Road trip honeymoon: Joshua Tree, California
The colors of the desert in Joshua Tree match its slow, antiquated, vintage aesthetic. Everything appears a little sun bleached and a little worn out, in the best possible way. It's somehow both quaint and remote—a small, lived-in town that still had us feeling like we were in complete solitude for a few days.
We arrived in Joshua Tree at dusk, and driving on the long, flat desert roads had us chasing down the moon along the horizon. The sky was literally periwinkle, with the brightest moon I've ever seen casting a marigold hue over the sand and dirt below. We raced to get to our Airbnb before dark, but this scene had us a liiiiittle sidetracked.
The most spectacular moon I've ever seen over the desert in Joshua Tree (the night before the Harvest Moon)
Waking up in The Joshua Tree Casita was like waking up inside of a desert dream (on Christmas morning). I couldn't wait to open every door, turn every corner. Each thing I found was better than the last. Every square inch was curated to minimal (and yet warm), authentic, Bohemian perfection. Nothing was a substitute, an accident, or an after thought; everything was intentional, purposeful, and right at home (and all of it looked to have had a life before this house).
Riding into town from the Casita (the first half mile of which is on unpaved, bumpy roads) led us to a gritty, fantastic diner called Country Kitchen, as well as a few really funky vintage and new-age shops on the main drag, 29 Palms Highway. We scored a great woven rug and a couple other things at an antique shop there called Pioneer Crossing.
But Scrabble, books, and hammocks were ultimately calling our names, so we spent our time doing pretty much just that at home in the Casita. We drank beers, made burgers, and listened to Willy Nelson on the record player. And we napped. We laid outside and stargazed, waiting for the Harvest Moon to come out from behind the clouds.
Oh, and we casually saw a tarantula the size of my head and I contemplated never stepping another foot in the desert again.
There's a kind of eerie silence about the desert that I hadn't really experienced until this place. But in sitting here and writing, even weeks later, I can still feel it. Joshua Tree has a real way about it. I can really see getting lost in life there.
The front of the Joshua Tree Casita
Our desert backyard for a few days
The best seats for stargazing in Joshua Tree
Waking up in a desert dream
About as romantic a night and place as they come
I loved how the lights looked against the pink house
The main living area at The Joshua Tree Casita
Still can't get over the perfect sunshine and shadows in this east facing bedroom
All white done so, so right
Unbelievably bright clouds in the night sky, lit up from the Harvest Moon
And morning coffee came with an OK view, too