Joshua Tree National Park – California

On Friday we took a trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

As national park rookies we left the Van woefully unprepared, starting with me believing that the 34 minute drive to get there was indicative of the excursion milage.

Still, we pressed on and saw some amazing scenery.

We were reminded that National Park remote bathrooms are not for the faint hearted. There’s no water supply at these places nor electricity, resulting in a smell so bad that it is hard to breath.

Our (my) biggest error was not filing the Jeep up with gas before we left, meaning that we had to actually leave the park to get to a gas station and fill up (nearly $100 for 3/4 of a tank!!)

So we made the most of it and had a nice lunch and a cuppa at a nearby cafe.

Then we headed back into the park.

By this time it had become a bit cloudy. So when we reached the 5185ft elevation at Keys View it was bloody freezing; thus highlighting our second error…..unprepared for 20-30 degree changes in temperature.