Just a Bunch of Narcissistic Selfies at Joshua Tree National Park

Hello all, I’m taking a different approach with this blog post. In fact, it might be the most quickly produced post I’ve ever published! That’s because this post (“Just a Bunch of Narcissistic Selfies at Joshua Tree National Park”) is what it says it is: a bunch of pictures with less focus on text, and more focus on — well —

Let’s just say that what this post lacks in substance, it makes up for in selfies!

Let me start by issuing a warning. (But not until after I insert another picture.)

Warning: Selfies Lurking Beyond This Point!

As a public-service announcement, I’m hereby informing you that this post contains a shedload of selfies. With that in mind, you can now make an informed decision as to whether or not you proceed beyond this point.

Scroll on at your own risk!

Let me tell you, I had a lot of fun at Joshua Tree National Park!

The photoshoot included shots where I act like I didn’t know my picture was being taken…

Even though I’m the one who was taking the pictures!

Additionally, please beware of the heavily filtered pics.

Boy Scout Trail, Plus More Selfies

During my morning at Joshua Tree National Park, I walked part of the Boy Scout Trail, which is almost 16 miles, roundtrip. Since I didn’t have time to do the whole thing, I just enjoyed a short stretch of it. It was beautiful! And the weather was perfect on that shiny November morning!

But enough about that. Let’s get back to the selfies.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have that much time, so I only got to visit the northernmost part of the park, near the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center entrance. Here’s a pic of the map, to give you an idea.

I really hope I make it back to Joshua Tree National Park someday to check out more of the trails! To take more selfies!

Be prepared on your visit! Make sure you have lots of water with you. After all, it is the desert.

Just FYI, I do have an altruistic purpose for posting all of these selfies!

It’s my humble aim to help reduce the shame and stigma associated with   selfie-sharing and use of selfie sticks, which Rick Steves unfairly refers to as narcissi-sticks. 😉

(Hey, not everyone has as long an arm as you, Rick Steves!)

The good thing about taking selfies in Joshua Tree National Park is that there are plenty of boulders you can hide behind. This is especially useful if you’re a closet selfie-taker or are still struggling with feelings of humiliation and social anxiety that can sometimes be associated with the practice of taking selfies.

Lunch Break at Crossroads Cafe & Tavern

After all of that strenuous selfie-ing, I got hungry. I drove to Crossroads Cafe & Tavern, which is conveniently located near the northern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. Plus, it has amazing eats at fairly reasonable prices.

My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ordered the polenta and eggs (available gluten free for people like me!) with a side of guacamole and seared ahi tuna. It was delicious, and it was a lot of food. I ended up taking half of it to go and ate the leftovers for dinner.

From relaxing Palm Springs to the rugged desert of Joshua Tree National Park, Moon Palm Springs & Joshua Tree is your go-to guide.

Back to Palm Springs

After lunch, I returned to Palm Springs in my rental car and made it back in time to take a tour of the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway. Completely by coincidence, I happened to be wearing my Elvis T-shirt that day!

The tour was pricey — a whopping thirty-five dollars. I was hesitant to participate at that price, but then I figured I might not be back in these parts again soon. And it was interesting to see the house.

As well as to sit on the impressive 64-foot wrap-around couch.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed my trip out to Joshua Tree National Park, and to Palm Springs as well. Palm Springs was an ideal home base, as it’s an interesting destination on it’s own. But the deciding factor was that it’s perfect for accessing not only Joshua Tree National Park, but also for visiting Salvation Mountain and Slab City’s East Jesus: two destinations that really ended up being more than I anticipated.

If I could do it again, I’d allocate a bit more time for exploring both Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park. (Three nights in Palm Springs, rather than just two, would have given me more time to squeeze in a few more sights as well as more time for hiking and exploring Joshua Tree.) 

Thanks for joining me on my mini-Southwest road trip!

The end, for now. 🙂

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How about you? Are you guilty of taking selfies? Perhaps you’re a closet-selfie-taker? Or (as one acquaintance put it), do you think that people who take selfies have mental-health issues? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section! 🙂