Rockabilly weekend

A mix between punk rock and country rock, "rockabilly" music is a genre I hadn't even HEARD of until this weekend... but when the new roommate invited me to a show in Anaheim, I figured I might as well go check it out since I didn't have anything else going on! We had a really fun night, and it was an interesting show - not my new favorite kind of music, but it was enjoyable! The rockabilly culture is retro - greaser guys and pin-up girls.. lots of hairspray in that bar last night. 

Despite not getting much sleep after the drive home from Anaheim, I still made it to Joshua Tree National Park today to use my new National Park Annual Pass! It was a perfect day for a few desert hikes... sunny and warm, but not unbearably hot. There were a lot of people out, but none of the trails were very crowded, which made for a peaceful and quiet day in the beautiful high desert of southern California.

Hike 1: Fortynine Palms Oasis... the only hike today with any elevation change (and even then, very little). You can hear birds chirping before you round the last hill, then you're met with the beautiful sight of trees and a little shade! I was lucky enough to enjoy the oasis by myself for 20 minutes before some more hikers caught up to me!

Can you see the snow-capped mountains in the distance? Really cool to see them behind the desert and miles of Joshua trees!

Hike 2: Wall Street Mill... used during the gold-mining days. Lots of old cars and equipment to look at along the trail too!

 Hike 3: Barker Dam... The dam was built to help with a water source for the cattle being used in the area. Sadly, there was not even a drop of water in sight today, but you can see on the rocks that the water did get pretty high at one point!