There are no cars, there is no electricity, no water (except in Santa Cruz campground). No cell service. No Netflix, no Starbucks, 7-11, Amazon or Uber. You are on your own, completely. Which is both awesome and, well, a bit unnerving at times - depending on which island you go to. Preparation and self reliance is a must when visiting.
Seems about the perfect place to turn another decade older….

Joshua Tree has always been a place I’ve wanted to visit, those crazy Dr. Seuss style trees and the beautiful sunset images…what is not to love? Well, besides the heat during the summer - man, it is no joke! It is like being inside an oven. I gotta say though, I far prefer the dry heat over humid Atlanta heat. Still, the desert can be cruel and you can not be overly hydrated. Water is your best friend here.

If you are a fan of Thai food as well, then there is absolutely no better place, outside of Bangkok, than the parking lot of the Wat Thai temple in North Hollywood, CA.

If you didn’t know to look for them, you would probably just walk or drive right by and never even know.

Everything from surfing, volleyball, basketball, hand ball, tennis, skateboarding and weightlifting are all along the boardwalk. You can even rent bikes and take a ride on over to Santa Monica, if you wanted to.

the streets are lined with small markets selling a wide variety of things from medicinal herbs and teas, to back scratchers and plastic jade dragons. There is an almost hidden, enclosed market area that snakes and wanders endlessly where you will find clothing, shoes, luggage and toys. Be aware though that the shops are much like those in tourist cities in Mexico where the vendors will follow you around a bit too far into your personal space. GET OUT OF MY BUBBLE, WOMAN!

Do not get me wrong, this is amazing! I just had ZERO clue about any of it and so it was a bit shocking to the senses. I drove into town, saw the labyrinth, then had some lunch at a quaint little cafe. I admired all the bicycles and golf cars that everyone drove and I thought I’d wander a street or two and marvel over the houses but then I see this. Some sort of large brick compound with gilded gates about a block off the main street…what the…?

While out wandering around Indiana I passed by this place and couldn’t slam the brakes fast enough. I was heartbroken that it was closed so I couldn’t fully wander through but I did manage to sneak a bunch of pics from the outside.