“There is nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” Jack Kerouac
Our first stop in California was Death Valley National Park. With such a diverse landscape each bend in the road was a new surprise; including two wild burros standing above the road on a talus slope. We settled into Stopepipe Wells Campground which is essentially a gravel lot with views of sand dunes and mountains. The skies at dusk and dawn made up for the lack of amenities. Death Valley is the largest National Park in the lower 48 so there is a lot to discover and we had to choose our adventures wisely. Formed in 1994 the trails are mostly undeveloped and many sites are over 30 miles apart.
Day one we wanted to hike with the pups; the rangers told us that wherever cars were allowed that our four legged friends could venture too. The 4 x 4 roads here are abundant for off roading and exploring so we hiked through Echo Canyon with the weenies. The winding path takes you through rock formations and skree piles that seem unearthly. The landscape here is so intergalactic that even some of the Star Wars movies were filmed here. Echo Canyon is also a popular place for Western film sets! As we were hiking there were plenty of Jeep parties traveling up this road too. I think we hiked about 7 miles here. The pups and my feet were not a huge fan of the gravel – so sturdy shoes are recommended! We drove on Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road; an unpaved path that winds through badlands. Reminding us of the borax mines that have been excavated here before this land was protected. We ate expensive salads at the Saloon across the street from the campground and caught the end of the West Virginia game after our hike.
Day two we hiked up Side Winder Canyon. This foot only path leading you into one of the only slot canyons in the park made up of “poorly cemented” conglomerate walls. The trail is unmarked and hard to follow because the gravel in the dry wash has zero footprints. This 5 mile trail has an almost 1600 foot elevation gain. The views from the top were stunning. The mountains in Death Valley are every color a mountain could be. Making a rainbow landscape with a white salt basin. Badwater Basin was our next stop; a salt flat where earth’s crust is sunken. Sitting at 282 feet BELOW sea level, Death Valley’s floor is the second lowest depression in the Western Hemisphere. This incredible stroll through one of the largest salt pans in the world appears like a fresh blanket of snow with mirror like puddles bordered with crystals. Then we drove to Artists Palette: these sedimentary hills are beautiful multi-hued mineral rich mountains. They appeared as if they were dripping with colors, red, lavender, blue, and white. Everyone had their cameras in hand. The full beaver moon was beautiful that night and filled the basin with silvery light.
Sunset from the Campground 
Echo Canyon
Dachshunds that Rock Climb
Echo Canyon
Twenty Mule Team Canyon
Zabriskie Point
Sidewinder Canyon
Sidewinder Canyon
Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin
Salt Pan
Artist’s Palette
Full Beaver Moon
Our next stop in California was Malibu. We drove out of Death Valley with the full moon in the sky. At one point we pulled over to use the bathroom and Brennan said the spare tire was gone. This means that the two metal U-bolts holding the tire to the bumper snapped and the whole darn thing bounced off the camper. This would be the fourth 13 inch radial tire we would purchase on this trip.
We finally made it to the coast later that afternoon. We settled into Malibu RV Park surrounded by palm trees, over sized succulents, and salty air. Our plan for Malibu was yoga with an ocean view. The lady that checked us in at the rv park loved dachshunds – she even had her dogs paw prints tattooed on her arm! This park is absolutely beautiful and there is not a bad space in the resort. Brennan had never seen the Pacific before so he was pretty stoked. We could hear the ocean waves crashing and pulling the large weathered stones back into her from the camper at night; even over the traffic noise of the Pacific Coast Highway. We saw feeding frenzies with our binoculars of dolphins, gulls and pelicans. We were greeted by flocks of wild lavender crested parrots during the incredible sunsets. We ventured out to Ventura County to find a beach the weenies could tread on. You can pull over off the PCH just about anywhere and get to the water but dogs are allowed on the beaches in Ventura County. We found a campground called Thornhill Broom Beach at Point Mugu State Park. You could park right at the edge of the sand! We decided to stay an extra night at this campground. It was cheaper than the RV Park and we could have a full beach day, pups included. From this beach we saw dolphins and seals almost everyday at sunrise and sunset. Our extra night turned into two at this first come first serve campground. In Malibu we didn’t really venture out much with paradise at our door we stayed close to the camper and ate really good at “home”.
This part of the country is absolute paradise and we were sad to leave when it was time.
“I believe in the ocean curing all bad moods. I believe in the waves wiping away all worries. I believe in seashells bringing good luck. I believe in toes in the sand grounding my soul.” – Anonymous
The sky is so blue- in Malibu 
Giant Succulent: wiener dog for scale
Prickly Pear for days…
Wild Parrots
Sunsets and Palm trees
Happy Campers
Best Campsite Ever!
Playful Seals
Rocky Beach
More Sunsets
Our last stop in California was Joshua Tree National Park. We camped on the North BLM just miles from the entrance. This BLM was by far the most littered site we have stayed at. This area must be a popular hunting area because there were bullets and shell casings scattered everywhere. The campers were very dispersed so the pups could just wander, which was great. The sunsets were incredible. We drove through Joshua Tree and stopped at Keys View. We drove on the Geology Road Tour where you can wander through the Mojave and the Colorado deserts and see the vast difference between them. There are large granite boulder fields called monzogranite where many visitors climb and hop around on the boulders. This park at times feels as though you are inside a Dr. Suess book. The Joshua Trees are similar to the trees in the Lorax if you are familiar. Protected by Minerva Hoyt in the 1930s who recognized the beauty in the spiny environment where others did not. This park is the home to the desert tortoise and the chuckwalla. Made a National Monument in 1936 and into a National Park in 1994 these endangered species need to be protected and so does their habitat.
Keys View
Joshua Tree Wilderness
Monzogranite Brennan for scale
Pencil Cholla
Cholla Cactus
Geology Tour Road
Joshua Tree: weenies for scale
These trees grow one inch per year!!
Campsite North BLM
Sunset at the BLM
California is like no other state, truly. We only ventured in a fraction of this paradise. We cannot wait to come back and explore some more!
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