Driving to Joshua Tree National Park, Ca

Today was our first real driving day and we were driving with our new and awesome roof bag. We packed up our gear and drove 3 hours east. We said goodbye to our friends who were enjoying the pool on a warmer afternoon.

We had a 3 hour drive but before we reached our destination we saw the signs for Palm Springs, California. We met some Rv'rs at the KOA and they said to have a stop there, so we did, but Elisa couldn't remember why. As soon as we pulled into the little town, we saw the Aerial Tramway.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest rotating tram car—travels over two-and-one-half miles along the breathtaking cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting riders to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. Once you reach the Mountain Station—elevation 8,516 feet and a was about 5 degrees.

As we are traveling before tourist season, just at the beginning of Spring, we were able to walk right unto the next tramway. It seemed to be a very busy area during season as there was A to J parking lots. We parked in A. Palm Springs seemed to be a small town that was built around the Casino. There didn't seem to be anything else.

The air up top was brisk and Pristine. We weren't wearing the correct clothes so we were only able to walk around for about 20 min, but there were miles of hiking trails up top. We also couldn't stay long as we needed to get our tent up before dark.

We made it to Blackrock Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. The day was extremely windy as we drove, and the wind in the top of Mt. San Jacinto sounded like a freight train was coming through and the wind still did not let up as we put up the tent and made dinner.

It was a cold windy night and Brandon seemed to be the only one who slept as he was all rugged up in a onsies, flannel pjs, sleeping bag and fleece blanket.Read more