Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray. ⁣-Rumi⁣

To say I was drawn - was an understatement. Yes, I’m drawn to solo travel- but this day was unforgettable. ⁣

It was early in my solo travel years and I was learning just how big national parks really are. ⁣

There are grandiose thoughts of how things will go...but, just like in life- a curve ball comes along. ⁣

The goal- Joshua Tree. I only had one night and the next day to see as much as I could. ⁣

I got a hotel in a nearby town because there were no rooms left closer to the park. I arrived around dusk. [there’s that timing thing...] and I wanted to get the lay of the land for the next day’s journey. ⁣

I set out to find the entrance so I knew right where to go early the next morning. ⁣

Well- I drove. And drove. And finally came across a visitors center. ⁣

Now- one thing to learn is that a Rangers idea of “just up the road” and a girl from the suburbs of Chicago’s idea of “just up the road” are very different. ⁣

I drove for...what felt like forever and the sun was starting to set. And then I finally found the entrance. Feeling flustered and really out of my comfort zone- I pulled over. I might have been 1/2 mile into the park- and there- with all my nerves...was the most perfect Joshua Tree. ⁣

Within 5 minutes of me standing outside my car- this magnificent sky appeared. ⁣

This to me, is what I love. The unexpected moments- just on the verge of feeling really unsettled...like a beautiful hug from the universe- that made it feel like that sky was just for me. ⁣

2.7.21