April 16, 2023
We got up early this morning so that we could make it to Joshua Tree / Palm Springs KOA by 1:00 for check-in. We were going to see Cheryl Morris and her family. We had two route options and both were within 10 minutes of each other. Nancy had wanted to see Quartzsite. The area peaked her interest because it is a very large boondockiong area and it was featured in the movie Nomadland. From our location it was a straight shot up US 95. In Quartzsite we picked up I-10. We went from the Sonoran Desert to the Mohave Desert.
We arrived on time and had the RV set up and within a few minutes Cheryl and her family arrived. We sat and talked for a little while and then Cheryl, Jessica, Ron, Nancy and I loaded into the truck and headed to Joshua Tree National Park. They had never been and we thought since they were this close, why not?
Our first stop, as always was the Visitor’s Center. We talked to a Ranger about what was really the best to see. We headed into the park and when possible and warranted, we would pull over and some would get out and many pictures were taken. The Joshua Tree is really neat looking. We also saw a multitude of different rock formations as well. They were very interesting. We got to a cross road and turned right. In a few miles we reached the Cholla Cactus Garden. The cacti are starting to bloom. We all piled out of the truck and walked around the garden for several minutes. After several pictures we decided to head out of the park and find a restaurant for dinner. We settled on a restaurant and had a wonderful meal with great conversation. And we even had a little dessert. It was about a 45 minute ride back to our RV. It was getting late and Cheryl and Ron and Jessica still had about a 2 hour ride home. It was another awesome day with friends and exploring our great country. Another memory for us. We have taken the opportunities or made the opportunities to see a lot of my friends that I went to high school with or worked with over the last several years. It has been great to reconnect with these folks. The great thing is that Nancy has been or has become friends with them also.
