RV Travels: Weekly Wanderings #51 – Palm Springs

This is it. Our last 30 days. Next week we will have been on the road a full year! (We don't count the two months of prep we did in Phoenix. We used that as a base-camp while traveling to LA, Paris and the Caribbean, as well as packing and organizing the RV.)
I've been working on a blog post recapping our year. In fact, I've got a lot of drafts in my WordPress panel waiting to be finished. I figure I'll have time, while searching for work in Portland, to get them published. These days I'd rather squeeze in a few more books, it's so hard to read when you're working full time!
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The past weekend, we stayed close to the RV, waiting out the folks visiting Joshua Tree before they had to return to work at the end of the holidays.
We saw Passengers which I really liked and we finished the French political drama series, Les Hommes de L'Ombres. It's only fitting as the French prepare for their own presidential election. The drama revolves around a communications strategist as he aids a candidate to run for election (season 1) and then the following two seasons where he assists the president through several crisis.
On Monday we were up and at it early, leaving the house by 5 to catch sunrise at Barker Dam inside Joshua Tree. However, it was disappointing as the cloud cover swallowed up the sunlight.
After that, we headed to search for an elusive tree that Mr. Misadventures had seen online. He was gaga for it. We tried to find it last Friday in the rain in vain. All we ended up being was wet. Turns out we had the wrong GPS coordinates and we were walking around in circles about a half-mile too far.
However, on Monday morning with fresh coordinates, we found it! With the clouds, it made for a little bit of drama. Once you know where it is, it's stupid easy (I will share the location when I do my Joshua post), but with only GPS coordinates and an offline map, it was pretty tough to find!
Tuesday there was an extremely heavy cloud cover so we stayed home. It was my birthday so I didn't mind getting to sleep in and laze the day away reading a book. I was struck by bouts of melancholy, not because I am another year older or in the worst physical shape I have ever been, but rather I missed Jessica. It's those times I'm sitting in bed reading a book that I miss her most as normally she'd be snuggled up right next to me.

Wednesday we attempted sunrise at Barker Dam this time with success!
We returned to the park in the evening for sunset but between the clouds and the winds, the sun was gone in seven minutes and Mr. Misadventures only got a couple of shots. We were clouded in for the stars as well.
Our entire two weeks in the Palm Springs area we suffered from either rain, cloud cover or 40-50 mile winds. Joshuas, chollas, and junipers all whipping around does not an in-focus photo make.
Thursday we went for sunset but faced high winds again. But the hubby got his juniper shot (Joshua post coming soon!).
This morning we left the RV at 4:30 to try the Cholla Cactus Garden in the park. I don't know if it's the time of year or our bad luck, but the sunrises and sunsets just aren't that impressive. You'll remember from my complaints about the Yellowstone sunrises in the fall, there is nothing I hate more than getting up at the crack of dawn for photos and then not getting any. I don't think I'd make a good fisherman.
But I'm great as the photographer's wife, my job this morning being cactus watch. When Mr. Misadventures is in photo mode he doesn't pay attention to what he steps in or lies on, that can be tricky while walking around a cactus garden, especially in the dark before sunrise!

Tomorrow we head to Las Vegas for a few days before heading to Zion. We'll spend one day at Valley of Fire, one of our favorite parks. Frankly, I'd be lying if I didn't say that the thing I am most looking forward to is an elaborate sushi dinner for my birthday.
For the last decade in San Francisco, I ate sushi multiple times a week. In 2016 I had it twice. TWICE! Once in January in San Diego and once in July in Brookings on the Oregon coast. Both were average, beggars really can't be choosers. But Vegas? I've got the world!
You know in Vegas all the best Asian is not on the strip but rather in the Springs Mountain road area – check it out!
Oh and filed under RV joys…our washer broke. Le sigh.
And filled under Yikes(!) my phone keeps dying for no apparent reason!
If you follow me on Instagram you might think I've fallen off the face of the earth, since my last photo was from Christmas Day right before we drove on one of California's most dangerous off-roads. But I assure you I'm alive and well (otherwise who's writing this post?!) and just taking a break from social media!
Current location:
Two Springs RV Resort in North Palm Springs, California.
That was my week, how about yours?
Did you say Tuesday was your birthday? Happy way belated birthday!!
@Katie, thanks babe! I removed my birthday from Facebook for security reasons, so I don’t post it publicly for scanning purposes.
It is so crazy that four years in San Francisco and a dozen guidebooks on the state and I never went to Joshua Tree OR Palm Springs! Ugh. take me back (but not for good, lol).
@Kristin, California is so big seems impossible to get to it all! There are still spots I missed as well, but now I can go back as a visitor.
Gotta because of that cholla cactus!