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I also have some exciting news because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
You can also see all the final photos from this trip in my Los Angeles blog post!
As quickly as I was home from my last trip to San Francisco, I was already boarding another flight back to the States this time with my sister Georgina. We were headed to California for the summer after weeks of planning our trip together and I couldn’t have been more excited. My sister and I are extremely close, we can spend hours talking and we laugh at absolutely everything. She is my favourite person in the world.
When we landed in Los Angeles and went outside, the heat brought back all the memories of the last time I was in the States in the summer. The jet lag this time though, was one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. We picked up our hire car and spent our day trying to keep ourselves awake with a little bit of shopping, eating and checking into our first accommodation in Anaheim. By the afternoon we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer - we were deliriously laughing in our hotel room at who knows what, trying to stay awake in vein. A story that we always bring up now through tears of laughter is how we ended up falling asleep in the late afternoon, only for me to wake up a few hours later thinking I had slept through our entire second day in LA, missing out on our trip to Disneyland and hallucinating that the streetlight just outside our window was the sunrise. After a few minutes of confusion I couldn’t have been happier that I still had hours to sleep and adjust!
On our first full day in LA, we woke up to a still dark 5am to get ready for our day in Disneyland. We had an ambitious plan for the week to visit 5 theme parks in 5 days and we documented our entire experience in the form of daily vlogs which I have included throughout this blog post! So if you would like to see more of an insight on our days spent on rollercoasters and exploring parks please check them out!
After our second day in Disney California Adventure Park, we checked out of our accommodation in Anaheim and moved back into the city of L.A. where we checked into the cutest cabin house! We were so happy we had this home booked for the rest of our week in the city because it was beautiful and absolutely perfect. We continued our theme park adventure with Universal Studios, Six Flags and ending the crazy week at Knott’s Berry Farm. On the last day of the week we had a full free day so we spent it driving around Beverly Hills, doing a little more shopping, visiting Venice Beach where I finally saw it in the sunshine (as opposed to last year where it was cloudy and gloomy!) and visiting the Griffith Observatory where we took about a hundred photos in the iconic smoggy LA sunset.
That night we woke up super early to catch our next flight where our adventures continue.
all photos edited with my LA Lightroom Preset!
Where do I even start with Joshua Tree? My time there was a change of pace, a breath of fresh (and sometimes dusty) air amongst the craziness of our trip so far and the craziness that was still to come. The air is still, the heat relentlessly hot, but I felt at peace and a sense of overwhelming calmness and inspiration when I’d sit at the front of our house watching the landscape around me. My eyes were constantly glued to our car window and I felt a sense of nostalgia the moment I was there for a place I’ve never been to before. The best way I can describe Joshua Tree is magic.
Maybe the magic there lies within the fact that the further you’d drive away from the city of Los Angeles, the more it started to look like a different world. That when we first started to see the span of the desert and the mountains and nothing else, that I had to pull over to soak it all in. Or that when I first got out of the car the realness of being in the desert sunk in, the heat was like no other heat I’ve experienced before and I could taste the dustiness of the air every time I breathed in. Or maybe it was that we arrived at our home in the desert in the almost-dark and didn’t get to realise where I was until I woke up at 5 in the morning to watch the sun rise, all the while hearing coyotes howl in the not-so-far distance and watching the jack rabbits and chipmunks come to life when it was cool at night.
Visiting Joshua Tree has been on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I have always wanted to visit the desert, see the sunrise, watch the stars and just be in this beautiful place. We left New York on the 4th of July, dragging our feet during the long lines at the airport on two hours of sleep. When we landed in Los Angeles, we tetris-packed our rental car with all our luggage and headed off on our roadtrip to Joshua Tree. I drove the entire way there as it’s something I have always wanted to do. The longer we drove the more the city and suburbs disappeared into a dust storm. We took a few wrong turns and missed exits, but we finally got to our first destination in one piece - the world’s biggest dinosaur in Cabazon. It was here that I got my first sense that I was really doing this, that I was really headed towards where I have always wanted to go. The heat was relentless and almost suffocating. But I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
We headed off for the next leg of our trip. By this point we were passing Palm Springs, entering Yucca Valley and the roads look just like they do in the movies. Sam was filming and taking photos for me because the views were incredible and I didn’t want to forget a single moment. The road winds and turns and we drove towards and through the mountain until we ended up in the town of Joshua Tree. We pulled over on the side of the road to take photos with the setting sun, dust flying around us with every car that zoomed past while we were wandering.
