Anyway, I'm fortunate enough to have kept up with a bunch of my friends from HS. Two of them were going to turn 30 the same weekend that I was. One I had married and the other, Jennifer, lived not-so-far-away in Berkeley.
The plan was to get together for an adventure and Joshua Tree was selected. Rounding out our party were Devin and Amy from HS, Lorelei (wife to Amy) and Ed (friend to Jennifer). As a surprise, we also met up with Colin and Masha: friends from SB who had just that week relocated to Joshua Tree.
The first step was a quick trip down to Pasadena to gather at Amy's place. We'd all meet there, spend the night, and organize a carpool out to the desert in the morning. Good times were had. Also cake. Cake was had.
The morning drive was uneventful and we made it to the park in the early afternoon. First stop was a hike through some big rocky hills that were in use by the local mountain climbers. The sky was blue, the moon was out, and things were pretty.
 |
| Climbers |
 |
| A certain mouse came along for the ride |
 |
| Some mid-day moon |
Within the confines of Joshua Tree, there exists a place known as the Pinto Basin. Here I am surveying that (my) territory:
While in the basin, we ran into a bunch of plants and animals
Sunset found us among the silhouetted cacti, driving out of the park for our campsite. Dinner was pasta, pudge pies and stew prepared over the fire. Desert dessert? S'more's of course!
 |
| Nutritious and/or delicious. |
After waking up for a cold but stereotypically beautiful desert sunrise, we headed off for a sizable hike through the local mountains.
 |
| The Fellowship of the Desert |
 |
| Mount-top panoramic |
 |
| Mountains and trees and stuff |
Before heading back to Pasadena, we stopped off at a local restaurant for some food and a surprisingly good bit of beer:
 |
| Was it good, or was that the post-hike beerlust talking? |
As birthday adventures go, our friendly local desert delivered. Good times, good views, good friends, good beers.
I look foreward to reading this :-)
ReplyDelete