Quick Overnight Stay in Twentynine Palms California
A Bit of Background
I have a great aunt and quite a few cousins that I never got to know growing up who live out in Twentynine Palms California. I always knew they existed, but I hadn't spent time with them since I was a baby being that I grew up on the east side of the USA. I have been developing a relationship with them since around 2018, which has been a lot of fun. Especially considering that my great aunt is 93 years old at this point. Her brother was my estranged grandfather who sadly I only met a couple of times. He was a sweet guy but had a lot of psychological issues due to his entire platoon being killed in the Korean War. He was never the same after that.
Apart from family, there just so happens to be a meditation retreat center in town there where @afturner and I like to go to whenever we get a chance. It is a 10 day silent retreat which a lot of people might find to be a bit crazy, but we find it extremely helpful to our wellbeing.
She managed to get on a course, which has been nearly impossible between having @little-ricky and dealing with the pandemic. I assured her that I could deal with him on my own for the duration of the retreat. She didn't seem completely convinced, but went ahead anyway. Honestly, she really needs and deserves it.
Since it is a 3-3.5 hour drive from Los Angeles, we thought we'd rent an AirBnB for the night before dropping her off at the retreat. It just makes it easier, because having the little one in the car all day is not a pleasant experience for anyone.
Dry and Hot as Hell!
Twentynine Palms in my opinion is incompatible with human life. After being there for about 3 hours or so, my mouth goes completely dry and my eyeballs feel like complete sandpaper. I try to swallow but there is now moisture in my throat to bring relief. My lips soon get chapped, and if I don't get out of the sun I will burn to a crisp within a very short period of time.
As you can see in the images, there is pretty much no grass anywhere. The only thing that survives around here are desert plants such as cactuses and certain palm trees. Of course there are the Joshua Trees everywhere which are indigenous to the area.
Little Ricky certainly didn't seem to mind the heat. In fact he was running around the 'yard' having a blast. There was about 2 or so acres completely fenced in which was nice since I could really let him run around a bit. I just had to watch out for snakes and scorpions. Oh, and of course the huge ants everywhere. I don't know if they are the biting kind, but better safe than sorry.
This old machine was off to the side of the property rusting out. I have no idea how long it has been sitting here. I wonder how long this place has been an AirBnB?
We got curious looking around this property. I decided to look it up on Zillow and what I found was quite fascinating. It seems like the property has been bought/sold every other year for the last 2 decades. The thing that really stood out to me was the price. The whole property sold for like $7k back in the early 2000s. It went up a little bit here and there over the next decade, and then bizarrely sold for 75k, and then last year sold for $200k. What the hell is going on? Why would anything be so expensive out here in the middle of nowhere. Inflation has truly gotten out of control!
Before dropping Amanda off at the meditation retreat we had a couple of hours to burn, so I looked up a park on google maps. I managed to find this crazy patch of green in the middle of the hellish dry landscape. This park was fantastic! It had huge climbing frames and everything was covered to block out the raging sun. The sprinklers were going off pretty regularly as would be expected. There is no way this place is staying green otherwise.
Ricky had a blast climbing and running about. This turned out to be especially helpful because he fell asleep right as I was dropping off Amanda at the retreat. He slept nearly the entire ride back to Los Angeles. Thank God for small miracles!
Oh sorry about that. I guess your system is not used to the environment that's why. If you had stayed for a couple of months, you could adapt to it.
It seems only a few number of people who could cope chose to live around that area.
Yeah, I remember feeling the same way when I moved to Mexico for a while. Eventually my body adapted to it. I think I just have those northern European genes that are well adapted to the cold! I always manage better in the cold weather than a lot of other people.
That's definitely Twenty-nine palms! I've stopped there so many time driving out of Los Angeles. It's almost bizarre to see the coast of California to the intense dry desert on the other side of the mountains. Looks like you guys had fun though, there are a lot of cool things to do around there!
Yeah we've done a couple of drives around Joshua Tree but haven't spent a lot of time. At some point I'd like to do a hike or maybe camp out. One of these days when the little one is a bit bigger!
I wouldn't do it summer, it's just too hot. Kids grow up fast, enjoy them while they're still little!
Yeah, for sure!
Reconnecting with family is always nice, or as in your case, getting to know family you never met.
The price of that place is nuts. Wow. Yep, perfect example of inflation going wild.
I'm curious about this retreat. I've been to Soto Zen Buddhist retreats for a few days. They are mostly, but not entirely silent. There is some instruction and we usually do some chanting. Those are always refreshing. I do meditation daily, but having a more isolated area specific for that purpose seems to make it all go better.
If you are interested in longer retreats then you should definitely check out the Vipassana meditation centers which are actually all over the world. You can sign up at Dhamma.org and it actually doesn't cost anything to attend, you just have to be put on the waiting list. Hopefully there is a center near where you live. They do accept donations at the end of the retreat but it is not required. They are essentially run by old students who come and work as assistant teachers and prepare food.
I always feel like I get a lot of progress on the path of insight at these retreats. Of course it always depends on the individual and how much 'effortless effort' they are able to apply. haha! Definitely worth it for sure.
I hate this part of the country. Ft Irwin is not too far from there and that place was some of the worst days of my existence. I even hate driving past this area now.
I don't blame you man.. It's hotter and dryer than Satan's ass out there. I always think of Coyote and Roadrunner when I am there.. Like how Coyote is completely parched and miserable the whole time.
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Family is just everything, it feels good to reconnect with distant relatives and bond even more with our spouse and kids.
Hahaha, God did a miracle there, this is the first time I read about little Ricky sleeping on a fun trip as this.
Honestly if I ever have trouble getting him to fall asleep, all I need to do is put him in the car for a while. haha! Works every time.
Kids mostly dont care about the weather conditions. They find ways to enjoy.
Yes, I had to be careful to not let him get in the sun too much. I bet that you have a lot of experience with dry hot weather in Pakistan, right?
family is important my friend
Very much so
That sounds like an amazing trip! I've never been to Twentynine Palms, but it sounds like a unique and beautiful place. I'm glad you were able to spend some time with your great aunt and cousins, and that Amanda was able to get some much-needed time for herself at the meditation retreat.
I can't imagine how dry it must be there! I'm glad you found a park that was a little oasis in the desert. It sounds like Ricky had a great time running around and climbing. I'm also glad that he fell asleep on the way back to LA.
Thanks buddy! We had a good time even though it was a short trip.
I expect Amanda to come home cheerful and with a good attitude. Haha,let's see how long it lasts.
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I really enjoyed your photos, especially the ones of Joshua Tree National Park and the murals. You made me feel like I was there. I enjoyed learning more about the history and culture of Twentynine Palms. I didn't know it was such a special city full of contrasts.
What surprised or pleased you the most about Twentynine Palms?
Well, I suppose there isn't a lot for me to say about the town other than it's hot and very dry! I suppose I was pleased by the fact that I can drive just a couple of hours away from Los Angeles and be in a very different environment. I really feels like a different country from just a hundred miles away.