The Cholla Cactus Tracy told me a story about why the Cholla are called the Jumping Cactus: that little ends of the branches fall off and are blown a bit away from the plant, so you’re more likely to miss seeing the bits as you’re busy avoiding the plant. Bang—you step on them, let them […]
Month: November 2021
Joshua Tree Hikes
I’ve really been enjoying myself boondocking outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. I think I’m getting the hang of the desert, although I can’t say that I love it (yet, at least). I have lots of pictures to show you and stories to tell, but I thought I’d show you our hikes […]
Three-story Tiny House Finished
I think the only parts I had left to finish since my last two posts about this house were the landscaping and the lights, and now I’m done! I’ll post those photos here, then all the highlights on the tiny house page. So yeah, the lights work! I’m especially pleased that they do with this […]
Thankful, Behind and Ahead
Last Thanksgiving, we were in Big Cypress National Preserve, in the first part of our long winter tour of Florida. I feel like we’re a world away this Thanksgiving, here in the desert in Southern California. But it’s funny: we’re in our same home and cooking and eating our same meal (thanks for putting up with […]
How Did We Misjudge This Much?
It’s very early Thanksgiving morning, and I’m on the sofa trying to write a post about this beautiful national park I’m in (Joshua Tree), without having gone on a single hike in it. My photos are from one drive we took through the southern part of the park, like a couple of n00bs. What happened? […]
Towing Your Home on the Busiest Travel Day
The Monday before Thanksgiving may not be the busiest travel day ever, but as we moved camp that day, each figurative bump along the road made it feel like a doomed day. (Spoiler: in the end Tracy found us the best possible boondocking site right outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, so […]
Three-story Tiny House Almost Finished
This one is going too quickly! I still have to finish the landscaping and the wiring, but I’m getting close, and I don’t know when I’ll finish and also be able to post again, so here goes an update. Third-floor Living Area I meant to photograph this before I put the roof on so I […]
Hellhole Canyon and the Slot
There’s not a ton of hiking near us in Anza-Borrego, but we’ve done two short ones that have made the stay here worth it. Indeed, hikes are a memorable as the names. Hellhole Canyon The park brochure description makes this out to be a 6-hour hike into the wastelands of misery, but we did it […]
Anza-Borrego
The small tourist town of Borrego Springs is right in the middle of Anza-Borrego State Park, about 40 miles north of the Mexican border (in California). We came here because we’re basically dilly dallying around the southwest for the winter, trying not to get to our “destination,” Yuma, so early that we’ll be bored there […]
Co-camping among the Manzanitas
Imagine that a friend, whom you haven’t seen in two years, pulls up to your remote campsite. Imagine that she pulls out of her car: a bottle of champagne, a dinner kit of salmon and veggies (prepped and ready for the stove), and a bag of limes. Now, imagine that she also pulls out a […]
