19 Dec Karma Trip #2: CA -> AZ

Monday Dec 13

We left Joshua Tree Monday morning without a real schedule or time frame beyond a loose plan for the next 11 days, and being back in Denver by Christmas Eve. We stopped at the Joshua Tree visitor’s center for some souvenirs, and then decided to check out the small dusty town of Twentynine Palms. There was a taco place on the map that immediately snagged my attention and we wound our way there for lunch. Ordering too many tacos plus an ear of elote – we were overjoyed at some of the best tacos we’d had in years!

We took a sideroad out of town towards an area we meant to park at for the night – but instead spotting something else on the map that seemed worth checking out — tagged as “random things I find in the middle of the desert”. We drove for miles on a dirt road seemingly in the middle of nowhere but actually just a few miles off the highway we’d be taking west. Around the marker it was pretty easy to spot: a collection of white rocks that are completely out of place in the endless sand and scrub.

“T H E   B O T T O M   O F   A N   O C E A N   O F   A I R”

was spelled out in big white rocks with a smaller line below it:

“L O O K   U P”

The quote is attributed to Evangelista Torricelli — a scientist and Galileo’s student — credited for discovering barometric pressure and in addition to being at the bottom . Super fun find and interesting to learn about!

We decided to barrell on towards the Arizona border, through some of the longest, straitest & remote stretches of highway I’d seen in California. Endless sand, rocky barren peaks and the overcast sky wrapped the fading daylight.

We landed just outside Parker, Arizona, on the California border, on some BLM land that was already spotted with RVS and other tent campers. We settled in for the night and I spent a few hours catching up on work. What an easy and interesting day on the road!

Tuesday Dec 14

We woke up to a hot sun and pleasant temperatures on the edge of the Colorado River. We got a tip on free showers from the Overlander app and took a quick detour outside of Parker, happy to find hot water & an empty parking lot at this recreation area w/ fully equipped bathrooms (similar to a beach bathroom).

We hit the road, aiming for the Superstition Wilderness area on the east side of Phoenix. I had the Peralta Canyon hiking area saved in my maps so it was an easy target for the day. We hit a Costco and sprouts on the outskirts of Phoenix / Scottsdale to resupply and carried on out of the city, soaking up the saguaro views and the mountains surrounding the area.

We made it to our parking spot after dark, but within eyesight of several other RVs and campers. We made plans to hike the next morning and I finished up a bit of work from the day.