California Desert/Tucson (Days 1-4)

Forgive my blogging n00bness.and repost of Days 1-2 to fix the format...

Day 1-2: Los Angeles to Desert Hot Springs

The first stop out of town was Desert Hot Springs/Palm Springs. While Palm Springs and Joshua Tree are quite familiar, but prioritized visiting several spots that have been on 'the list' for quite a while. Desert Hot Springs has also been a great new find - kind of the perfect happy medium between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree?

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Day 3: Desert Hot Springs to Tucson

I live for weird desert stuff, and we were fortunate in Desert Hot Springs to befriend another weird desert aficionado at the hotel...Sandy from Hemet, in her 70's, having a staycation with one of her several boyfriends (go off, girl). She alerted us that The Windmill Market in Desert Hot Springs has the best date shake in town - I definitely approve. ​

We then wove our way down the Salton Sea, as there are a number of eccentric communities I've been wanting to visit out there (Bombay Beach, Salvation Mountain, Slab City). It's not a side trip for the faint of heart, but certainly intriguing. The final stop in CA was the "Official Center of the World" (a woo woo pyramid that leads to very long rows of historical facts in concrete panels, and a replica of the Liberty Bell you can ring...). We didn't linger too long because Alex also wanted to visit the Yuma Territorial State Prison (also a state park?) which was...not my fave! But did have an excellent burger at a plane bar (Yuma Landing) to make up for it - complete with Amelia Earhart bathroom homage. 

Day 4: Tucson/Saguaro National Park

During our two-night stay in Tucson, we camped in Catalina State Park, which had amazing facilities (like, the nicest camping bathrooms I've ever experienced), and stunning views of saguaros and the Santa Catalina Mountains. I meant to take a pic of this beautiful park before leaving, but rain on the second morning thwarted my plans (check it out though, if you are so inclined).

​We spent a lovely day exploring both sides of Saguaro National Park (the West and Eastern sides are about 30 miles apart), with a fantastic meal at El Charro Cafe (one of the oldest continuously-operating restaurants in the U.S.!) in between visiting each side.

Next up: Tombstone, Las Cruces, White Sands, El Paso, Guadalupe Mountains