The road trip hadn't been planned. The original plan was to visit our son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren in Los Angeles for a few weeks, however our son landed a contract in Sydney for six months beginning at the time we were planning to head to the US ... so we went anyway.
We stayed in Los Angeles long enough to attend a performance by the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl – a truly wonderful experience – then borrowed our son's vehicle and headed east. I have to use the word "vehicle" because it is in fact a rather large truck. A huge truck by Australian standards but only a medium sized US truck ... but a monster to fill at the gas station!
Our first stop was Palm Springs - that oasis in the desert. Where do they get their water from? I never found the answer to that question. Joshua Tree National Park is a spectacular landscape with its distinctive rock formations and vegetation ... Not just the Joshua trees but also the chollas and other desert plants. I'd been through JTNP previously but was just as awed on this second visit.