February 2019
Gotta hit that national park! The theme of the third trip was all about seeing Joshua Tree National Park. We were ready to be out in the wild as during our time off from January to February we hired a fantastic solar installer to give us all the power in the world. Airstream trailers come with limited solar panels and even more limited battery storage. Highly recommend the work of Cameron Belscher at Off the Grid Camper. He travels around the country doing installations and his work is stellar. His partner, Jacqui, helps design the installation. They set us up right!
So, we were ready to test the feeling of being invincible by going off the grid in Lake Havasu, camping on BLM land. Outcome? Well the power was there, unfortunately so was a small tree that got us edging out of our tight spot on top of a little ridge.
Luckily the depressing damage came after a great few days hiking through Lake Havasu (hey… that kinda rhymes!).
On the morning we had planned to head to Joshua Tree, it snowed there. So we did what we do – we went in search of warmer weather. Side trip to Borrego Springs, CA! It was warmer and we had the added bonus of seeing a familiar face from North Carolina, our friend, Susan, who winters in the area. We had a nice few days hiking and breaking bread with her and her family. The BLM camping in Borrego Springs wasn’t terribly scenic – think dirt parking lot – but the hiking was fun!
Alas, the weather improved in Joshua, so it was time to hit the road. The good thing about cold weather is that the crowds thin a bit, and we were able to squeeze into the Jumbo Rocks Campground inside the park. While the hikes were nice, the most memorable image of the stay was the couple going two up on a motorcycle through the park. Classic! Best friends forever!
After Joshua, it was time to go home. We left Plato and Aristotle in Palm Springs, ready for the next adventure.