February 23, 2025

By Simon J. Lau

We’re spending a week with the boys in Joshua Tree to celebrate my 40th birthday! I kept going back and forth on where to go but eventually settled on the desert. It’s one of the few places where I always feel at home.

Here are some photos from the drive down. It took well over eight hours, which isn’t crazy, but I missed the view of all the Joshua trees when coming down the mountain—it was well past sundown by the time we made it into town. That’s one of my favorite sights when arriving.

Prepping the car for the trip, with the boys making sure they weren’t left behind.

Obligatory In-N-Out stop. We’ve come to the conclusion that In-N-Out is so much better than other fast food chains because it’s corporate-owned rather than franchised. That extra margin allows them to pay their people more and invest in better ingredients—and it shows. Higher-quality food and better service!

When we finally made it to Joshua Tree, we dropped by Aldi to buy groceries. The first time we ever visited Joshua Tree in 2021, we did something similar. It was the first time we primarily cooked in on a trip, and it was surprisingly healthy. Since then, we’ve kept up the habit. Interestingly, we tend to eat healthier when we’re on the road than when we’re at home—I’m not sure why.

Benny settling right in at the Airbnb. This place is huge! The last two times we visited, we stayed in Joshua Tree proper, but this time, I decided we should check out Yucca Valley (the next town over). It has a lot more big-box retail stores, making it easier for us to get supplies, and we’re backed up against the mountains. I like it—especially the backyard. The boys have taken a liking to it too.