We took our first National Parks trip together and it did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to combine a business trip with some personal time in Joshua Tree National Park. The drive from Los Angeles took about 2.5 hours and was gorgeous and great time for conversation in the car.

When we arrived, it was like a scene from the planet Tatooine (Star Wars for my non nerd readers). Our AirBnB was unbelievable and waking up in the desert, watching the sunrise over the mountains was breathtaking!

We logged 14 miles of hiking and for a brief period, we were lost in the desert (see the foreshadowing video below). Thanks to our survival skills (actually sheer luck) we found out way out before dark!

We now have 57 more national parks to go! Overall this was one of our favorite trips and can’t wait to keep checking off the national parks!