Joshua Tree National Park

Just before we left on our trip, I saw some photos from a shoot in Joshua Tree National Park from The Manchiks. They were so dreamy that I knew we had to go! These trees are otherworldly. Luckily, it was right on the way to Salvation Mountain, thus justifying a day trip. We did a simple drive through the park but camping would definitely be the way to go if time allowed!

The cacti below weren't at all like the ones I saw in Mexico last summer. At one point during our drive, I got out to examine them closer and finding one on the ground, I took it back to the car for Felipe to take a look at. I placed it near the windshield where it stuck on the dashboard. The road got rather windy after that and at some point, the cactus started to fall at which point, my reflexes kicked in and I rather stupidly tried to catch the falling object, which of course got stuck into my right palm, in two places.

I laughed so hard that I cried. Felipe freaked out. In an attempt to liberate my right hand, I used my left, which subsequently got stuck as well. Somehow, after a lot of tugging from just the right direction, I freed both hands and Felipe, hands wrapped in his leather jacket, removed the offending plant from the car. The moral of the story: no matter how pretty something looks, follow the park rules and leave the nature outside!