The paved road eventually stops and turns into a dirt road along the way to our house. We drive up a small hill and our home is waiting for us. It is an incredible place with an amazing view and big windows to see it all. We unpack our things, take billions of photos in the last light of the day and make a quick dinner. I still can’t believe I am here.
I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Happy 4th of July, America.
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Another three hour night of sleep and I am woken by Sam grabbing my arm, who was woken by Nat to see the sunrise. As soon as I opened my eyes and saw the amazing colours brewing in the sky, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my camera to sit outside. All we could hear were small sounds of wildlife as we stared at the vast, purple tinted openness in front of us. With no sounds other than a bird whistling a little tune, I watched the sun rise over the mountains in the distance. Something I have always wanted to experience.
The sun was already warm as soon as it trickled over my skin. By the time our house was in the sunshine by 7am, it was 31°C.
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Joshua Tree is amazing in the summer. We had a couple of recommendations from locals that we started conversations with that it's better to come in October (when the park is busiest) beacuse the days are warm and the night cools your skin. But we loved it in the summer. We had time to laze around guiltlessly during the day in our beautiful home, we went for hikes in the afternoon in the setting sun and the nights were cold enough to make you forget how hot it was during the day when you'd take out your favourite jumper to snuggle in while watching the shooting stars. In the summer Joshua Tree National Park and the town is so lovelily empty. It felt like we had the whole world to ourselves.
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I will never forget my time in Joshua Tree. Hiking through the desert, seeing the wildlife, spending my birthday there, feeling so small in a place so big. I remember so fondly the drives back to our home after being in the National Park all afternoon. The sky a dim marvel of subtle colours and the car headlights twinkling in the distance like stars.
In some current news, I'm excited because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
The World's Biggest Dinosaur, Cabazon
Experiencing my first sunset in the desert.
The drive from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree.
Seeing little snippets of Joshua Tree for the first time.
Our cute AirBnb rental property - a little pink house in the middle of the desert.
This was our little lizard friend, who we think was dopey from the heat but would always hang out with us when we were outdoors.
Planning on where to go exploring in Joshua Tree National Park. The heat was too intense during the day so we had to wait until the afternoon to go hiking.
I would stare out the car window in awe as we drove through the National Park.
Spending early mornings filling in words for my travel journal and flicking through my polaroids after watching the sunrise.
Celebrating the 4th of july in the desert.
Our AirBnb house had gorgeous windows which spanned from the ceiling to the floor - perfect for gazing out to watch the clouds and animals scurrying around in the bushes when it was too hot to go outside during the day.
My friends and I were all obsessed with seeing squirrels around New York, we couldn't believe how cute a chipmunk was when we saw three of them running across the road!
Pulling over on the side of the road to take pictures at sunset.
We barely saw another car or other people - it felt like we were at Joshua Tree all by ourselves.
There was a hike with desert flowers we wanted to do, but just as we were about to get out the car we realise the were HUNDREDS of bees surrounding us. We sat inside the car looking at them in disbelief (taking pictures of course) and we unfortunately missed out on this hike. Maybe next time!
Dusk in the desert.
Joshua Tree's main street.
all photos edited with my new joshua tree lightroom preset!
heading to l.a. from sydney.
pastel skies over venice beach as we landed.
flying to l.a. | the first thing we did when we landed was eat in n out burger | a house we passed on the street
sunset at griffith observatory was magical.
watching the mountains disappear into the l.a. haze.
instagram photos: 1. rodeo drive 2 + 3. griffith observatory 4, 5 + 6. visiting the getty centre 7, 8 + 9. universal studios 10, 11 + 12. disneyland
the happiest place on earth! when i got back home after watching the midnight fireworks over the disneyland castle, i scrawled in my travel journal "i'm smiling the widest smile i have and my insides are made of butterflies. it was one of the most magical days." and promptly passed out of exhaustion as shown by my pen scrawl off the page from the last letter.
