Afterwards, another week of part-work/part-play passed by much quicker than the last as the day to head to Joshua Tree loomed closer. This time around, my college-buddy-slash-impulse-shopping-roomie Willis decided to join in on the fun. I was glad he came along; otherwise, I would have froze to death alone in the tent at night. Willis decided to spend the night before New Years Eve (the day we were to head out) at Jocelyn's place, so he and I offered to make food for her and the family. We ended up making a bombtastic mouthwatering beef pot pie that pleased everyone's appetite, except the dogs who could not partake.. I miss cooking with that guy. Hooray for recipes and not actually following them. Haha. No, but really...
New Years Eve
The day finally arrived to temporarily leave Orange County and head to Joshua Tree National Park. We all woke up early in the morning, packed and loaded our belongings and camping supplies, and drove out at 9AM. Some of Jocelyn's family friends also caravaned with us in their tricked out RV/camper mobile, complete with restroom (though often unused), kitchenette, roll-out canopy, and pop-up sleeping cab. Did I mention a hot-water boiler and space heater? Anyway, we drove through the suburbs... then desert... then desert... then desert... then you guessed it, more desert... and finally arrived at the north end of the park. We stopped at Twenty-Nine Palms on the way to pick up some Subway sandwiches for lunch. Our group was the only customers at the shop... Hooray travelers bringing all the business! Just kidding, I'm sure they had other business through the day. Subway is the place to be, after all.
After snagging some grub, we piled back into our cars and made our way to the Visitor's Center at the northern end of Joshua Tree. The Visitor's Center had a room full of glass walled exhibits displaying some of the park's featured fauna and flora. It was here that I learned kangaroo rats have specialized kidneys which allow them to secrete a paste-like urine. In fact, kangaroo rats excrete some of the most concentrate urine out of all the mammals in the world! Fun facts, huh? Aside from that little critter, there were also trapdoor spiders, horned/spiny lizards, and a rattle snake on display. Probably a few more others, too.
After perusing for a few minutes, we left the visitor's center and entered through the park's north entrance to try and find campgrounds at Jumbo Rock, but to no avail. However, we did successfully found two adjacent campgrounds after a 30-mile drive to Cottonwood Springs near the southern edge of the park. We set up shop over the course of an hour by pitching tents, snacking, unloading, and eating lunch. Park map here.