Casa Rosita until the afternoon.  We made a Taco Bell run for lunch - my first Taco Bell since I went on WW last June - and then ventured into JTNP for a late-afternoon hike.  We visited Barkers' Dam - a place that Kat and Zak had yet to visit in their times to JTNP.  Beautiful.  The scenery, along with the setting sun, made the entire place a breathtaking sight.  We also enjoyed the fact that on a Sunday evening, we weren't contending with the crowds we had just the day before.  It's like we had the place to ourselves.  It was the perfect way to end our time in the park.

Monday found us all in a bit of a depressing mood, mainly because we knew we had to leave the desert.  I had a 5:30 flight, so we needed to get on the road by noon.  It gave us enough time to not feel rushed with packing up and getting out of town, though.  Around 10AM, as Kat was showering, Zak was enjoying a cigarette outside and I was writing in my journal on the couch, I noticed that the grate to the heater started to shake, gradually harder, and then lighter again. Because of all of the wind we had dealt with over the last few days, I chalked it up to that.  However, when Zak came inside a bit frantically, I knew otherwise: we had just experienced an earthquake.  I confirmed it by checking on the smartphone - a 4.7 magnitude - with an epicenter just to our Southwest.  Wild.

Flying back to MN was sad - as it always is - for me.  I don't think there's been a time where I haven't silently cried on the plane ride home.  Kat and Zak are two of the closest friends I have, and I'm lucky to have them both in my life.  I am also lucky to get to see them once - sometimes twice - a year.  I'm so happy that they invited me to the desert along with them this year and I can't wait for our next trip out together.

So, I'm now back to reality.  And it turns out that the trip was exactly what I needed from a kickstart on the WW front.  I lost 5.8 pounds last week.  The desert definitely done me good.