The dry bake of the heat, soft purple hues of dusk, cold nights, howling wind across the wide open land, a giant clear sky of stars, slow and quiet, Gambel’s Quail calls, coyote tracks, tequila, the chirpy greeting of a hummingbird, dusty shoes, the prick of a cactus spine, lizards sunbathing in bliss, bumpy dirt roads, straw sun hats, loose clothing, Native American history, handmade pottery and art. The desert is one of my muses. Although my heart was formed way out here in the lush green humidity of North Carolina, the desert light still managed to pierce through. It’s an extreme place, but it captures and inspires me in a unique way. Suddenly I’m an artist again. My creativity is awake. A healthy rawness exposed from underneath the too-fat corporate sludge.
I’ll admit I haven’t met a scorpion or a rattlesnake, or spent a whole summer in that exposed heat to know for sure just how much I’d miss creeks, trees and the smell of freshly cut grass. I know I would. That’s one of the torments of my being, missing something all the time because I love a lot. But I sure do miss the raw wild of the desert when I’m here. I miss a part of myself in a weird way. That flickering flame. As my mom says, “Life is a series of tradeoffs.”
“Am I in heaven or did I just fly into Palm Springs International Airport?”. We started by visiting Palm Springs, which undoubtedly has the coolest airport I have ever been to. It’s essentially an outdoor mall and it’s glorious. Feeling low humidity on my skin always sends me to bliss. The flight landing into Palm Springs was beautiful with mountains plopped all around. I think I expected flat and brown, but nope. While Palm Springs the town wasn’t totally our vibe (a bit too flashy tourist commercial stuff), we loved our place at Korakia and spent a lot of our time lounging there. We did step out and visit a really sweet and beautiful cactus garden, saw a few gorgeous desert tortoises, and a Native American museum.
We originally were going to go to Death Valley in between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, but changed our minds while landing on the plane to go to Laguna Beach. We didn’t want to make such a long drive for just a couple days there. Laguna Beach was fun and we enjoyed it a lot, but it was cloudy and cold so we didn’t get as much beach time as we envisioned. Zamie also spent a whole day throwing up. I didn’t realize that southern California was so often gloomy and foggy. “May gray” and “June gloom” as they call it. I still love it though!
Joshua Tree was our favorite overall. It’s kind of a weird place in comparison to most of what we’re used to. But when we look close enough, we absolutely love it. And it offers something that other safer places can’t. That’s what caught our attention.
If the desert is holy, it is because it is a forgotten place that allows us to remember the sacred. Perhaps that is why every pilgrimage to the desert is a pilgrimage to the self. There is no place to hide and so we are found.
Terry Tempest Williams
Highlights: Palm Springs Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree National Park, Hidden Valley Trail in the park, Pioneertown, Shopping – Hoof & The Horn, Acme 5, Coyote Corner, Soukie Modern (Pioneertown), Hanging at Korakia pool and the Joshua Tree house and listening to quail and seeing coyotes!
Where we stayed (and would stay again): Korakia Pensione(Palm Springs), Hacienda by The Joshua Tree House (Joshua Tree), Casa Laguna(Laguna Beach)
Fav Food Spots in Joshua Tree: Kitchen in the Desert, Más o Menos, The Copper Room, Luna Sourdough, Frontier Cafe, Pappy & Harriet’s (Pioneertown)
Playlist (by The Joshua Tree House)
