Desert

ON THE ROAD: JOSHUA TREE.

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I've made the trek out to Joshua Tree a handful of times since the summer of 2014 and every trip has outshined the one preceding it. My most recent jaunt was last week for the 2nd Annual Desert & Denim Trade Show put on by Juniper Ridge. 

Located at the Mojave Sands Motel, Desert & Denim brought a plethora of colorful brands together to showcase their wares. As assortments of intriguing individuals from all walks of life toured the vendors booths, it produced an atmosphere unlike anything I've ever been a part of. The combination of music, art, clothing, and creative humans commingling together with the Mojave Desert as the background made for an eventful two days. 

Juniper Ridge has coined Desert & Denim as "The World's Premier Renegade Trade Show" and I couldn't agree more. It surpassed my expectations and it was the most fulfilling experience I've had at a trade show. I can't wait to head out again next year. 

For more about Desert & Denim visit: www.desertanddenim.com. 

On the Road: Valley of Fire.

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Last week my good friend, Taryn, and I hit the road to explore the American Southwest. We left Los Angeles with only two definitive plans. One was to take a tour of Antelope Canyon, Arizona and the other was to spend a night in Sedona, Arizona. We left the rest up to chance and spotty GPS signal in order to guide us to and from each point. 

Taryn is moving to the tropics next month and she wanted to get one last road trip under her belt before reseting her clock to island time. Having only spent a handful of hours in Arizona and Utah I jumped at the opportunity to explore a pretty foreign region of our vast nation. 

We spent our first night just under an hour outside of the oh so unnatural city of Las Vegas. We made camp in between two towering walls of red rocks at sunset and spent the night sharing stories on the itchiest, fiberglass picnic benches ever. Before passing out underneath a sea of stars, we joked about all of the chumps gorging themselves at cheap buffets in between draining their bank accounts in the ol' City of Sin. 

We woke up with the sides of our tent dangling inches from our faces as the early morning heat began to consume our once shady campsite. The roaring desert winds broke one of our main tent poles in the middle of the night, which made for a pretty funny morning as we tried to channel our inner McGyver to fix up our sad excuse of a temporary home. After solving, what would be our only hiccup throughout our week-long trip, we hiked through Valley of Fire. Perched on rocks like lizards we found ourselves alone in one of the most unique landscapes in the country.

Valley of Fire's proximity to Las Vegas was astonishing and extremely notable. We both agreed that it's comical how two spectacularly opposite places can be so damn close. Vegas' strange disconnect from the natural world and the real world seemed like such horrible place to spend time away from the daily grind, when compared with the sights we visitied within the valley. On a map Valley of Fire's geographic location may be nestled near one of the world's most stimulating big cities, but it ended up being one of our favorite places because its solitude and isolation is surprisingly comfortable. 

Stay tuned for more photos and stories from our week long Southwestern Saunter. 

ON THE ROAD: JOSHUA TREE.

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Prior to last summer, I had never visited Joshua Tree. After a fun weekend camping trip in the mid-summer heat I made it a priority to get back out there as soon as possible. Last month, I headed back with a few friends from college for another three-day stint. Having grown up in a coastal community I never understood the allure of the desert or why so many people flocked to such a barren landscape. 

From my two trips to Joshua Tree I've realized that the seemingly sparse landscape is actually the perfect place to go when things get stressful or overwhelming. In a time where people are consumed by technology and forced to be a part of "the grid", Joshua Tree offers a great deal of solitude. Being disconnected from the outside world is surprisingly satisfying and the perfect way to spend time re-evaluating priorities. 

Joshua Tree has an amazing variety of places to climb, hike, and explore all within close proximity to each other. Camping at Jumbo Rocks is a must, due to the site's surroundings, especially at sunset. I highly recommend visiting Keys View in order to gain a better perspective of where the park is situated within the desert. 

ON THE ROAD: SALVATION MOUNTAIN.

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By now you've already seen plenty of photos from Salvation Mountain. This iconic art piece in the Imperial Valley can be seen from miles away due to its sheer size. The mountain's bright paint stands out when juxtaposed with the barren desert landscape that surrounds it.

Last month, a group of friends and I drove out to Salvation Mountain to explore Leonard Knight's masterpiece. It was my first time visiting Salvation Mountain and it was just as jaw dropping and interesting as I had expected. As we walked around Knight's creation I found it truly inspiring that one man dedicated a huge portion of his life to build such a beautiful monument. The mountain intrigues a wide range of visitors. Some people are drawn to it because they view it as a beautiful piece of art, some think it is a cool place to visit while in Southern California, and others are drawn to its religious symbolism. Regardless, Knight's legacy will forever be a part of this desolate landscape.