Joshua Tree notes, & the end of Nomad Year

I was named after this funky looking tree

Our beautiful spot in the desert

And just like that our Nomad Year is over.

Since May 2022, Annie and I and our two cats have been on the road staying in different Airbnbs to see what this country is all about. Our last spot on this epic journey was Joshua Tree, California which stole our hearts. This wasn’t our first time there so we knew we could easily spend two months in the desert.

This whole region is stunningly gorgeous—it’s sort of like being on another planet. Its ethereal beauty, with peculiar cactus-tree hybrids and panoramic desert makes it feel otherworldly. The vibe might be characterized as “psychedelic cowboy-hippie” which I think is a decently accurate—lots yoga centers and saloons. The area is a seems to magnetize people seeking solace.

We were coming from Austin, Texas, which you can read about here. Austin was more bustling than we were expecting despite having visited several times in the past (but you never know how a place is to live until you actually try living there). So, naturally we craved some space.

Our Airbnb was a quaint little casita outside of a blip of a town called Pioneertown (outside of Joshua Tree). Pioneertown is a fake western town created by Hollywood production companies to film scenes for westerns back in the day.

We were three miles down a sandy dirt road and tucked in the calming scene of rock piles and blue skies. It was silent, which was broken only by the sound of hawks and coyotes scurrying about.

We lucked out with the timing. This year it had rained an abnormal amount in California which was good for us because when we arrived, the area was painted purple and yellow with wildflowers. Superbloom.

The area is most notably known for the Joshua trees, these incredible cactus-tree hybrids that are both beautiful and trippy. If you’re wondering, I was named after this thing as I was born in the area.

This is a Joshua Tree

But in the desert, water is challenging. All the homes there rely on water tank deliveries, which usually happens once a month. Early on of our stay, our tank was leaking water and we needed a new one replaced. Fortunately we escaped the inconvenience by heading to Portland for a few days while it was being fixed.

Our casita didn’t have a washing machine or dryer so we had to go to the laundromat, and for some reason the Joshua Tree laundromat was a happenin’ spot. Locals, drifters, and weary travelers alike did their laundry, and out front on every Saturday morning there was the local Joshua Tree farmers market. We stopped by every Saturday, doing laundry and buying yummy local goods. We were introduced to rugelach, a Jewish baked treat which was prepared by this enthusiastic East Coast transplant in his mid 60s who was a hell of a storyteller.

A couple miles from us was a cute restaurant called Giant Rock Meeting Room (named after Giant Rock) which surprisingly had good food and cocktails. Same for the Red Dog Saloon, just down the road, which had daily live music. So we weren’t totally without amenities and fun.

One of the most memorable experiences was a sound bath experience in this wonderful structure called the Integratron—a building constructed without any nails by an engineer who was… communicating with aliens.

While there, he began meditating under Giant Rock, which the Native Americans of the area held sacred. In August 1953, Van Tassel claimed he had been contacted both telepathically and later in person by people from space, who gave him a technique to rejuvenate human cell tissue. Acting on these instructions, Van Tassel began constructing the Integratron in 1954.

He died and the home was purchased by another family who started a a sound bath experience using quartz bowls. The acoustics in the structure are phenomenal.

The star of the region is Joshua Tree National Park. It’s a massive national park that has these giant piles of rock strewn about. You can drive up to them and climb them. And there are of course Joshua Trees everywhere. We hiked all over the park.

Our trip ended on a lovely note in the park…

We hiked to the top of Ryan Mountain. At the top, we could see the entire park. It was sunset. I got down on one knee and asked Annie to marry me. She said yes. We had been together for five years and it was the perfect way to end our Nomad Year trip. Joshua Tree will forever have a special place in our hearts.

We loved every minute of our Nomad Year. Wait, that was a lie. The trip was very challenging at times but that’s okay because we got to see the country, eat some incredible food, and meet some lovely people. We’re so glad we decided to do this adventure and will always remember it. It’s bittersweet—we’re happy to be home but thrilled we did it.

Now go have your own adventure.

Bae