States: 3 Days: 19 Miles: 12,342
On leaving Los Angeles in my 1,234-miles-on-the-clock SUV rental (it’s a beast!), my backpack, camping gear, and food supplies Tetrised into the boot, I programmed the Joshua Tree camp ground into the Sat Nav; only a 3½ hour drive – not too bad. Happily, I began driving along, listening to my new Spotify playlist (thanks all for the contributions – we are now up to 29 hours!). Three hours later; I was still in LA. At 4.37, when the sun set and I was still in LA, I realised that I probably didn’t want to rock up at a strange new campsite in the dark and put up a new tent. In the dark. So I opted for my first motel experience – the Safari Motel Inn at Joshua Tree. As far as motels go, I think I was rather spoiled with this one. Free WiFi, filter coffee, and maps and advice galore from the very helpful owner. If this is a sign of things to come, I will be very happy (spoiler – it’s not). There was even the Joshua Tree Saloon a two-minute walk down the road, with good beer, bar food, a tequila vending machine, and karaoke (I did not partake of the latter two).
On my way back from the Saloon, I had my first close encounter with a coyote. I say a close encounter – it was on the other side of the car park. But that’s as close as I’ve ever been to a coyote. I got quite excited and really wanted someone to walk by, just so that I could grab them and say: “Look! A coyote!”. I then realised that coyotes were probably as common in this part of America as foxes were in the UK. So I felt a little foolish. I then remembered that every time I saw a fox in the UK, I would get quite excited and really want someone to walk by, just so that I could grab them and say: “Look! A fox!”. So I felt a little better.
Then for the camping. I have camped in a few places around the world. The most recent at the inland sea in Qatar with the Eleys. When telling anyone from the Middle East that I was planning on camping out in the desert in December, the conversation always (always) went like this:
Them: “Oh, it’ll be cold”
Me: “It’s OK, I’m from the UK, I’m used to the cold”
Them: “Oh, but there’s cold and there’s desert cold”
I suppose, if you’re used to it being 40-odd degrees on average all year round and all you have is a thin and threadbare sleeping bag to keep you warm, 14 degrees might seem bone-chillingly cold. And it was pretty cold, but if we had had an extra layer, or some thermals, or even another thin and threadbare sleeping bag each, we probably would have been fine. I challenge any of those “desert cold” commenters to camp in the high Mojave. In December. Luckily for me, I did have thermals. And an extra layer. And surprisingly good camping equipment that kept me toasty-warm all night, despite the one-degree temperature.
Settling down to sleep, the silence of the desert was ringing in my ears. It wasn’t until I heard the first barking of the coyotes that it dawned on me that I was completely alone. There was no-one else in my campsite and the next nearest campsite was seven miles south. To the west, north, and east; nothing for at least 20 miles. It’s quite eerie knowing that there is not another human being for at least 7 miles, if not 20. As long as I stayed in the tent, the eeriness didn’t invade too much, but dark forays to the car or the toilet required quick (but not too thorough!) scanning for any reflective eyes in the vicinity. It was all fine. Although packing up my tent in the morning, I did spot some rather curious tracks leading up to, and under, the tent! Perhaps something else was also enjoying my toasty-warmth.
Driving away from the Mojave, I was feeling very good about myself. Not only did I camp: Alone. In the high desert. In December. But I also managed to get my tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat back into their original carry cases on the first try. Smug.
Aside (5): I got to see the ‘World’s Largest Thermometer’ in Baker on my way to Nevada. It was large.
Being the antisocial thing that I am, I loved the few days spent in the Mojave. Nothing but peace and nature. And a lot of it. On arriving in Las Vegas, though, I felt the need to Be Amongst The People, so went down to the casino for a late lunch. What a mistake. From the peace and space of the Mojave Desert to a Las Vegas casino. What an assault on the senses. Luckily for me, I have been to Vegas before, so there are only a few things I missed out on last time that I am looking to see this time: The Bellagio Fountains, Fremont Street, and the ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign. And of course, find a tattooist to do the Nevada tattoo. So now I am in my Murder Central hotel room in Circus Circus, looking forward to a hot shower and bed. Pretty sure that’s not what most people look forward to in Vegas, but I’ve never been one to go with the flow.
Comentarios