We had no wedding or family plans for the morning, so Nathan and I got up around 5:30, made breakfast, had coffee, and prepped a backpack to go back into Joshua Tree National Park. There was one hike that we saw yesterday that looked interesting, and we wanted to head back there before it got too hot.
The hike to the Wall Street Mine was an easy, breezy walk in the desert. We toured around the old mine equipment and building, counting lizards as we went. The highlights were spotting a roadrunner on the path and reading the story about the 1943 gunfight between two local men.
We had promised to be back at our Airbnb by 10 am, and it was already pretty hot and windy, so we left the park and headed home.
On the way home, we each received an amber-style alert on our phones, warning of a potential dust storm and providing instructions on what to do if you were caught up in one.
When we got back to the Airbnb, we were the only ones there. The rest of the family had driven to the park and were still there. So we spent our free time doing what anyone would do – trip research for our next November trip.
Eventually, Phil, Deb, Dennis, and Melody returned to the house. Donna, Josh, and their little singing gremlin dog Riley came by, and we spent the afternoon in the backyard playing Farkle. Well, not me. I just sat there and amused myself with the conversation.
It was during this afternoon Farkle game that phones started blowing up with incoming text messages. Due to the high wind, our outdoor, desert, honkey tonk, disco wedding was undergoing a venue change. We were given a new address and told to be there by 5ish.
At the prescribed time, we loaded into cars and headed to the new venue. Nathan and I summoned an Uber, and when our ride started going down an unpaved desert road I said, “this can’t be right.” It was right. Our new venue was the bride & bridesmaids’ prewedding Airbnb rental.
The ceremony was still held outside, and everything was still so beautiful and seemingly perfect for Max and Liz’s special day.
At the end of the night, Phil, Deb, Nathan, Melody, and I all crammed into Dennis’s car and headed home.
Tomorrow, back to Longmont.