October 2015 was my first experience in Joshua Tree. I was excited to escape Ohio’s grey, cold, rainy days.
Our first day, after dropping off our bags, we drove straight to Joshua Tree National Park – we didn’t want to waste ANY time! Once we arrived, we parked on the side of the main road, and started our adventure. We pointed at a mountain and said “THAT ONE!” and that was the extent of our planning.
About an hour into our hike, the sky starts to get really, really dark.
We start to hear thunder, and decide it might be time to start wandering back to our car. Before we knew it, it was POURING! Luckily, we were able to take cover under some rocks for a while. When it started to lighten up, we decided to make a run for it. Only problem was, we didn’t really take time to remember where our car was. The Mojave doesn’t necessarily have distinct landmarks to take note of when parking. We were lost in the desert on our first day. Eventually, we found the road, and my boyfriend starts RUNNING down the road to find our car. At least he knew which direction to run, because I had no clue. I stayed put, and in a couple of minutes I finally see our red Jeep coming around the bend.
Driving out of the park, we look up, and see a rainbow. Behind us, there’s ANOTHER rainbow. Rainbows in the Mojave, what a once in a lifetime experience.
When we got back to our Airbnb, it was still storming. It rained all night! These photos were taken at our Airbnb that night; our first night together in Joshua Tree.
