Joshua Tree National Park

An early start was out of the question. We wanted to be in Joshua Tree National Park early. After a quick stop at the deli counter in the supermarket (today we were going to have our own BBQ in the park), we first reached the Visitor Center, which was only 10 minutes away from our accommodation. The expected daytime temperature was given as 26 degrees Celsius. A staff member at the center gave us some tips for visiting the park. He also explained that during World War II, the US Army used the park to train for troop exercises before landing in North Africa. Today, the US, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Holland still practice for desert operations here.

Highlights in the park for us were the cactus forest, the rock formation known as 'the Skull', the viewpoint called 'Keys View', and of course the abundance of Joshua Trees. By the afternoon, we found a nicely located picnic area with a grill, where we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. We then continued with the drive to Palm Springs, which took a little over an hour, and arrived there in the evening. Before that, we briefly visited Pioneertown, a small western town, but there wasn't much going on due to the late hour.

In the evening, around 9:00 PM, we took a short walk in Palm Springs. There was hardly anyone around, most stores were closed. The temperatures were very warm and especially muggy. During our trip, we were occasionally amazed at the sometimes enormous temperature differences compared to the distance we traveled.