October 4–5, 2025
We spent most of the drive from Pixley to Joshua Tree, California listening to conference talks—nothing like a little spiritual guidance while traveling.
We made a pit stop in Bakersfield for a 24-mile out-and-back bike ride on Bakersfield's wonderful bike path during the lunchbreak for conference. It wasn’t my finest ride—mostly because I was on day two of being sick. I have a hard time taking it easy. We saw a California King Snake!
George and I have always dreamed of biking across the country, but now that we’re older, sleeping on the ground feels less like “adventure” and more like a sore back. Plus, sharing the road these days is a lot more dangerous. So we’ve adjusted our plan: we’ll bike in as many different ZIP codes as possible. It’s like biking across the country… just in little spurts. And fewer chiropractic bills. Zip codes 93304 through 93314 accomplished!
Driving into Joshua Tree felt like crossing into another dimension. There was exactly one paved road, and everything else was dirt—like the kind of dirt that swallows your shoes if you stand still too long. The “houses” (and I use that term loosely) looked like a mashup between survivalist bunkers and a sci-fi movie set.
Every driveway? Dirt. Every yard? Dirt. Every property? An RV that was clearly doubling as someone’s actual home and a water tank the size of a small pool. The general energy was "we survive here, but barely."
Even the paved road was different—it had been plowed recently, but not for snow. For sand. Because apparently in this area weather works backwards and sandstorms get snowplow treatment. It’s a whole ecosystem of dirt management I never knew existed.
Between the alien landscape and the minimalist living setups it was a glimpse into a lifestyle I’ve never seen before—but it was exactly the kind of weird, wild, wonderfully dusty stop that makes road trips worth it.
That night we boondocked on BLM land in Joshua Tree. Right across from several survivalist camps.
Sunday was a full reset day. We relaxed, listened to General Conference, and caught up with five of our kids on the phone. The wifi was good and the price was right so we stayed in Joshua Tree again that night.
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