We left Jo and Jim's house around 9 am and drove to Joshua Tree. It's out in the desert just north of Palm Springs. We had never gone this way and it was a very long and deserted highway that took us there. We are so grateful that we didn't have car troubles or run out of gas, because other cars and gas stations were few and far between.
We arrived and went straight to Pioneer Town and had a late lunch/early dinner at Pappy and Harriett's. It's a little western town and the restaurant is iconic. Lots of famous people have eaten and sung there including Sir Paul McCartney (from the Beatles)! We had to wait a little bit for a table but it was a fun experience. We shared a salad and a steak, that were ok but not great. Should have followed my instincts and gotten what the reviews raved about, the nachos. We did get the mac and cheese that were highly recommended and that was delicious! We wandered around the little shops while we waited for our table. Glad we made the stop.
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Next, we checked into our AirBnB which was a bedroom/bath in someone's home. He was a really nice (and very talkative) host and we settled in for the night. We watched a movie and then headed into the park to see the famous dark night sky with billions of stars. It was incredible but cold so we looked, breathed in the beauty of God's creation and then went back to our room and went to bed. Big day ahead of us.
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| Backyard of our AirBnb |
Sunday morning, we got up and went to Sacrament Meeting at the 29 Palms Ward. We sat behind our good friends from Longmont, Bruce and Carol Sessions, who were visiting their daughter, Ali, and her husband and two little girls who are stationed there with the Marines. Always fun to see people you know! After church, we changed clothes and drove through Joshua Tree National Park. We took a few short hikes and really enjoyed this beautiful desert treasure.
We spent a couple of hours exploring Joshua Tree NP and then headed to San Diego, Oceanside, specifically. We were planning to stay with my niece, Marissa, and her family, but some of them got really sick and we all decided it would be best if we didn't stay there. We were sad to not get to see them. We decided to take a chance and see if Mike's stepsister, Lynne's daughter's AirBnB in Oceanside was available and it happened to be in between reservations and they were happy to let us stay there for free! We were so happy about that and so grateful for their generosity. It turned out to be the cutest little house and was only about a five minute drive to the beach!
I cannot tell you how happy I was to see all this green and all these flowers in February! It gave me the hope for Spring! We both enjoyed the California weather so much!
We unloaded our car and went straight to the beach! We got there in time to walk on the pier and see an incredible sunset! We got the most delicious strawberries and cream funnel cakes from a cart on the beach. Oh my goodness, it was so yummy!
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| Poor little one footed seagull! |
We were sad that Ruby's at the end of the pier was no longer there! Sad to see things change.
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| Can you even believe this? |
Monday, we slept in, had a relaxing morning and then headed back to the beach. We grabbed some lunch at a sub place down by the water. Then we found a spot on the beach and we sat in chairs with an umbrella, jackets, and a blanket because it was pretty chilly, but it was so fun to sit and hear the waves crash, breath in the ocean air, and just totally relax, unwind and read our books. We took a nice long leisurely walk along the beach, hand in hand with our feet in the water. It was a perfect day. We had some delicious tacos for dinner at a fun little surf shack on the main street.
Tuesday, we packed up and had a wonderful visit with Mike's stepsister, Lynne, and her daughter Shawn. They are so amazing, kind and generous. Lynne is dying of cancer and doesn't have long to live. She is so upbeat and you wouldn't know that she was so sick. She also suffers from Alzheimer's but seemed to know who Mike was. Shawn is one of the most genuinely kind and thoughtful people I have ever met.
It was so nice getting to see them again. It was especially nice for Mike and Lynne to have a chance to visit after many years of not seeing each other. Family is so important! Stay close to those you love!
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