Wednesday, September 9, 2020

San Diego!

In SD, I stayed at the apartment of one of my oldest friends, Nicole Kofman. She was actually out of town at the time, but I hung out with her partner and contentedly spent a lot of time by myself (lounging in her pajamas — on this trip I brought one outfit for hiking and wore one "city" outfit on the plane). After sleeping on the ground and on a couch, Nicole's guest bed felt incredibly comfortable, and her *guest bathroom* incredibly luxurious. I even got to do laundry! Which I especially appreciated because my city/airplane clothes were particularly grimy after not one but two hikes up LA's steep hills to Griffith Observatory.

After a slow morning drinking fresh coffee, I drove to a beachside cafe and sat at an outdoor table to eat brunch, journal, and people-watch. I walked along the beach before settling down to read in the sand for awhile. 

Eventually I found a longer beach on which to go running, and very happily showered afterwards back at the apartment. Later I found a delicious dinner at a tiny taco shack near a different beach.
 

I then went on yet another beach stroll, savoring the gorgeous sunset (we don't have beach sunsets on the East Coast!).




My flight home was early the following morning. What a spectacular trip! 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

City of Angels

On my last night camping, I rather stupidly chose to stay on top of a hill, imagining a scenario like the morning before where I was able to watch the sunrise while eating breakfast and packing up. However, the hilltop I chose on my final night left me exposed to a strong, battering wind that persisted all night long. My tent basically collapsed around me, and a broken pole ripped through the tent itself and the rain fly (which I'd erected for warmth). I chose to burrow deep inside my sleeping back and try to ignore the chaos around me until about 5:30 a.m., when I finally gave up on seeing the sunrisem— realizing it was too windy for my camp stove to heat up breakfast, anyway.

I hiked back to my car in the pre-dawn semi-darkness and then started driving toward Los Angeles, searching Google Maps for "pancakes" en route. I (very happily) chose a little diner called Carolyn's Cafe in Redlands, CA. Their signature item is a very moist coffee cake doused in butter, which I chose as my side for my egg and potato plate (in place of a pancake, after all). 

I got to LA around 11am, showered at my friend Austin's apartment, and then headed to the Getty art museum for a couple of pleasant hours (though I did feel a bit overwhelmed by all the people). That afternoon/evening, Austin and I hiked up to Griffith Observatory and back, then did a delicious Thai dinner with Austin's gf at the time, and my friend Mo. 

view from the Getty

The next morning, I got coffee/breakfast with Mo and then the two of us hiked back up to the Observatory. My calves were very tight — I took more daily steps in LA (30k-36k!) than on any other day on my entire hiking trip! 

touristing with Mo

Later that morning, I headed downtown: checked out the public library, Grand Central Market, Japangeles, City Hall, Olvera Street (where I somewhat unwittingly ordered a cheese enchilada plate and a margarita that together cost $46. womp). 

pretty tiles!
street food in Japangeles

Then I walked to a contemporary art museum downtown that happily was free, then I took the train back to Austin's. I caught the sunset solo at Barnsdall Park and then drove south to San Diego, arriving there around 8:30 p.m. Just one more post in this long saga!


Monday, September 7, 2020

Joshua Tree, Part II

The morning of Jan. 1, 2020, I woke up warm and cozy in my tent (I think the first night of the trip that I felt warm the entire time). I woke to the sound of an owl gently hooting and the sight of a spectacular sunrise. I made a delicious pot of oatmeal and drank darjeeling tea while watching the sunrise and packing up my tent. Then I hiked back to my car and drove the 15 minutes to the town of Joshua Tree, where I bought gas and fancy coffee before driving back into the park.

Then I drove the entire length of the park from north to south, stopping all along the way for 1-3 mile hikes / nature trails along the way. Pros: I learned some plant names and facts! Cons: Crowded, and I was sick with a sore throat, runny nose, and cough (well before covid became known to the average American). 



not my tent, but this is where I was supposed to camp that night - glad I found a warmer option!



Ok, other pros: obviously beautiful. I really enjoyed how the snow accentuated the rocks and plants. 

My last hike of the day was to Lost Palms Oasis. I hiked to the oasis and then most of the way back, camping about two miles from the trailhead so that I could get an early start on the road the next morning. 



see the palms in the center of the panorama?

cool, right???


On the "back" of my out-and-back, I witnessed possibly the most spectacular sunset I've ever seen.





This is from the next morning. Wildlife spotting!

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Joshua Tree, Part I

Upon leaving Mojave Preserve, I drove southeast to Joshua Tree National Park. After getting advice, a postcard, and two stickers from the Oasis Palms Visitor Center, I drove to Indian Cove Road, parked at the backcountry registration board, and then hiked just over two miles on a slightly uphill trail until I reached a flat-ish spot on a crest overlooking the valley I'd just left behind. 

It was New Year's Eve. I wrote in my journal that night: "I'm so content right now. (This is) one thousand times better than getting drunk and staying up for midnight!" I remember reading in my tent until about 10 p.m., and then happily going to sleep. 
 
When I saw this, I thought to myself, "What a fantastic title: 'Apostle of the Cacti.'"

View from my NYE campsite

very content.

sunset sky



My favorite informational sign in JT.

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Mojave Day Two

 On my first morning in Mojave National Preserve, I got up early to watch the sunrise from the top of the sand dune. It was very cold and windy, and there was no sunrise to speak of. 


I did see some neat animal tracks, though:



I then drove to an area called Hole-In-The-Wall, and did a super fun six-mile loop plus a trail called Rings Loop:

found some petroglyphs!



I was very afraid of this bull and went wayyy in the bushes around him so that he wouldn't charge me 😳




How many different desert plants can you identify in this one photo??

The wind forms these holes!

I went down those metal rungs on the right side of that dark area at the bottom of this photo!


~self timer fun~

on towards Joshua Tree!


Friday, September 4, 2020

Mojave National Preserve: Day One

I ended up spending only two days in Death Valley because all the high-elevation hikes were snowed out. They were jam-packed days with many miles of hiking each day (about 20 miles total I think), but I ended up feeling grateful for my extra day in Nevada because Red Rock Canyon was so gorgeous and my hiking options in Death Valley were more limited than I originally expected.

After my second full day in Death Valley, I drove in the (pitch-black) darkness to an area called Tepoca in the Mojave Desert. There, I stayed at a campground I'd found online before my trip, called Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools. Rather than the simple shower I'd normally get at a campground, I instead got to soak in a hot spring pool. 

The pools were separated for men and women, and no clothing (including bathing suits) was allowed. The women's section had two pools, a concrete one that was a bit cooler and a pebble-bottom one that was warmer. The concrete one was enclosed, but the one with pebbles was open-air. I loved soaking in that hot spring water under the bright desert stars — easily a top highlight of the trip. 

I swam in the pools both the night I arrived and early the next morning, reveling in the ability to wash off all the dirt and grime of my preceding four days without a shower. 

I left Tecopa just before sunrise on Dec. 30, next driving to Mojave National Preserve. I had planned to stay that night at Joshua Tree, but I received an email after leaving Death Valley informing me that my booked campsite was under 8" of snow and accessible only by a 4x4. So I adjusted plans once again, and once again it was for the better.

Mojave is gorgeous. I first hiked Teutonia Peak, taking my time and savoring the solitude (and the self-timer on my new iPhone ☺). 















Next, I drove around the park a little while, just exploring, before deciding to pitch my tent at the base of the giant Kelso Dunes. I climbed the tallest dune for sunset.





soft smiles for sunset

random person but I liked the shot