Travel Diaries: LOS ANGELES

I arrived in LA last Saturday with nothing but my suitcase. No plans and no ideas. Once I got to the hotel, I arranged to meet some of my colleagues at the fire pit (yes, exactly like on love island 😊) and gather a plan together.

All sorts of ideas were thrown into the mix, but five of us finally decided on a day trip to the glamorous Palm Springs. Luckily, we had seen a car hire place very close to the hotel, but we soon realised it was closed on Sundays. Back to square one. After searching and searching we managed to find a place not too far away. The buzz of excitement was back, and it was then that a possible overnight stay was suggested.

Three of us had a look around the area and found plenty of nice options in our price range. The only problem was that we had no set plan of what we wanted to do whilst we were there, so had no idea where to book for. Eventually we decided to just wing it. So, off to bed we went with alarms set for 7 am, no car or hotel, but a thrill for the mystery of tomorrow.

We met downstairs at 8 o’clock with our overnight bags ready to set off hunting for a car.

About 15 minutes later we had arrived and were next in line. After a short while, we were given the keys and watched as they pulled a huge, white convertible Bronco around. We couldn’t believe our luck, and it only cost £20 each for TWO WHOLE DAYS!  With a spring in our step, we all jumped in and drove straight to the supermarket to stack up on all the journey snacks we could need.

Another 15 minutes and we were on our way up to palm springs. Merging from highway to highway. The sound of laughter filled the car. Properly getting to know what each other was like and hearing stories from all different times in their lives. The hours flew by and another couple of places were added to our itinerary. And soon the palm trees were in sight.

Finally, parking up we all jumped out and began having a look around. We went in a variety of different stores. Some with souvenirs, some places for clothes and some were even decked out with Christmas trees. It was bliss. We grabbed a photo with the Marilyn Monroe statue and had coffees whilst soaking up the sun.

After a short while we headed up towards the Tahquitz Canyon Trail in search of the waterfall. When we arrived, we gathered the bits we needed, and then someone had a brilliant idea that while we had the roof off, we should get some pictures with the mountains in the background. One by one we climbed into the car, poking our heads out the roof with our arms up. Once we had all had a turn, we made our way to the start.

It took about 30 minutes to get to the waterfall, over some pretty big rocks and bushes. Two of us even had flip flops on and they managed to be the fastest ones! It was a very beautiful sight, and we all felt sad we hadn’t packed our cozzies as a dip was just what we wanted. After some photos, we made our way down, talking more and more as we walked.

Once back at the car, we decided to book a hotel that would set us up perfectly for the adventures of the next day. A few minutes later, we were back in the car putting the postcode into the satnav. It had worked out only £40 each for 3 rooms and we were more than happy with that. Only thing left to find out was if the pictures were accurate.

We checked in and made our way to the rooms. All the girls paired up and let the only guy have his own space (how nice are we 😊) then after a quick freshen up we met down at the firepit with some drinks. We checked how far Joshua Tree Park was from the hotel, so we could plan for the following day. Then some more chatter and drinks later, our tummies were growling. We had originally decided on going to the pizza hut across the road but once we got in, there wasn’t a worker, menu, or piece of cleaning equipment in sight. We quickly abandoned that and headed for the Vons across the road. In the end we all got some form off cooked chicken and bread then went back to the room for a picnic. We were stuffed and ready to slip into a food coma, so we said our goodnights and hopped into bed.

The next morning, we were up bright and early packing the car back up, then made our way to Joshua Tree National Park. It was breathtaking seeing the sun shining over the mountains. Such a beautiful crisp morning. Once we arrived, we drove past nothing but lines and lines of Joshua trees, making our way to see the first formation, Skull Rock. It was perfect timing as we got a space almost immediately and made our way over. After a very short climb we was at eye level with the Skull. Please also imagine that two of us were still wearing flip flops as they were their only pair of shoes.

We quickly moved on to another rock, the Split Rock. It was at this point that we made a huge mistake. Three of us, me included, had to use the bathroom which luckily the park provide. However, as we got closer, the smell crept up on us. Agreeing to never discuss the experience again, we raced up to the rock and climbed along to get some good pictures with the background. The two adventures, also the two flip flop wearers, pushed further and further climbing more into the distance while us other three sat back enjoying the sun.

Once we were all back in the car, we planned to go off to our third and final stop, Pioneer Town. This was only about 20 minutes away and we had already sussed out the barbeque place we were set on having lunch. As we arrived it looked just like a wild west film set. A tiny town with a couple of shops, a post office, a farm, and some pretend parts of town you can have a look and get a feel for in. There was a bar with the classic tables and bar seats from a classic western movie. We stopped for a little, then walked down to the restaurant. It was called ‘Pappy and Harriet's.’ It was superb service inside. The waitress was lovely, and the food came out very quickly. Most of us went with the brisket burger and it was delicious. I still think about it daily. Then with our bellies full and a long drive ahead, we settled up and began on our way home.

As soon as we got in, the exhaustion hit us so we said goodnight and headed up to sleep. It was a perfect end to the perfect trip.