13. A Blissful Stop in Joshua Tree

Everyone had such a good time they didn’t want it to end. A good problem.

Our first stop was Joshua Tree. By the time we hit the 91 freeway we felt like we were in our groove again.

We had moved back into the van and scored a campsite at Cottonwood in Joshua Tree National Park.

The kids were enjoying the car the whole drive and, as the sun set around 8pm, the car started to quiet down.

Beckham set down his toy. I asked him if he was ready to go ni-night? “Yes,” he nodded.

As we pulled off the highway and started slowly rolling down the dirt roads, bouncing around, blackness surrounding us, except for the dim glow of our headlights, it made for the perfect combination to lull the kids to sleep.

We parked just before 9pm and Marcus and I enjoyed the stroke of luck, arriving with both kids happily asleep. I converted the van for sleep and deeply enjoyed not rushing because anyone was overtired. I took my time and enjoyed the quiet sounds of Marcus outside cooking some lentil soup for both of us.

I moved the kids into bed and they both rolled over and settled into a deep slumber. I stood at our stove eating my soup. Marcus ate his walking around exploring the campsite.

When he came in he suggested we sit outside and look at the stars. Joshua Tree is known for stargazing and Cottonwood is known for having the darkest conditions in the whole park. The view did not disappoint. It was the perfect end to our travel day, the start of our adventure.

We both drifted off to sleep peacefully enjoying the cool breeze of the night air.