VannaGone: "My shattered nerves"

Roy and Randy offered to drive us to Joshua Tree National Park which is about 20 miles from their house. So we spent the day touring the Park with them and their friend, Rick, in the air-conditioned comfort of their new Mercedes diesel SUV. What an upgrade from Vanna.

Again we encountered few people, although there were more visitors at this park than the other parks we've visited. I think it is because snowbirds are arriving for the winter in Palm Springs.

We laughed the whole way to the Park, and Roy and Randy taught us a new phrase-"my shattered nerves" - which somehow John thought was an appropriate description of me on this trip. And I thought I had been exceedingly calm this whole time.

I'll start this post with a picture of a hummingbird at their feeder early this morning. They have lots and lots of hummingbirds in their backyard.

Here we are in Joshua Tree National Park at a cholla cactus field.

(No, John did not grow taller on this trip. He is standing on a rock.)

This is an eponymous Joshua tree.

The geology in the Park was striking with dramatic rock formations.

We had a late lunch at C and S Diner in Yucca Valley. Here are John, Randy, and Rick at the diner.

The food was fantastic, filling, and cheap. Right before we stopped for lunch we saw a VW repair shop with Vanna's twin, a maple bar 1984 westfalia, parked out front. I hope seeing her doppelganger in the repair shop is not a bad omen for us.

This afternoon we are gassing up Vanna, checking her for leaks, washing her, and monitoring her fluid levels before heading east early tomorrow morning. We are reviewing a map tonight to see if we can find a route that avoids I-10, another mind-numbing freeway. We might drive south to the Salton Sea and then east to Phoenix.

A big thank you to Roy and Randy for being such good friends and gracious hosts.