Back to California: Joshua Tree National Park, and coastal Oceanside & LA.

November 7, 22:48

Easy day today. We left around 10:00 in the morning, after showering and getting a coffee to go. It was a long day on the road. And a very boring road, might I add. We arrived at Joshua Tree RV and campground around 16:30, after collecting a map for the next National Park, which is, you guessed it: Joshua Tree!

November 8, 21:51

Tonight we’re staying at Cottonwood Campground, on the south side of Joshua Tree National Park. We spent a full day in the park today, where we went to 8 different spots and did hikes between 0,5 km and 5 km. From start to finish, these were our stops: Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, Cap Rock, Key Views, Ryan Mountain, Skull Rock, Arch Rock, and Cholla Cactus Valley. Such a great day! Although I don’t really consider Joshua Tree a pretty-looking park (compared to all the others), it’s definitely a fun park! The hikes are cool, and you can climb and scramble on all the rocks and boulders you come across. Especially the area around Arch Rock was a lot of fun. We arrived at the campsite around 16:15, which was perfectly timed for sunset. I know, super early! We sat in our camping chairs, enjoyed some snacks, and watched the sky turn orange, yellow, pink, and purple. Dessert sunsets are absolutely beautiful!

View more sunset photos here: Coastal California.

November 9, 22:26

We’ve left our 15th and last National Park, and crossed the desert and a mountain range to go back to the coast. Back in the direction of LA, but with one last stop at Oceanside. It’s so strange, cause this is our last full day, and the last night, in the RV. Tomorrow, we’ll return it so we don’t have to worry about parking in LA. It’s crazy how fast these two months went by. I really wish we had another month…

We’ve strolled around the boulevard of Oceanside, enjoying the pretty sunset. And then headed for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. We’re treating ourselves. Full on vacation vibes after all the traveling. I love it.

sunset oceanside beach — *Sunset at Oceanside beach, California.*

November 10, 21:56

Even though it’s already November, and we had snow just a couple of days ago, here it’s super nice. We’re back in t-shirts and dresses, sunglasses, and sandals. Before driving to LA, we enjoyed one final stop: Laguna Beach. We’ve spent a good 4 hours here, looking at the ocean and hanging under palm trees, all to postpone the inevitable: bringing back the RV. We just don’t want the trip to end. But when it was 15:30, and with at least an hour drive ahead of us, it really was time to go.

And now that we’re released from our RV duties, checked into our hotel for the last two nights, and have full bellies, we can relax in our cozy and soft personal Queen-size beds.

November 11, 10:32

This is the last full day of our trip, so we decided to do what we do best: go on another hike. And this time to the famous Hollywood sign! I’ve been in California, only 30 minutes from LA, since January of this year, and I’ve been wanting to do this hike for a while now, so I’m happy today is the day! Afterwards, we’ll go for a stroll on Sunset Boulevard and go to the Cheesecake Factory for some well-deserved food. Super excited!

19:02

We’re back at the hotel. We ordered cheesecake to go, and are now cozy in bed for a nice and chill last night, ready to watch a movie. I can’t believe how fast these 2 months went by. I also can’t believe how much we’ve actually seen and done. We went to 5 States, visited 15 National Parks, and drove almost 10.000 km. All in just two months. And the crazy part is, it doesn’t even feel like we rushed it all that much. Okay, most of the time, we stayed in one place for only two nights, which is not that much, and some recharging days were definitely necessary. BUT the pace felt nice, and we had enough time to really explore the parks and destinations to our fullest. We even had time to read books, play cards, and watch our show on Netflix. We had lazy mornings and rainy indoor days to balance out our full hiking days of 15 km. And my favorite thing of it all: we’ve had the most beautiful lunch and coffee spots.

I would do it all again, the exact same way.
Thank you mom!