A Joshua tree looks like a twisted and mangled palm tree. So unique and beautiful in their own way! This trip is educational for our boys so we googled where the Joshua Tree got its name. This is what we found: “The name Joshua tree was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree’s unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer.” Isn’t that awesome?

On day 5, We woke up and packed up at the echolove casita. We then started our journey into Joshua Tree national park. The only thing we knew about Joshua Tree was that it was the name of an awesome U2 (one of our favorite bands) album. So we wanted to check it out!!! Y’all it’s so hot there that you just drive through it and then pick our sites throughout the park that you want to stop and take pics at. Throughout the park there are TONS of Joshua trees and super unique rock formations. How did these crazy huge piles of rocks get out there!? I have no idea. But they are cool to climb on! And take pictures of! Our first stop in the park, we met a couple from Fayetteville, AR! They were super sweet and they took a pic of our whole family in front of the beautiful scenery. We stopped a few places throughout the park. We were looking for skull rock! It was one of the last rock formations to see before we left the park. You’ll see pics of it below. So many cool rocks y’all! The boys loved it!!! Arthur Thomas could have stayed and hiked all day!!! Then we made our way back to Joshua Tree for delicious burgers at the Joshua Tree Saloon. I Definitely recommend their sweet potato fries and cheeseburger 🍔!  Then we loaded up and headed west to San Diego. This was a short car ride of about 3 hrs, compared to the rest of the traveling we  have done so far. And it was a beautiful drive through the mountains! We saw this area with tons of windmills and a random piece of 🌈 in the sky!  Rainbows are a great reminder that Yahweh is faithful and always keeps His promises!  He is so good!!! We reached San Diego and  we checked into the Kings Motel, which was in the middle of everything and it has been completely remodeled to a beach theme mid century wonderland! Totally adorable and affordable! I’ll post pics of their rooms soon! We were stoked to be in one place for 3 nights and beds were super comfy!!!! 🛏🛋🛁​​​​