Our California Road trip began in Los Angeles for a few days, after a rare heat wave in the middle of winter, it was nice to leave the busy streets behind us and set off into the sunset to Joshua Tree.
We didn’t have much time to explore Joshua Tree as we had 2 full days of photoshoots planned, our sunrise shoot in the National park was other worldly, the perfect backdrop for our Dusty Skies collection to come to life, next stop was our awesome vintage Dodge RV we hired as our adventure mobile to tell the story of our Desert Trails collection.
The roads were dusty and the winter weather really heats up in the derset, after a long day shooting we found the Joshua Tree Saloon a fun desert dinning experience with Yummy burgers, beers and a great busy vibe with an open mic night happening on the stage.
We stopped off in Tepoca hot springs and hunted down a natural hot spring as the sun was setting. It was crazy windy and freezing cold, we found a pond looking pool that was a short walk from the road with only a few people already bathing in the warm waters. The ground was muddy and the natural spring water came though patches of the mud to warm the pool, it was delightful. Getting out was not so delightful as the icy wind almost blew all our belongings into the water, we were not prepared for swimming so used our woven throws as towels and to warm us walking back to the car. The breathtaking colours of the sunset distracted us from how cold it was.
Another early rise before the sun to catch the first light, as we were driving into Death Valley National Park we realized that our fuel was below halfway, we were doing some reading about the park the night before and one of the main things they said was… make sure you have a full tank of petrol as it’s a long way and you don’t want to be stuck out there.
We didn’t want to miss sunrise at Zabriskie Point so decided to wing it. It sure was mind blowing goes down as the MOST amazing sunrises we have ever witnesses. The soft pink colours of the sand hills before the sun rise was stunning, the full moon was hovering just above the hills it was a real pitch me moment.
It was freezing cold with the chill of an icy wind blowing over the mountains. There’s no reception in Death valley so our maps didn’t work, judging off a very faded old map we saw there was a petrol station at furnace creek, about an hours drive away, but there was so much to see if death valley, we made the risky decision to push through and keep driving around the park.
Winter is the best time to visit Death Valley as it is known as the hottest place on earth, it was freezing cold in the mornings but warmed up and was so lovely for the rest for the day.
There’s so much to see in Death Valley and you can see most of it in one day, next stop wasArtist's Drive loop to see Artist's palette a place we had dreamed of visiting for so many years,
The desert hills were all the colours of the rainbow, we were the only ones there it was magic.
Next stop was Badwater Basin salt flats, its the lowest point in North America at 86 meters below sea level.
Next stop the Natural Bridge Canyon trail, just a short walk from the car you to arrive at a huge rock shaped natural bridge with the most beautiful rich red colours.
We set off to hunt down a petrol station after pushing through and risking running out we made it and also found an oasis in the desert called the Ranch were we sat down for some burgers.
Back on the road heading, we had one other stop pencilled in before leaving the National Park, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. It was like stepping into the Saraha desert with sand dunes as far as you can see. It was the middle of the day and quite steamy out on the sand, we made time for a quick product shoot...everyone loves a dreamy picnic set up in the desert.
We had a big drive ahead of us with over 3 hours to our Airbnb for the night in Big Bear, desert driving is so beautiful we kept wanting to stop to take in the stunning landscape and soon realised we still had hours until we arrive in Big Bear and the sun was setting.
It was so exciting to wake up in the snow, a contrast to the vast desert landscapes. The A frame cabin we called home for 2 nights was the cutest and the perfect way to rest and recover for a few days after our big days of driving. Snow covered ground and a spa out the back, we spent our time exploring the cute streets of big bear that was lined with wood cabins and fairy light lined trees at night, we ate yummy food and drank wine in front of the fire. Amy and Kimmy set off for a day of snowboarding in the mountains while I kicked back in the cabin for some rest in front of the fireplace.
It was truly amazing to be able to travel again and experience the beauty of the USA, we can’t wait to go back and explore some more, we hope you enjoyed our travel journal.
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