LALA Land ??

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Off to Palm Springs in Val’s Audi convertible - Karen in the back seat ??~2hr drive First stop, check out Johnny Carson’s home ?...cool neighborhood with midcentury-modern architecture, although you cannot see the actual house due to the natural hedge and fence. We can understand why people gravitate to this area to relax. The core shopping district along Palm Canyon Drive features vintage boutiques, interior design shops and restaurants. We walk around and meet Tisha/Rachel, Val’s friends who we plan to stay with at Joshua Tree, for a bite to eat ?

Sunday evening we attended a birthday ?/ housewarming party ? in Palm Springs for a friend of Val’s who purchased the former home of Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie ?

Check it out...https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie/all

We toured the house and sat at the fireplace ? The food was amazing and really neat people. Now Kathy wants to create some of the dishes we enjoyed ?for our future parties and get some fancy pants?- bright colored flowers ??and wear big glasses ?and hats ? like they do here in LALA Land ?Certainly no shortage of style here!

We spend the night at Tisha/Rachel’s house in Joshua Tree...they recently moved their from LA and are getting married ? in January. We learn all about astrology and feng shui. Check out their web sites - Rachelclang.com and Tishamorris.com

They both work from home and are planning to turn it into a retreat destination. Great Spanish style ranch home with 3 acres of land, including a hot tub, pool, and horse ? ring and stable. Very different from LA...Monday morning Val ordered up some ‘healing’ for Kathy. Integratron for a sound bath?we haven’t heard of it either... Referred to as ‘kindergarten nap time ? for grownups in a sound sphere.’ https://integratron.com/sound-bath/. Accurate description ?

In the afternoon we check out Joshua Tree National Park, only 3 miles away. Did you know they really aren’t trees? The Joshua Tree, the largest of the yuccas, grows only in the Mojave Desert. Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca ? We hike the Barker Dam Trail and view the sunset ? Kathy spots a tight rope walker going from one rock formation to another ?Stop and take a photo...crazy!

Dinner plans are at the legendary Pappy&Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, which has been delighting locals and travelers alike since 1982, with its mesquite barbeque, live music, dancing and friendly service. It’s open mic ? night and our table is right next to the stage - front row??Kathy is so excited...best seats in the place!

Fun time with good food, music and friends.

https://www.pappyandharriets.com/history/

Tuesday, plans are to go back to Joshua Tree National Park to hike the Ryan Mountain ⛰ Trail and then head back to LALA Land before rush hour traffic hits. The hike is only 2.8 miles, however, the vertical change is drastic...we hike up to 5461 ft. This park is so different from all the other parks...lots of desert, rocks, and of course, Joshua trees. We finally see big horn sheep? The Park Ranger we pass on the trail says it is our lucky day because we see 2 rams, which is rare ? Wow - so amazing to see wild animals in their natural habitat.

Back to LALA Land...Val has to get back to work ?Every day and evening is filled with fun and dinners with many more of Val’s friends. We explore parts of Beverly Hills, Griffith Park, Santa Monica Pier (the end of Route 66), Venice Beach ?, and Malibu. So great that Val has such an amazing network of friends since she is so far away from family ?

Our plan is to leave Sunday and make our way back East. We decided the timing for a northern route may not make sense, as many of the National Parks close camping ⛺️ options in September.

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