early morning drives around l.a.
wandering the streets of beverly hills where the roads are paved through a tunnel of trees and there are picture perfect houses with picture perfect lawns.
on our last night in l.a. before flying out to nyc, we went to see ben folds live at the greek theatre. it was the perfect way to end our trip, watching my favourite artist perform under the stars.
i was obsessed with all the brightly coloured flowers that painted the city of l.a.
after new york, we had a few extra days to spend in l.a. so we stayed in a little house next to venice beach.
walking along the venice canals.
on my birthday we went to the cheesecake factory and six of us chose six different flavours of cake to try. they were all delicious.
i didn't take my camera with me when we were exploring venice beach, so all i have are a few iphone photos.
a bit of shopping on our last day in l.a.
visiting el matador state beach in malibu. you can find that blog post here.
runyon canyon with dan and hayden where they filmed part of hayden's music video at the top of the mountain with l.a. glistening in the background.
the last pit stop in l.a. before driving to san francisco was the charmed house! we stopped by in the morning the four of us - sam, dan, hayden and myself super excited to see it in real life as we all grew up watching the show when we were younger.
we departed cold wintery sydney early in the morning one day in july to get on a mammoth 12 hour flight to l.a. when we landed, we picked up our hire car and it was my first time soaking it all in and driving on the other side of the road. it was magical being somewhere new. we spent four days in l.a. where we did lots of shopping, exploring and taking hundreds of photos before getting on another plane to spend a week in new york. when we got back from nyc, we got straight in the car and drove to joshua tree to spend my birthday in the desert (i'm so excited to share those photos with you!) and back to l.a. where dan and hayden joined us after spending time filming his new video clip and jess and nat went back home.
i miss the sunny days in los angeles, the big streets, the interesting people, all the amazing food, i even miss the highways and the traffic and crazy drivers. my favourite moment was being at the griffith observatory watching the sun go down, watching the lights turn on in the city. pink, blue, yellow, orange, purple, white, it was stunning. i couldn't unglue my eyes from the sky. somehow i drowned out the noise of the mass of people swarming everywhere at the top of that hill and i breathed in every second of the moments that passed as if i never would again.
i had so many people tell me that l.a. is boring and gross and after spending some time there i came to the conclusion that l.a. is so not magical that it is. it's dirty but quirky. the city is covered in a layer of grime and it's coloured in a soft pastel tone with the most wonderful sunlight you could imagine. while driving around, my eyes dart to the brightly coloured bougainvillaea that climbed, crawled, twisted and relentlessly grew itself to any thing it could hold onto. i noticed that l.a. isn't just one place or a city centre like sydney. it's huge and it's everywhere. i feel like i need a lot more than a week to get to know this place better. l.a. you were a wild ride and i can't wait to visit again soon!
I also have some exciting news because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
all photos edited with my new lightroom preset L.A.!
the heat in l.a. was getting exhausting. day in and out of sunshine and we decided to head to the coast for some fresh air. malibu delivered everything i thought it was going to be. i loved driving on the brilliant coastal road, endless californian ocean to your left and towering mountains to your right. i won't ever forget the sight.
the first picture in this blog post is the traffic on the freeway. one second there was peak hour traffic and the next everyone was zooming past. we found out pretty quickly that you don't fit in on the road in l.a. unless you speed excessively, don't indicate, eat while you're driving and run red lights. it was my first time driving on the other side of the road but i got used to it pretty quickly! the only time i would be confused was when i walked to the car throughout the day and i would always automatically walk to the passenger seat to start driving before realising and running around the car to the correct side while giggling.
i was so excited seeing a yellow school bus for the first time!
photo pit stops along the way.
a few notes from my travels that i scribbled in my notebook sleepy eyed in bed on the night we got back to our apartment:
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the sun is a hazy mess on the horizon.
ocean, mountain, desert.
powerlines and palm trees.
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All photos edited with my Lovestruck Lightroom Preset!
